My eyes open, but the distinct sound of a girl screaming is sending waves of chills down my spine. Turning my head slowly to the side, Brixton is pacing in my room and maneuvering a tiny knife under and over his fingers. How hasn't he cut himself? How- The blade stops, cradling between two of his fingers and when I look up, his frosty hues draw me in, taking any ability I have of speaking away from me. It's so silent between us, so silent in the room… was the screaming just in my night- The distant plead’s of a girl interrupt that thought, telling me otherwise. I slide out of bed, but when I reach for the door, it's locked.
My nose burns with the smell of rotten fruit. The acidity of it burns my lungs with every breath I don’t want to take as I look at Brixton. He’s looking past me to where Trent is standing, and to anyone who doesn’t know him, he looks calm and collected, but I see the storm behind his icy blues. I see the way his shoulders are flexed, holding more tension than they normally do, and how his mouth is open slightly, allowing room for if his canines drop, without revealing that to the room. I see the way his eyes are shifting shades of blue so subtle that it’s easy to miss. The storm in them is raging, begging to be unleashed as his hand flexes over an area I know he strapped a knife to earlier. I know I shouldn’t be looking at him, watching to see what he’ll do, as his words from this week are on a
I can't stop myself as I approach her door as soon as the Beta leaves. I know I shouldn’t, that I need to keep my distance, but I’m desperate to see her and make sure that she's ok myself. Devlin gasps as I open the door, her eyes as dark as my soul and on mine immediately. So attentive, even in chaos… just like the way she sought me out first, even when she knew the risks. Oh, Pet. You would let me destroy you willingly, wouldn’t you? The lollipop in my mouth isn’t helping the way it used to. It isn’t sating the need to chase her down and sink my teeth into her sweetness. The urge to shift is pounding wildly against every p
*** Pitch black. Nothingness. There are whispers on the wind that are light and making me spin as they berate me from one direction and the next. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but tiny bumps are raising all along my arm, and there’s a ripple of electricity that makes its way up, pulsing against my neck. The darkness opens up, dropping me from where I was and into more of it until something catches my ankle and that deep, raspy chuckle is back. It’s slow, echoing around me as the sound of waves seems to crash into me. No. My heart thumps so loudly that I can hear it before I’m submerged in the water, and I go back to flailing my limbs to get out. I’m ripped from the water, dangling upside down over it as the tightness in my skull returns, spreading up and over until it meets in the center and it becomes so uncomfortable that there’s no other option for me when I scream. “STOP!” My voice fills the silence, echoing back in a thunderous tone I don’t recognize as
There's an ache… everywhere. The feeling of tiny cuts hasn't gone away, only intensified, as the pain of ice slicing across my skin continues. Such a stark contrast to how I spent my afternoon. Even with the lingering fear of Trent returning, the time after my bath was the most peaceful I've felt in a long time. Brixton's frosty hues tracked my every movement through the day… but I liked it. It felt safe and comforting, but the sweet scent of grapes I’m longing for isn’t here. It didn’t… couldn't… linger on my skin for long after Brixton’s mouth gave me everything I didn’t realize I was missing. Trent’s dirty blond hair is hanging in front of his face as he leans over where he’s sat me, staring at
Corbyn pushes against the middle of my back, hurrying me along, as he guides me back down to my room. He’s pushing me so fast that I’m practically running to keep up with his pace, and no matter how hard I try, my feet start to trip over themselves. “Corbyn,” I huff as I stumble for the eighth time, but he effortlessly collects me mid-stride and carries on. “All that running…” he says, looking down at me as he keeps the same pace, “… I thought you’d be speedier. Especially since you were in such a hurry that you couldn’t even manage to sit on the roof.” “If I’m such a disappointment, why even bother?” I trip again, and while Corbyn could catch me, he doesn’t bother this time. He watches as I land on my hands and knees, slowly walking around me until he’s facing me, before grabbing my hair. Corbyn pulls my head up just far enough for me to sit on my knees before him, fully extended, but not far enough that the pressure where he’s holding my head with his fingers entwined with m
The grape that follows Brixton is a constant now, something I don’t notice anymore unless it’s gone or changed, but I find myself seeking it out.Every purposeful breath of it feels like it floats through me, creating a barrier between me and whatever I’m dealing with. Trusting him even this much could end in disaster, but now that I’ve let my guard down around him, it happens without me even realizing it.Corbyn zeros in on me as soon as he walks through the door, striding over in fancier clothing than normal. I’m squinting as I pretend he’s woken me from a deep sleep, but somewhere in the mix of his clothing, he’s wearing a fitted sweater. Now I wish I really wasn’t awake enough to see that. It suits him somehow, making him look like someone you just plucked from a magazine, but it's deceiving. He looks like the guy who shows up to all of his kids' events, and yet, he's more like the one who slits your throat in your sleep with no remorse for how your kids will find you the next
"I don't think we've met." I hold my hand out to the slender man when Trent doesn't move to follow Gavin. "No, I would remember such a meet," he says flirtatiously, "David Darling." He’s handsome enough with his brown hair swept back and deep brown eyes, but there’s something about him making my stomach uncomfortable as I try to figure out what he is. I get the feeling he’s not the predator here. “My sister,” he motions back to where the girl from the masquerade is standing, “Darcia and I are pleased to finally meet you.” Darcia. She’s watching me with a fake smile plastered on her face. So petite compared to me, so gorgeous, that it twists something sharp in my chest. I shouldn’t care. I should be counting my blessings, and yet, it’s the point of it all. From her perspective, Trent is mine and I am his, and yet here she stands… in my home… trying to steal him from under me. Bringing one of Trent’s hands holding me in place to my lips, I lightly kiss the tough skin of his knuc