Then, I turn and walk away. He groans behind me, derisively muttering, “Women.”
I ignore him and head over to the trash can to throw away my pasta before tossing the tray into the dish bin, all the while resenting Severen for being right.
I hate all men.
If they’re not a predator, they’re a disappointment.
I wish sexuality was a choice, because I’d happily date Sable or Octavia instead.
Once we’re outside, I follow Severen to his car. Somewhere behind us, Creed trails after us. He’ll follow us to my dorm, and Severen will stay in the hallway while Creed posts up somewhere outside.
When we get to the black Jaguar, I slide into the passenger seat with an annoyed huff, slam the door closed, and cross my arms, only to feel Severen’s stare boring into the side of my head.
I turn to find a weird smile on his face as he slowly lifts a book to show me the cover.
“Wanna hear about how the main girl, Saylor, just got railed by her ex-boyfriend’s best friend, and he shifted into a lycan mid-stroke but didn’t stop?”
I stare at him for two beats then deflate, my tone subdued as I say, “Yeah, I do wanna hear about that, actually.”
Within the three-minute drive to Dread’s dorm, I’m heavily invested in Saylor and her lycan mate, Rune. The walk up to the room is one minute, but ten seconds into it, I’m debating sitting outside the door with him so I can hear the rest.
“So you think the lycan king is actually betraying the kingdom and working with the fae?” I ask, peering over my shoulder at him as I go to open the door.
He heaves out a disappointed sigh, as if he personally knows the lycan king. “It’s really feeling like it. He’s giving me bad vibes, but I can’t put my finger on exactly why yet. Rune is gonna be so fucking heartbroken if he is betraying them all.”
Rune is the lycan prince who’s already head over heels in love withSaylor. They’re definitely not supposed to be together, and Saylor’s ex is going to bepissedwhen he finds out his best friend is fucking her.
I cannotwait until he does.
I frown as I push open the door, contemplating if there’s something more to the lycan king than what’s already been revealed. That is, until I go to walk into Dread’s room, freezing in my tracks as a sharp gasp rips from my throat. Before I can blink, warm liquid sprays across my face.
I flinch and step back into Severen’s chest hard enough to knock the wind out of him.
And then, I’m being sprayed yet again.
“What the fuck?” The screech out of my mouth is unlike any sound I’ve made before, but the sight before me is unlike anything I’ve fuckingseen.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Severen spits as he quickly shoulders past me to run inside and turn off the ceiling fan.
Because tied to one blade is a rope with Mindy Sackler’s severed head dangling from the end, slowly spinning, her blood spraying across the room.
My hand drifts over my mouth, paralyzed with utter horror. Severen tugs on the chain, and as the ceiling fan slowly comes to a stop, my eyes drift over the room, unable to believe everything I’m seeing.
It takes several seconds to figure out what the hell is in Dread’s chair until I finally realize it’s Mindy’s torso, completely skinless, the arms and head removed. Below the desk, her feet are on the floor, each one cut at the ankle. They aren’t skinned, though, and neither are the severed hands propped up on Dread’s keyboard, like she’s sitting at the desk typing.
Vomit rises in my throat, and a mix of adrenaline and shock wreaks havoc on my insides as I take in other various body parts staged to look like they’re a part of the furniture.
The lampshade on Dread’s nightstand balances on her upright forearm. Her entire leg, from the top of her thigh to her ankle, is now the post of the floor lamp in the corner.
And—Jesus fuck—her skin is spread across the mattress like a blanket.
I turn away just as I gag, scarcely keeping the vomit from expelling across the floor. Moments later, Severen’s grabbing my biceps and ushering me out of the room.
“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod,” I chant beneath mybreath, the words cracking with tears and panic.
“Hey, hey, come here,” Severen says quickly, spinning me around toward him.
I slap both hands over my face, only now realizing it’s streaked with her blood, as he pulls me into a one-armed hug, holding my quaking body tight against him.
