She flustered, color flooding her cheeks. “Just—go away.”
“I never expected you to be so prudish.” The observation slipped out before I could consider whether it was wise.
“I am not prudish!” Her voice pitched higher, and she glanced around to ensure no one was listening before hissing, “But a girl wants to masturbate away from her fuck boy occasionally!”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The image of her, frustrated and wanting, desperately trying to find privacy for self-pleasure while I hovered outside her door like some Victorian chaperone, was absurdly funny.And if she thinks being honest or crude will scare me, she is about to learn how quickly I can match her pace.
“We both know you are severely lacking in fuck boys, Violet.”
That raised her hackles beautifully. She stormed closer, jabbing a finger hard into my chest. “I’ve had my fair share, thank you very much.”
Proprietary fury struck through me, hot and immediate and absolutely irrational. My jaw clenched hard enough to ache. “And who the helldid you let touch you?” The words came out sharp, edged with anger, as my fingers ached to leave imprints on her ass.
“Whoever I wanted!” She jabbed my chest again, punctuating each word. “Why does it matter? Because it ismychoice, Rowan. My body. My decision.”
“Your father would never have allowed—" I started, falling back on logic and parental authority.
“Daddy wouldn’t know!” She cut me off, her hazel eyes flashing in gold and green. “I snuck out to do it, obviously. What, you think I asked permission?”
I was angry now, genuinely angry in a way I hadn’t felt in years. “That was not safe, Violet. What if someone had tried to hurt you, or worse—"
“I can take care of myself!” She shoved me, and I let her move me back a step. “I’m not some delicate princess like you keep calling me.”
“You are aspoiledprincess,” I fired back, my patience finally snapping. “Is that why you are so angry with me? Me following you, protecting you, keeping you safe? It prevents you from going out and rutting the night away with some frat boy?”
Her eyes went wide, then narrowed into dangerous slits. “And what if it is? It’s none of your business who I decide torutwith, Rowan.” Her voice turned cold then. “Or is this jealousy? Is that it? Are you jealous that I’d rather sneak away to find arealman to fuck me? A man whose face I could use like a god damn throne? Just like theprincessyou claim I am?”
My cock swelled immediately, blood rushing south so fast it made me dizzy. An image slammed into me: Violet straddling my face, her hands tangled in my hair as I struggled to breathe.
Fuck.
“You would not know how to handle me, Violet.” My voice had gone rough, barely controlled.
She threw her hands up, nearly dropping the shower caddy as plastic bottles clattered to the floor, rolling across the tile. “Oh, because you absolutely screamwell-experienced.Go fuck off and find your next girl to stalk. I’m done with you tonight.”
“Gladly.” I bit the word out, my pride stung, and my cock still painfully hard. “Go kill your toys’ batteries thinking about me.”
We stormed off in opposite directions—her towards her dorm room, me towards the stairs—both of us acting like petulant children rather than adults.
I did not care.
She was like a splinter embedded deep in my flesh, impossible to extract, the foreign object slowly being absorbed and integrated until it became part of me. Growing with me. Changing me in ways I couldn’t map or predict or control.
Maddening. She is absolutely maddening.
After our fight, I left campus entirely for an hour, desperate to burn off the restless energy crackling through my system like electricity seeking ground. I was careful to avoid well-traveled areas, sticking to the paths I’d mapped during previous evening hunts. I made my way back to where I’d first encountered the vampyress, that grove of ancient oaks near the library where the veil between worlds felt thinner.
The trees there were perfect for what I needed—thick branches, dense canopy, enough height to see campus spread below while remaining hidden from casual observation. The stone walls surrounding the older buildings provided handholds and ledges, routes I could navigate in near silence.
I climbed until my muscles screamed, until sweat soaked through my shirt and my hands bled from fresh scrapes. Pushed my body until the image of Violet straddling my face finally faded enough that I could think clearly. I needed my rope. The methodical movement kept my mind busy and prevented me from craving untouchable things.
By the time I returned to her dorm building, I was sweaty but spent, the violent edge of possessive anger finally dulled to something manageable.
Alice met me at the door, either arriving or departing—I couldn’t immediately tell which. She wore a light jacket over her summer dress and carried a small purse, suggesting the latter.
“Oh, Rowan.” She smiled, stepping aside to let me enter. “I’m meeting my friend, so I won’t be back before curfew. Violet’s sleeping. I imagine she’s exhausted after all those nightmares.”
I went still, every muscle locking. “Nightmares?”
