“I recorded it,” I whisper.
Soren pauses. The knife stops moving, piercing into the wood between my thumb and index finger. Silence surrounds us, and the tension inside the office thickens. I stop breathing for a moment, too scared to even look back at him to see his reaction. His grip on my throat tightens, and it borders on painful. All I can feel is his chest heaving with each breath he takes, and I’m too terrified to speak.
Then, a chuckle comes from him.
“You recorded it, Sloane?” He asks, and the threat in his voice is easily recognizable. Soren continues moving his knife, going faster than before. I’ll be happy if I make it out of this office tonight, if I don’t have a heart attack in the midst of it all first.
“Yes,” I admit, my voice a hushed whisper.
“Why?”
I swallow thickly, and yet again, my tongue works faster than my brain, and I end up giving him something I never thought possible —pure, raw honesty.
“I knew it would be compromising for you,” I say. “I planned to use it against you from the get-go.”
Soren hums, and his hand moves insanely fast, stabbing the spots between my fingers, getting closer and closer to my skin. I gulp, freezing in my spot. All I can do is pray I don’t start shaking again, because I’ll definitely lose a finger.
“And you sent it to Sinners and Saints, correct?”
“Yes,” I breathe out, my voice shaky.
“Do you know what that did to me, Sloane?” He hisses in my ear, letting go of my throat, and grabbing a fistful of my hair. He yanks my head back, and my scalp immediately starts to ache. I’m forced to look up at him, and all I see is insanity written in his eyes. “Do you know the consequences I’m facing?”
“Are you referring to the consequences of fucking Ellie? Or the backlash you’re receiving for tainting your family’s image, and the academy’s reputation?”
A low hiss comes from me when the tip of the blade nips my thumb. The blade’s very sharp, and it draws blood. It’s nothing much or serious, but it feels terrible. It’s only Soren’s way of telling me he’s holding all the power right now.
He leans in more, my head tilted backward. Fucking hell, how tall is this bastard?
“You fucking cunt,” he mutters, the tone of his voice softer than the words he’s speaking. “You’ll do anything to publicly humiliate me, won’t you? Haven’t you seen the fucking papers? You ruined a lot of things.”
“Oh, I’m aware,” I keep my voice cool, though I’m trembling on the inside. I’m fucking petrified of what this bastard is going to do, but if I show him, it’ll only fuel him more. So, I try to act as if thisisn’t bothering me in the slightest. “I told you, didn’t I? I promised I’d make you regret messing with my grades, and I held onto the promise.”
“I fucked with your grades, Sloane,” he pulls on my hair, and I snap my eyes shut from the dull ache that’s spreading. “You fucked with my life. And I guess it’s time for me to return the favor, isn’t it?”
“What are you going to do to me, Ford?”
Soren pulls the knife out of the desk, and it feels as though I can breathe again. The victory, albeit a small one, is short-lived as I feel Soren release the hold on my hair, then grabs my hips and spins me around. I’m still caged between his body and the desk, and I’m met with the furious expression on his face.
“Oh, my sweet princess,” his voice is a hushed murmur, yet the sarcasm in which he says the nickname irks me. “You have no idea the havoc you’ve wreaked upon yourself. Once I’m done with you, not only are you going to regret ever taking that video, but you will regret the day you were born.”
“You mean, like your mother did?”
Oh, fucking hell, Sophia. You need to learn how to keep your mouth shut.
Soren’s jaw clenches. The knife lands just under my jaw, the sharp blade pressed against my throat. If I move too suddenly, it will slice through my skin. Yet, that’s not what I’m focused on. All I can do is stare as the anger bursts through Soren, his body slightly trembling.
Then, before I can even say another word — which would definitely not be an apology — Soren beats me to it. As always, the bastard works quickly, and he has to do something outrageous.
His free hand comes to grip my throat again, and he yanks me toward himself. My body is pressed against his, and he pushes theknife more into my throat, making me gasp.
It’s all Soren needs.
He bends down, capturing my lips with his. But it’s not a kiss. This is a dark promise that he’ll do whatever it takes to ruin me. His teeth sink into my bottom lip, and I scream out when the sharp canines pierce through my sensitive flesh, drawing blood.
“Now,” Soren pulls back, my blood dripping on the corner of his lips, the crimson shade smeared all over his teeth. “I’m going to enjoy this little game, Sloane. You have no idea what you’ve just done.”
EIGHT
