She’s not after the latter; her family has plenty of money. And she doesn’t seem to have enough backbone to be seeking power. She’d much rather ride her mother’s coattails on that front. So that only leaves love, and like hell is she interested in that. She wants to be fawned over, idolized, and placed on a pedestal she doesn’t deserve. Really, she just wants attention.
Maybe that gives her a sense of power, but again, it still feels weak.
“Let’s get one thing clear, Willow. I liked it when I had my hand clamped over your mouth while I fucked you, or with you flipped over and facing away from me so I could get off without actually acknowledging you. You were a means to an end, an in for your mother’s ear, and when that was no longer needed, neither were you.”
Poison taints my voice as I speak each word, but she shakes her head, refusing the truth, and I know she’ll never leave this delusional state she’s in. Nothing I say or do will make her understand that I have no interest in her; not now, and definitely not then.
“No one can please you like me, Kael. When you remember your place, come find me,” she hisses, slapping at my arm again, and this time, I let her go. She huffs, flicking her hair over her shoulder, and I roll my eyes at her dramatics. At least she’s consistent in being a pain in my ass.
She’s lucky I’m letting her walk away right now, but as much as I want to make her pay for what she did to Elodie, I know when my girl returns, hating me or not, she’s going to want that vengeance for herself, and I’m more than happy to give it to her.
My heart aches at the thought of her, my soul already longing for something I never truly had. Anger claws at my insides, but this isn’t the first mistake I’ve made, and it certainly won’t be the last.It will be the most devastating, though.
I’ve owned every step I’ve taken previously, even the ones in the wrong direction, and my stubbornness refuses for this moment to be any different.
Shaking off my thoughts of distractions that I can no longer indulge in, I turn to assess the space around me.
The screams grow louder as students charge past me in every direction, fueling the fury inside, but nothing causes me more distress than the distant sound of my name on Rion’s tongue.
“Kael? Kael!”
Brushing my hair back off my face, I take a deep breath, bracing myself as I turn toward the sound of his voice. It’s no surprise to find he’s not alone the moment my gaze settles on his, and I come face to face with Thorne and Ocean too.
I watch as each of them draws closer while their eyes begin to narrow, uncertainty washing over their features as they come to a stop before me.
“Where’s Elodie?” Rion blurts, his spine stiffening as he peers around me.
I shake my head, acid burning the back of my throat as guilt gnaws at my insides. He must read me like a book because he takes a step closer a moment later, crowding my space as his voice drops an octave or two. “Where the fuck is she, man? It’s not safe here.”
“She’s not here,” I state, my voice devoid of emotion, and I can’t help but wonder if my eyes look as bleak as Elodie’s did. The numbness that takes root inside me is warm and enthralling as I let it twist and turn throughout my entire body.
Nothingness blankets me like a safety net as Rion grabs my shoulders, rattling me slightly for good measure as he snarls. “Then where the hell is she?”
Thorne’s brows are gathered and an eeriness drapes over him as Ocean blinks at me with wide, fearful eyes. None of it matters, not now, and never again, as I speak the truth that will forever haunt me until I’m nothing but a whisper of history, rotting in the ground.
“She’s with Jude.”
3
ELODIE
“Come.”
That one word sends a shudder running down my spine. My hands curl into fists at my sides as I continue to stare at his fortress before me, my mind spiralling with idea upon idea of how I might be able to escape this place, but every time I think I’ve settled on one, it evaporates and spirals into the next.
Once upon a time, it would have been Walker I hoped would save me, but he’s a third of the reason I’m here. Another reason stands beside me, and the last is my guardian asshole, whom I almost believed in.
Was it just him, or were the others involved too?
My eyelids shutter slowly, a flash of Thorne and Rion playing on the back of them, and pain sears through my body. I thought I knew what betrayal felt like when Walker revealed his true colors, but this feels so much worse, and I don’t know why.
Maybe I do and I just don’t want to admit it. It’s too late for that now.
As my eyes pry open once again and I tilt my face to look at my new captor, a thought runs through my mind. If Thorne was involved, why didn’t he just let Jude and his men take me on the beach? Was it an act? My gut churns, demanding I payattention, but before I can assemble all of my thoughts in order, Jude places his hand on the small of my back.
The slight pressure as he takes a step forward is enough to warrant a snarl from my lips. I step forward, attempting to escape his touch as I glower at him.
“Don’t touch me.” My face tingles with rage, or is it fear? My entire body is achingly stiff from head to toe, a sensation I haven’t had to endure in some time.
