chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Morning After

​POV: Chloe

​The smell was the first thing that hit me. Stale air, old paper, and the lingering, metallic scent of a boy who lived a world away from mine.

​I bolted upright, my head cracking against the low ceiling of the sedan. "Ow... d*mn it."

​"Careful, Princess. The roof isn't as high as your penthouse."

​I froze. Elias was leaning against the driver’s side door, his arms crossed over that gray hoodie. He looked like he hadn’t slept a second. His glasses were pushed up onto his head, and his eyes—dark, tired, and dangerously knowing—were locked on me.

​I looked down at myself. My silk dress was twisted, one strap hanging off my shoulder. My skin felt tight, marked by the friction of his hands. The disgust didn't trickle in; it slammed into me like a tidal wave.

​"Don't look at me," I snapped, frantically pulling my strap up.

​"Bit late for that, don't you think?" Elias didn't move. "You weren't exactly hiding an hour ago."

​"Shut up. Just... shut up." I fumbled for the door handle, my fingers shaking so hard I could barely grip the metal. "This was a mistake. A massive, disgusting, life-ruining mistake."

​"A mistake?" Elias let out a dry, hollow laugh. "You practically clawed my back open, Chloe. That's a hell of a lot of effort for a mistake."

​"It was the adrenaline! The dare... it got out of hand." I finally shoved the door open, the cold morning air hitting my bare legs like a slap. I stepped out onto the gravel, my heels sinking into the dirt. "This never happened. Do you hear me, Ghost? You breathe a word of this, and I will make sure you’re kicked out of St. Jude’s before lunch."

​Elias stood up straight, stepping into my personal space. He didn't smell like disgust; he smelled like the night I was trying to forget. "Threatening me already? We haven't even had breakfast."

​"There is no 'we'!" I hissed, backing away toward the tree line where my Porsche was hidden. "You are a scholarship kid. I am... I am Chloe Montgomery. We don't exist in the same universe."

​"Funny," he murmured, reaching out and plucking a dry leaf from my tangled hair. I flinched, but I didn't pull away. "You seemed pretty happy in my universe at 2:00 AM."

​"I was drunk."

​"You hadn't touched a drop of Jax’s beer. We both know it."

​I turned on my heel, stumbling over the uneven ground. "Stay away from me, Elias. If you see me in the hall, look the other way. If I’m in the library, leave. If you even think about mentioning last night, I’ll ruin you."

​"You already did, Chloe," he called out as I reached the edge of the woods. "You let me touch the Queen. How am I supposed to go back to being a Ghost now?"

​I didn't answer. I ran.

​POV: Elias

​I watched the silver blur of her Porsche roar out of the clearing, kicking up a cloud of dust that tasted like expensive exhaust and regret.

​I leaned back against my car, my chest tightening. My skin still felt the ghost of her touch—the way she’d shivered when I whispered her name, the way her "Ice Queen" mask had shattered into a thousand pieces in the dark.

​She called it disgusting. She called me a mistake.

​"Liars," I muttered, kicking a loose stone. "Every single one of them."

​I reached into the backseat to grab my textbook, but my hand hit something small and hard. I pulled it out.

​It was a gold Cartier bracelet. Three diamonds. Worth more than my dad’s rent for an entire year. It must have unclipped while she was... while we were...

​I gripped the gold in my palm, the metal biting into my skin.

​"You left your leash, Princess," I whispered.

​I should have left it there. I should have thrown it into the tall grass and let the winter frost eat it. But as I looked at the school gates in the distance, a dark, heavy thought took root in my mind.

​Chloe wanted me to be invisible. She wanted to pretend I was a fluke.

​But I had her gold. And I had the memory of her begging me not to stop.

​I got into the driver's seat and caught my reflection in the rearview mirror. There was a faint red mark on my neck—a bite mark. I didn't cover it. I pulled my hoodie down lower, just enough to hide it from a distance, but not enough to hide it from someone standing close.

​Someone like Chloe.

​I pulled into the school parking lot twenty minutes later. The elite were already there, gathered around their gleaming SUVs, laughing about the bonfire. I saw Sarah and Jax near the fountain. They were looking at their phones, probably re-watching the video of the kiss.

​Then I saw her.

​Chloe was standing in the center of the courtyard, perfectly composed. Her hair was brushed, her makeup was flawless, and she was wearing a fresh blazer that cost more than my life. She was laughing at something Jax said, her head tilted back like she didn't have a care in the world.

​She looked perfect. She looked untouchable.

​Until she saw me.

​Our eyes locked across the crowded square. The laughter died in her throat. Her face went pale, her hand instinctively flying to her bare wrist where the bracelet should have been.

​I didn't look away. I didn't bow my head.

​I walked straight toward her, the "Ghost" walking through the center of her kingdom. As I passed her, I slowed down just enough for her to see the mark on my neck. Just enough for her to see the glint of gold peeking out of my pocket.

​"Morning, Chloe," I said, my voice loud enough for Jax to turn around.

​"Elias?" Jax frowned, looking between us. "What the hell do you want, Ghost?"

​Chloe’s eyes were blown wide, filled with a mixture of terror and that raw, dark hunger I’d seen last night.

​"Just returning something," I said, my eyes never leaving hers. "She dropped it in a very... dark place."

​I reached into my pocket, but I didn't pull out the bracelet. I pulled out my phone instead, checking the time.

​"See you in Lit, Princess," I whispered, leaning in just close enough for her to smell the woodsmoke still on my skin. "Don't be late. We have a lot to talk about."

​I walked away, feeling her gaze burning into the back of my head. I could hear Jax asking her what that was about, hear her voice shaking as she tried to laugh it off.

​She thought the night was over.

​She didn't realize that for me, the night was just the beginning. I didn't just want her for sixty seconds. I wanted the whole throne. And I was going to make her watch as I took it.