My blood turns to ice.
No.
No, no,fuckno.
I pivot on my heel, my eyes immediately drawn to the shadows in the depths of the woods behind the library gardens. The woods where Kai chased me, then fucked me. Where I tried to choke him and failed.
In those woods lurks a fucking monster.
Watching me.
Watchingus.
Bastian, leaning against a tree with his phone dangling from his hand as he rakes his fingers slowly through his hair.
Perfectly calm. Perfectly composed.
Thoroughly enjoying the fucking show.
My hand moves automatically, reaching for the person closest to me. I don’t even know who they are—their face just a blur from the corner of my eye.
Bastian raises a finger to his lips.
Shh.
Slowly shakes his head.
Don’t.
The threat couldn’t be clearer.
I don’t know what he’ll do if I point him out. But I know it’ll be worse than this. Somehow, it’ll be worse.
He beckons me with a curl of his finger.
Come here.
I shake my head, mouthing, “Fuck you,”with all the vehemence I can muster.
Turn back to Kai.
He’s still on the ground, yelling and struggling, putting up such a fight that the campus police haven’t been able to cuff him. A third cop dressed in a different uniform appears, and all the blood leaves my face.
Deputy Thatcher.
He glances down at Kai, and then immediately looks up toward the crowd where I’m standing. I’m not sure if he waspurposefully looking for me, but he locks on me, regardless. His mouth moves as he speaks to one of the security guards trying to cuff Kai, but his eyes don’t move from mine.
My phone rings.
I don’t need to look to know who it is.
I answer while my eyes are still locked to Thatcher’s. He’s much too far away to hear, but the crawling sensation going up my spine makes me cup a hand over my mouth, anyway.
He can probably read lips, and I’m sure as fuck not taking a chance.
“Whatthe fuckdid you do?” I hiss into the phone as I take a slow step back.
Officer Martin reaches Thatcher, and the deputy breaks eye contact with me to speak to him.
