I slid off the bench and stood in front of her. She was like an entire head taller than me, dammit. It was hard as hell to pull off intimidating when you were forced to look up at your enemy.
“Or what, Lorelei?” I slapped my hands on my hips and glared. “You think you scare me? With your rich daddy and trust fund?”
“Shut up,” she hissed. “You don’t know anything about what I have to go through.”
“Are you really trying to make me feel bad for you?” I blurted. “You’re weak because you’ve never had to fight for anything in your entire damned life. I’ve stared into the eyes of the devil, and I survived. I clawed and ripped my way back from the dead and I’m here, right beside you. I’ve earned my spot at Stonewall, which is much more than I can say for you.”
She stared at me, eyes wide, pink-glossed lips parted.
“And don’t worry, I have no interest in Killian Davenport. You can keep that asshole. You guys deserve each other.”
A deep chuckle resonated from behind me, sending the hair on my nape into a tizzy. I spun around as my dark past rose to the surface.
Stanford—no. Holy shit. My heart smashed into my ribs. This man was younger by a few decades at least but he was his spitting image.
It had to be…Sebastian Davenport.
He stood behind me, a wicked grin amplifying the sinister cut of his jaw.
Son of a devil. Literally.
How had I not even considered the fact that Stanford’s biological son could attend this university? Not that I knew himpersonally, but I was aware of his existence. And how had I not run into him sooner?
Now here he was, Satan’s twin, that icy gaze raking over me with a hunger that rivaled the one that haunted me in my sleep.
“The infamous Alexis Vega.” Sebastian stepped closer, and every nerve ending in my body raged. Tumbles of blonde hair fell perfectly across his forehead, those blue eyes glinting with that boy-next-door charm.
But I knew what lay beneath the surface. The poison that ran through Stan’s veins rushed through his son’s too.
My thoughts flickered to the past, to the night of the masquerade party. Ice frosted my veins as the familiar tone echoed through my mind. Oh. My. God. Bass wasSebastian. My thoughts spun, bile crawling up my throat.
It washim.
He was the one who murdered that girl.
Some of the Sigma Delta brothers had helped cover it up. I felt the truth of it in every cell of my being.
I stepped closer to Lorelei, so flustered even her presence was better than succumbing to the devil spawn’s proximity.
“I didn’t know you attended Stonewall.” He ticked his head at my backpack, filled to the brim with textbooks. “I wonder how my stepbrother could have possibly forgotten to tell me.”
I shrugged, the sinister curl of his lip icing my veins. “Killian and I aren’t exactly close anymore. You and your father saw to that.”
“Hmm.” He pressed his finger to his chin, frowning. “I find that hard to believe. How could he not know you were here? My little bro was in love with you for years, Lexi. You couldn’t have been that blind.”
All the air siphoned from my lungs. I couldn’t breathe.
I just stood there, gaping at the guy whose father had ruined my life. A punch in the gut would’ve hurt less than those words.Stan had stolen everything from me, including my best friend. And now his son was sinking the knife deeper by lying to me?
Killian couldn’t have been in love with me all that time. He would’ve told me... He would’ve said something...
Wouldn’t he?
I blinked quickly, my mind whirling to the past. I pushed the thoughts away, but my subconscious refused to take no for an answer. The hazy images rushed to the forefront of my mind until the steady creak of the porch swing sucked me back to a much sweeter time.
Brilliant green eyes traced my finger as I curled an auburn lock around the brightly painted fingernail. I pushed my flip flops against the worn floorboards and propelled us back, the old hinges of the swing creaking in protest. “Why are you staring at me like some weirdo?”
Killian’s cheeks burned a surprising crimson, something he’d been doing more lately. Then he dropped his chin to his bare chest and swung his gaze to the sweating can of soda in his hand. “I wasn’t! You’ve got something on your chin.” He leaned over and swept his thumb over my bottom lip with his free hand then popped it into his mouth. “Mmm, Cheetos.”
