by Caitlyn Dare
“Fuck,” she breathes, smoothing a hand over her glossy auburn hair.
“I think Bexley was just surprised to see me with Cade after what happened.”
“You haven’t told him anything?”
“What? No! Of course I haven’t.” Bexley isn’t from Gravestone; he doesn’t know about the Eligere and Electi and Quinctus.
To know is to be sworn to secrecy, to uphold the codes of the town. It is a privilege not to be squandered.
A privilege.
I smother a bitter laugh.
Some privilege, being handed over to a guy like a prize cow.
“I’m not sure I can do this,” I admit, hating the tremor in my voice.
Sasha leans over and lays her hand on mine, giving me a sad smile. “You have to, Mia. You don’t have any choice.”
5
Bexley
"What the fuck was that?" Alex asks when we finally come to a stop outside one of the campus coffee shops.
"Nothing."
"Fuck off was that nothing. No one with half a brain cell goes up against Cade Kingsley like that. Do you even know who he is?"
Of course I know who he is. Alex has explained more than once that he's Gravestone royalty, whatever the fuck that’s meant to mean. But unlike everyone in this weird-ass town, I don't give a shit.
He's just a jumped-up prick, as far as I'm concerned.
"I don't give a fuck, Alex."
"Well, you should. You do not want to make an enemy out of Cade and his crew."
"Jesus, you make it sound like I should be running scared because he so much as looked in my direction."
"Most do."
"That's because this town is full of pussies."
"Christ, who got your panties in a twist this morning? Why were you even talking to him, anyway?"
"I wasn't, I was talking to Mia."
"Who's… ohhhh.” His eyes grow big. “Mia Thompson. You know her?"
"Um…" I hesitate, not wanting to admit to Alex what almost happened on Friday night, even more so now I know that apparently she's not fucking single.
Anger swirls around me as I remember just how willing she was. Was it a joke? Did Cade set her up? Why would she tempt me like that if she's his?
"Not really, she's in my econ class. I just wanted to ask her something."
He eyes me suspiciously but doesn't say anything. Instead, he spins on his heels and pushes through the door leading inside the coffee shop.
I follow him to the counter and order myself a double espresso. I think I'm going to need it. I haven’t even stepped inside a classroom and everything's already gone to shit.
"I don't even get why she was with him. No one paid her a second of attention in high school, let alone the likes of Cade Kingsley. He must have made her his new plaything for a reason. Brook's gonna be pissed."
I tune him out as we wait for our orders, not really wanting to get involved with college gossip. I just want to go to class, do my time, and get the fuck out of this place. Four years will be over in a flash, right?
"Thanks," I mutter to the barista when she hands over my order. Our fingers brush as I take the cup from her, and my eyes find hers. She's cute. Bright green eyes and short brown hair. But she doesn't stir something inside me like Mia did on Friday night. There's no connection, which is more like I'm used to.
Ripping my eyes from hers, I turn to find a table for us to sit at while Alex fills his face with his hazelnut croissant, but instead of finding an empty table, I find her hazel eyes.
"Oh, for fuck's sake. Can we at least have ten minutes before déjà vu kicks in, please?" Alex mutters. "There's a table over here."
"I'll be there in a second, I just need to—"
"She's with Sasha Cargill. It's probably best you—totally ignore me and go anyway," I hear him mutter as I walk away from him.
Her eyes follow my every move as I step up to their table and twist around the free chair, sitting down and straddling it.
I nod at the other girl before turning my attention to Mia. "Kingsley? Really?"
Mia looks between me and Sasha, panic filling her eyes. "I already told you that I don't have any notes."
"Yeah,” I scratch my jaw, my eyes boring into hers, “and I think you're lying."
"That's fine. Think what you like. Will you excuse us?" She twists away from me slightly and my fingers wrap around the back of the chair a little too tightly, my knuckles turning white, something that Sasha doesn't miss.
"Okay, fine,” I hiss. “Have it your way. But this isn't over."
"I think it's probably in your best interest that it is," Sasha warns as I stand, but I don't so much as look at her. I don't give a fuck what her opinion is on this situation, or what her fucking surname is. This is between me and Mia, and we are going to be talking about it.
I feel her eyes burn into me as I walk to the table Alex decided to sit at to watch the show, and just before I sit down with him, I look back over my shoulder, making sure that she knows I'm aware of her attention.
"Do you have a fucking death wish?"
I shrug. "What the fuck is he really going to do about me talking to her?"
"Do you really want the answer to that question?" Alex leans in so no one else in the coffee shop can hear his next words. "Apparently he's killed people for less."
"How fucking gullible are you?"
"Okay, fine. Don't believe me. But don't come running to me when he's ripped out your heart for touching his latest toy."
"Firstly, if I'm dead, then I'm not going to be running anywhere, asshole. And secondly…" I trail off as Mia and Sasha move from their table and walk toward the exit together. I watch them leave the building and walk in front of the windows, heading for class. I don't think she's going to look back, but right before she rounds the corner, she does, and her eyes immediately lock on mine. They widen as if she wasn't expecting to find me watching her, and I smile.
This is far from over.
“And secondly…” I smirk. “Fuck off.”
Classes drag. They’re only made slightly more bearable knowing that I've got economics at the end of the day and I'll hopefully have a chance to catch Mia alone afterward.
I turn up to class early in the hope she might have done the same thing, but I'm disappointed when all I find are the over-eager bookish types hovering around the classroom door. Spotting an empty bench so that I can see the students coming and going, I wait. The nerds eventually head inside once our professor arrives, probably to make sure they get prime position front seats.
There's two minutes to the start of class when I finally see her approaching, only she's not alone. She's once again being escorted by Cade fucking Kingsley.
I might have only spent a few minutes with her on Friday night and have limited knowledge of her from school, but she really doesn't seem to me like the kind of girl who'd be interested in an arrogant asshole like him.
They both look up as I stand from the bench and walk toward them. His hand tightens on her hip as I approach.
"Fancy seeing you two here," I mutter as we all come to a stop outside the classroom door.
"You seem to have forgotten your puppy dog," Cade remarks, making a show of looking around for Alex.
"And you don't seem to have lost your bullshit attitude."
Mia snorts a laugh at my comment but quickly tries to cover it up as a cough.
"I can take it from here. Mia," I gesture toward the door for her to go first.
"You need to stay well away from my girl, Danforth," Cade barks, taking a step forward and pushing Mia behind him as if she needs protecting from me.
"Or what, Kingston?"
His lips purse in anger as his shoulders tense and he sucks in a deep breath as if he's trying to keep himself under control.
"Don't test me." He steps right up to me, so close that our noses almost touch. "Or it won't just be your broken throwing arm you need to worry about."
My reaction falters. How the fu
ck does he know about that?
"Cade, that's enough. We're going to be late."
"You're with me. No one will care, babe," he purrs at Mia before he twists away from me and pulls her into his body.
"Cade, I need to get to class." She tries fighting him, but she's no match for his strength and only ends up pressed tighter to him.
"You know how much I love it when you fight back," he says, threading his fingers through her hair and slamming his lips down on hers. They're so close to me, and now blocking the door, that I have no real choice but to watch as his tongue pushes past her lips and invades her mouth.
I remember doing exactly that a few days ago, and it makes me want to rip his fucking tongue out of his mouth.
"Enjoy class, babe. I'll see you later."
"Great," she mutters, her lips curling as her palms push against his chest as if she wants him nowhere near her. The move confuses me even more.
She tears her eyes from his, glances at me, and then spins on her heels and marches into the classroom.
"I'm fucking watching you, Danforth. Keep your hands off what's mine,” he seethes.
"You might want to convince her that she actually wants you first."
Before he has a chance to respond, I march through the door and swing it closed, hoping that he is standing close enough that it smashes him in the nose.
Our professor stares at me as I make my way into the room and past the nerds at the front as he waits to start his class. The seat next to Mia is empty, aside from her purse, so when I get there, I knock it off and sit my ass down.
"This is taken,” she grits out.
"I don't see anyone else sitting here, do you?"
She mumbles something beneath her breath, but it rolls off me.
"What are you going to do?” I taunt. “Call your boyfriend to come and move me?"
"He's not my boyfriend," she seethes.
"Really? You might want to give him that memo, because he seems to think he owns your ass while you're—"
"Mr. Danforth, Miss Thompson, if you don't care to listen then you know where the door is," Professor Laken barks across the room.
Mia cuts me a seething look before sitting forward and pulling her notepad closer to begin taking notes.
I fucking knew she was a note taker.
Mia doesn’t look at me or even register my existence throughout the whole lecture. It drives me fucking insane, because with her so close, I have no clue what the hell Laken is talking about.
I don't know what it is about her, but unlike everyone else I've met in Gravestone, she calls to me, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let that go. I've felt like an outsider, like I don't belong here, from the second I followed my uncle into town all those months ago. I hated the place then, and things haven't really gotten any better.
The second Laken looks like he's bringing things to an end, Mia slams her notepad closed and stuffs it into her bag like she's about to run.
Before she has a chance to stand, I reach out and wrap my fingers around her forearm. "Not so fast."
"Let go, Bexley." Her big, hazel eyes plead with me.
"No, not until you've heard me out."
"Not interested. You need to stay away from me." She pulls her arm free.
My need to reach for her again is almost too strong to ignore, but I refuse to be like him, dragging her around like a ragdoll. Instead, I allow her to think I've let her go before quickly collecting up my books and following her out of the classroom.
I hang well back as she makes her way across campus. She must think she's lost me, because at no point does she look back to see if I'm following her. Instead, she keeps her head down and walks as fast as her little legs will carry her. I wonder who she's running from—me, or Cade. Either could be possible.
Mia leads me straight to her dorm building, and I hang back as she lets herself in and turns toward the stairwell, leaving me just enough time to slip in unnoticed behind her.
She's still totally oblivious to me as I step up behind her, and when she pushes her door open, I press my front to her back and wrap my hand around her mouth to stop her from screaming.
"You can't escape me that easily," I breathe in her ear, and I swear she relaxes against me as I kick the door closed, cutting us off from the rest of the campus.
6
Mia
“Bexley, what the he—” My breath whooshes from my lungs as he spins me around and presses me up against the wall, sealing his hand completely over my mouth.
“You’re with him?” he spits. “But what I can’t figure out is if you were trying to use me to get back at him for something, or whether you’re both trying to fuck me over.”
“It isn’t like that.” My words are smothered by his warm palm.
“Sorry, what was that? I can’t hear you.” His eyes darken, anger swirling in his icy depths.
He slightly loosens his grip, and I manage to choke out, “Fuck you.”
“That can be arranged.” He presses his big, ripped body against the length of mine, erasing every inch of space. “After all, you were begging for it at the party. I had my fingers inside you, remember? I felt how wet you were, how much you wanted me.” His hand slides to my throat, and his tongue darts out to taste my lips. “Are you wet now, Mia?”
A violent tremor rips through me. This Bexley isn’t the guy I met at the lake. He’s different. Angry and cruel.
And yet, I can’t deny the flash of heat that pulses through me.
“You can’t say that to me.” I let out an indignant huff.
“Why not? Because you’re his girl?”
“Why do you care?” I cry. “You pulled away, not me. I was there, I was right there, and you rejected me.”
Tears spill from my eyes without permission, but the lock on all the anger and frustration that has been building inside me finally bursts wide open. “I was willing to give you everything,” my voice shakes, “and you made your choice.”
Bexley releases me like I’ve burned him and staggers back. “Fuck,” he roars. “FUCK!”
The whole moment is bizarre. We don’t know each other, not really. But I felt something at the party that night. Something real. It’s still there, simmering between us, crackling in the air.
“Why?” He snarls the word, dragging his fingers through his hair. “Why play me like that?”
“I didn’t… I wasn’t…” Crap. I don’t know what to say. It’s not like I can tell him the truth.
Can I?
You know you can’t.
So I go with the only truth I can admit. “I just wanted to feel something normal.”
“Normal? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he sneers. “Doesn’t Kingsley get you off or something?”
I suck in a sharp breath at his crude insinuation, and Bexley notices. His brows bunch together as he studies me.
“What aren’t you telling me?” He closes the distance between us, reaching for my cheek and brushing his thumb over the soft skin there. “Is Kingsley making you do things you don’t want to?”
“N-no, nothing like that. I just… he’s intense.”
Bexley goes rigid, his jaw clenching painfully tight. His eyes fix on mine, as if he’s trying to unearth all my deepest, darkest secrets. “I don’t like playing games, Mia.” His words are a low whisper that sends shivers racing down my spine. “I had enough of that back in Sterling Bay, and it didn’t end well… for anyone.”
“It wasn’t a game, I promise. It wasn’t.”
“But you’re his?”
Silent tears drip down my cheeks as Bexley stares at me with utter disgust. He might be relatively new to Gravestone, but he already hates Kingsley. Most people do, they’re just too afraid to admit it.
Not Bexley Danforth, though.
For a second, I imagine telling him. I imagine spilling every sordid detail about this town and the people who hold all the power. I imagine letting him comfort me, letting him fight my battles. But this isn’
t a fairy tale, and there are no happy endings here. There’s only misery and pain.
His thumb strokes along my throat as he leans closer, his lips practically touching the shell of my ear. “All I can think about is finishing what we started at that party. You were so fucking wet, Mia. I wanted to make you come all over my fingers.” Bexley rolls his hips against me, letting me feel exactly what I do to him.
I smother a whimper, my eyes fluttering closed as I let myself remember. “You felt so good, little mouse.” My eyes fly open, and he smirks. “Small, helpless, little mouse.” His grip around my throat tightens.
I know I should feel terrified; I’m completely at his mercy. But there’s something else under the surface. “Fuck. You,” I seethe.
“Nah.” He releases me sharply, and I sag down the wall. “Something tells me you want that, and Kingsley made it pretty clear you’re his. So until I find out what you’re hiding, I’m not going to lay a single finger on you.”
Disappointment wells in my chest.
“You should go.” I can barely look at him. Bexley hovers for a second, his eyes drilling holes in the top of my head. He isn’t leaving, so I say the only thing I know will get rid of him.
“If Cade finds out you’re here,” I finally lift my gaze to his, “he’ll kill you.”
Bexley bristles. His eyes narrow to dangerous slits as he backtracks to the door. But he pauses at the last second, right as he goes for the handle.
“I’d like to see him try.”
By the time the next morning rolls around, the pit in my stomach is so deep, I feel a little nauseous.
Bexley was here, in my dorm room. The one I had to beg my parents to let me have.
Since Gravestone U is only a twenty-minute ride from town, nestled right on the edge of the forest, they wanted me to stay at home. Probably to keep an eye on me. My father was particularly concerned about me moving into the dorms.
But in the end, I got my own way.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I run my fingers through my dark blonde hair. I have two hours worth of classes with Bexley today. He was so angry last night, dark, volatile energy rolling off him. But still, I didn’t feel any of the fear I feel whenever I’m with Cade.