You don’t belong here, Vesper.
“Such a shame,” he says mockingly, pulling me back in. His cigarette hangs from his lips. He lights it, relishing in the buzz. His eyelids flutter closed for a brief moment. The smoke clouds the air in front of us, hazing my view of his face.
His words course through my mind as I try to decipher his meaning. Bravely, I raise my chin to meet his heavy-lidded, dead eyes that now stare back at me.
“What’s a shame?” I ask curiously.
He takes another long drag of his cigarette and blows the smoke in my face, making me cough and my eyes water. He tilts his head a fraction, and the corner of his lip upturns into a smirk—or maybe a scowl? From what I can tell, his face has sharp edges, and his thick brows make him look unapproachable. It’s hard to tell with all that charcoal makeup. One thing is certain.He’s big.
He remains silent, refusing to elaborate. Before I can press further, Clara stumbles down the stairs. She molds herself beside me, knocking me into Zain. I freeze when our bodies collide, and he reaches out to right me. Clara wraps her arm around my elbow, clinging to me like her lifeline. Her hair is a tussled mess, and her perfectly crafted makeup has been washed away by now-dried tears that stick to her blonde hair. Panic fills my insides. I grab her wrist, forcing her to face me. This isn’t typical drunk Clara, this is something more.
“Clara, what happened?” Concern flows through my veins.She lets out a shaky groan and adjusts her bubblegum romper. “I’m fine,” she says. Her words are slow and drawn out. She leans into my ear, whispering. At least she thinksshe’s whispering. “I like it rough.” She lets out a giggle as she leans all her weight on me.
Clara’s always been able to make sure she can handle herself.Mostly.
As long as she isn’t having a depression episode.
Whatever that guy gave her was a way higher dose than she’s used to. My attention turns back to the stranger in front of me.Zain. He’s still smoking his cigarette, observing me. The way he does it sends a shiver up my spine. I should run for the hills. The guy is a walking red flag.No, a fucking pitch-black flag, but I chalk my shitty intuition up to the college life and limited sleep. This guy is dangerous…so why can’t I calm my curious mind?
“Need a lift?” he asks with that ominous smirk-scowl as his eyes flicker down to Clara, then back to me. Why is that dark, threatening smile so enticing to me? It coils deep inside me and grabs hold, refusing to let go.
I shake my head and clear my thoughts that he seems to be hazing with his commanding presence.
The last thing I need is this maniac knowing where we live. This was a huge mistake. I’ll have to manage to navigate us back to the dorm by memory. As a vocalist and pianist, you’d think I would be good at memorization, but I’ve always learned best by ear.
“No, thank you. We can manage. We live close,” I say, meeting his piercing gaze once more. Truthfully, I have no freaking clue how close or far we are from the dorms. Clara sways and only manages to stay upright with her arm latched with mine. Her long blonde hair is atangled mess all over my arm. It’s as if he can see through me. He knows I’m clueless.
I swallow thickly and shoulder past him, brushing my body against his unintentionally. “Thanks for the party,” I mumble under my breath. As we leave, “Vore” by Sleep Token starts blaring through the speakers, and this time it’s unmistakable. His mouth upturns into a fiendish smile. His muted eyes track me until we are finally out of his line of sight and the door slams closed. The breeze slaps my face, bringing me back to reality, pulling me from this fever dream.
Herscent lingers on my skin; on my fucking clothes. It’s fate that that particular song came on. I inhale her sweet scent like a fucking drug—cherries and vanilla. It’s sweeter than any high I’ve ever experienced. She’s perfect. I knew she would be. I can’t remember the last time someone stirred emotions within me just by looking at them. The urge to cut her precious skin and taste her copper tang on my tongue slams into my senses hard.
I watch as her tiny body disappears into the night. My demons stir my insides, threatening to resurface, but I pull them back down, anchoring them in the pit of my mind. It’s only a matter of time before they claw their way out.
Kieran rounds the corner with his mask resting on top of his head. He licks the edge of his lips, tasting the remnants of what I assume is blood. He’s just as sick as me. Never thought I’d find someone who shares perverted kinks with me. Probably why we’re close friends. He leans against the banister with a shit-eating grin. “Fuck, she was a delight,” he cackles and zips his fly up.
I shake my head. My gaze springs back to the door, and Kieran takes notice. He wouldn’t understand. He could never understand.
“What about you? I haven’t seen you take a single interest in a woman in fuck knows how long,” he pries, wagging his eyebrows.
I fling my cigarette butt, flicking ash in the air. “Nah, it isn’t like that. Innocent ones are fun to fuck with is all.” I shrug and slam the bright-orange butt of the cigarette into the banister, leaving another burn hole alongside the endless stream of others.He narrows his green eyes at me and sneers, unconvinced, “Sure man, whatever,” before brushing past me to the kitchen. I twist my body and follow in step behind him. I jam my hands into the pockets of my baggy jeans. The thumping base grows louder as we round the corner. I’m about ready for this fucking party to be over. Really, the only reason I do this shit is to keep my mind occupied and let Kieran live out his fantasies. The quiet unleashes the demons, and some days I just can’t deal with them. Kieran always handles this shit. This is a second home to him. He has his own place at his father’s estate. Perks of being the dean’s son. He chooses this life. Suits him better.
“Gonna end this shit soon. I’m tired of these fucks, and the house reeks of sweat and fucking,” I nod towards the countless bodies fucking against my walls and on the dance floor. I play it cool. Kieran is clueless about the shit I’ve got planned for Vesper. Best to keep it that way. Pretty sure he’d have me committed if he were able tofullyget inside of my head.
Kieran pours us drinks from one of the many kegs propped on the chipped counter. He flips the tap and his jungle juice sloshes into the cups. His famous mix is laced with so much alcohol content I’ll be riding an endless high with the molly I consume. Maybe tonight I’ll get some fucking sleep. Fat chance though with what I’ve got planned.
“Yeah, probably best. I might fuck Nyla first, though,” he says, eye fucking her from across the room.
He passes me the Solo cup and leans against the counter. He takes a long drink. I gulp down my entire cup again. I’m well on my way to feeling numb.A flicker of concern flitters over his face for a split second. Kieran wants to say something but thinks better of it. The fucker is loyal to a fault; I’ll give him that. He’s been trying to understand my fucked-up shit for years.Good luck with that.
“Get these fuckers outta here. Imma check somethin’.” I nod my head towards the door. Time to set shit in motion.
“Gotchu man.” He fist bumps my arm and slips his mask over his inked face with a grin, instantly gravitating towards Nyla.
Dude can’t keep his dick in his pants to save his fuckin’ life. I feel like my body is floating on its own towards the exit. I know good and well Vesper has no idea where the fuck she’s at, and Kieran’s stupid ass gave the bitch she was with too much fucking molly. Dude has no sense sometimes.
I grab my sweatshirt off the banister and throw it on over my head before I exit into the dark, chilly night. What my little songbird doesn’t know is that I already know which dorm she’s in. I relentlessly spent every free moment learning her secrets; everything I could about her. Years. Fuckingyearshave led up to this very fucking evening. To say I’m dripping with excitement would be an understatement. Letting her slip away so easily without getting into her head would be a crime. I want to be deep in her thoughts, embedded into her very psyche.
I silently stalk down the stairs towards the Sovereign and Scion dorms. The Sovereign dorm houses the most prestigious and powerful students here. The Elites. The rich and powerful sons and daughters of Grimshaw. I scoff. To think, my little songbird chose to be placed in the Scion wing instead. Such a shy, innocent little thing. Much safer option for her. She would get eaten alive. She’s not like them. She’s the poster girl for good girls. She doesn’t converse with the other Elites. I would know, Kieranand I are also Elites, though I don’t associate with those fucks like Kieran does. I expected a perfect little molded angel, but what I didn’t expect was hercompleteinnocence and naivety. Of coursetheysheltered her.
