Valentin
I lean back and watch her demolish herself.
“Don’t call me Kitten!”
I am slightly surprised. I didn’t know she had it in her.
I cock my head. Hm…She looks kind of hot when she is feisty.
Like she wouldn’t be a prude if I kiss her…or fuck her.
Mr. Mahor says, “Ms. Callahan…no one is calling you that. Are you all right?”
I bite back a laugh as I watch Kitten freeze, her pale skin turning red. I can almost hear her ask herself if she had actually said that. She rambles often and talks out loud to herself constantly. A lot more than I point out.
But this time, I can’t resist whispering up to her, “Say it out loud? Yes, you did…Kitten.”
Her fists clench and I know she’s angry. She’s absolutely furious and I find it hilarious.
She takes a deep breath. I watch her as she tries to compose herself, slightly betting on her having a freak out again.
She stumbles over her feet and starts to walk off, dazed. I can hear her muttering something to herself. I’m annoyed as fuck that I find endearing.
Fuck no.
That shit she does should be creepy as fuck. Who the hell knows what she’s saying to herself? If someone talks to themselves, then they’re crazy. Period.
But I can’t stop myself from going after her. And it’s not because I have to.
Maybe it’s because she looks so lost and vulnerable.
Hm, maybe I can take advantage of her somehow.
Grinning, I get up and nod to Mahor. “I’ll go with her, Mahor. To make sure she doesn’t get lost and get herself into trouble.” I know she can hear every single word and that it’s making her blood boil. It only adds to my amusement.
I don’t remember a time when I’ve had this much fun.
Maybe this shitty journey is going to be less shitty than I had thought. I can have a little fun before I pop her cherry.
She turns around and I feel her eyes bore into me. She wants to kill me.
I smile widely. She really wants to kill me.
She certainly wouldn’t be the first.
But instead of doing anything I expect her to do, she simply just takes a deep breath and turns to Mr. Mahor, awaiting his sentence. I almost laugh. No shit he’s going to say yes. He thinks the partnership between me and Kitten is just fuckin’ fantastic because he thinks I am finally starting to care about his class.
For two years in this high school he’s been trying to get me to…how does he word it, “live up to my potential” or some shit. Guess I am convincing the old fucker that it might be happening.
And hey, if “living up to my potential” means keeping my family and our reputation safe, then I was doing a hell of a good job.
“Good idea.” He nods to me with a smile that I know is a slight warning. I roll my eyes. One time.
I fucked one of the freshman girls once, and now he thinks I’m going to make a habit out of it. Jeez.
“It’s admirable that you’re taking care of your partner, Nikolaev.”
I smirk.
Oh, I’ll take care of her, all right.
I see Kitten smile, and it’s slightly creepy because I know she doesn’t mean it.
Oh shit, she’s gonna break again.
And as much as I find her outbursts hilarious, the girl has had enough. For today at least.
And I am her boyfriend now right? Had to protect my girl. From herself. Grinning, I walk up behind her and grab her arm. “Let’s get going, partner.” I pull her out of the room before she does anything else. As soon as the door closes behind us, she jumps away like I’m burning her.
She glares up at me, anger in her eyes. “What. Is. Your. Problem?”
Before I can make a smart comment, she spins around and starts walking away. “Never mind, don’t answer. Just please leave me alone.”
Laughing, I follow her. “Do you even know where you’re going, Kitten?” I know she has no idea where she’s going because my guys are always telling me that she gets lost around the school. I mean, I’d help her if I didn’t have to fuck her and probably eventually kill her.
“Yes. Away from you.”
Ooh, even feistier.
I jog to catch up to her. “Kitten—”
“No. Don’t ever call me that.”
For some reason, I find her anger funny. I have no idea what the fuck is up with me because usually, I slit anyone’s throat if they disrespect me. Or teach them a fucking lesson or something. Anything but laugh.
But Kitten is a hell of something else.
Suddenly, I see her cheeks glistening with tears. What…the…fuck. “Are…you crying?”
She turns quickly away from me, brushing her face with the back of her hand. “No.”
“Yes, you are.” I grip Kitten’s arm and force her to look at me. I can see her eyes trying to blink away the tears. Fuck. Does she actually take all of that shit seriously? Damn, she is weak.
But then again, she has grown up spoiled. “You know that was all harmless fun…right?”
She tries to get away from me. I don’t let her go. Her voice is soft when she says, “Maybe for you. It’s never that way for the girl.”
What the hell does that mean?
She shakes her head and looks away from me. It aggravates me to no end. I mean, I can’t blame her for not wanting to touch me or look at me, but still. It gets under my skin.
“Do you even know what you did by breaking up with Cassandra? Did you stop and think for once how it would affect me? Did you even try to make the rumors go away?”
What the hell is she talking about? Cassandra had started being a big issue so I broke it off with her.
Does she think she actually had something to do with it? She isn’t that important. “Kitten—”
She interrupts me. She shakes her head, looking hurt and betrayed. “No. No, you don’t get to call me that and be an ass. We had a deal. Making me a fool in front of everyone was not the deal, Valentin.”
If I had a heart, maybe it would have softened. Her voice breaks. I try to reassure her, but she interrupts me again.
For Christ’s sake, what the hell is with this girl?
“Do you know the things people are saying about me? They’re calling me a whore.” My hands clench in anger. Who the fuck is calling her a whore?
She shakes her head, crying. “I’m not—I am not a whore.”
For fuck’s sake, of course she isn’t. Has she ever even been around the girls at this school? Or in the country? Teenage girls fuck everyone and everything. She is one of the only ones here who is a virgin. And not only that but she blushes when she talks about sex or anything related to anything sexual.
Kitten is as innocent as they come. Which will be sweeter when I break her, but that day is not today.
When she cries, and when she breaks, it is going to be by my terms. At my own time. By me.
Not by some pathetic fucks. And she better fucking know that.
I grip her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. Leaning forward, I look at her. “I know you’re not.”
She tries to get away from me, but I’m not going to let her. I’ll be damned if she is going to cry about something as dumb as this. Her voice shakes. “But they don’t know that. I freak out like that and start rambling and saying things when I’m frustrated and overwhelmed. Anything physical I can handle. I can. I’m strong.”
I know, Kitten.
“But being called a slut and whore by people who don’t even know me?”
I watch her without saying anything, letting her get it out. She looks beautiful. I know she is. Everyone knows. Father had warned me against doing anything like this.
Get the information that we need.
Nothing more.
Don’t let her fuck you up, son.
Beautiful women are a fault in our family. He had known. But he had also trusted me to do anything in order to get the information we need. Because
he taught me that no matter how cute the face or how addicting the pussy, there is always more where it came from.
I don’t know about Kitten though. She seems like something else.
Suddenly, she grabs my wrists, holding tightly with her small hands. I know it shouldn’t, but my cock tightens at her voice and touch. “Listen.”
I decide to humor her. And after a couple of seconds, I hear it.
Little shitheads whispering things like “whore” and “slut.” Who the fuck do they think they are? And in front of me?
Have they fucking lost all their respect?
I look back at Kitten and something in me constricts. I wipe her cheek with my thumb. Never again is anyone going to make her feel like this. Not as long as she is with me.
I hate seeing her cry.
That shocks me as soon as I think it, but it is true. Her tears give me no pleasure. Not like it does with men that my father had taught me to kill or girls that I had broken down.
And then I hear a high male voice say, “Fuck, I’d hit that from the back.” Rage fills me, and I hope to god for the sake of this kid, he does what I tell him to do next. Because if not, he is in some serious shit. My brother isn’t here to pull me off him if I get started.
I turn around and speak into the crowd of people. “Stop moving.”
They do so instantly. Of course they do. They know what happens to those who disrespect me or my family.
***
Caterina
It is one of the most stunning things I have ever seen in my life.
The way Valentin stops the hallways reminds me so much of how Dad can command a room. He rarely raises his voice, and never with me, but once, when I was six or seven, I eavesdropped in a meeting that he had in his office with a bunch of men. The way he was speaking to them had terrified me. I had run to Mom almost crying.
It is kind of like that now.
I stand frozen beside Valentin.
Everyone has stopped moving, stopped talking, and are looking at him with…is that fear?
When everyone has silenced—which I find immensely scary by the way, because how the heck can the people at the back of the hallways even hear him—he walks over to a kid who had passed me just moments before.
I think he’s the one who said something about “hitting it from the back.” I don’t know.
Valentin pats him on the shoulder, which I find strange. The kid starts smiling. But immediately, I know that Valentin is not happy. He’s not joking with him.
At least I don’t think he is…
Maybe I’m looking at all of this wrong.
Maybe he is just about to embarrass me again. To make me cry.
He did say he likes it when girls cry. Oh, no. No. No. My heart thumps against my chest. He wouldn’t…would he? Would he actually do that?
I, along with everyone in the hallway, watch the interaction without breathing. I take a step back slowly, getting ready to run if this goes downhill. I am not going to let him humiliate me.
“Hey, what’s up man!” The guy sounds nervous, but not really that scared.
Valentin grips his neck and he gasps. Valentin turns slowly around to face me. He whispers something in his ear, and the kid looks at him, confused.
“Apologize? What for?”
My heart is beating really fast, but my shoulders sag a little. He isn’t going to embarrass me. Oh, thank God.
Valentin smirks, licking his lips slowly. He looks like he is getting ready to do something. His grip on the back of the guy’s neck gets even tighter. “Because I fucking said so, that’s why.” He chuckles. “You said something about hitting it from the back?”
The kid looks like he is about to pee himself now. It has apparently sunk in that this isn’t a nice bro-chat. I feel bad for him. He shakes his head furiously. “No, what, I didn’t say shit like that, I—”
Valentin strikes like a tiger. Swift, quick, and focused. As someone who does kickboxing, I admire it; it is a well-aimed punch.
His fist connects with the kid’s gut. He literally folds in two and falls on the ground, screaming.
Valentin looks down at him with a twisted smirk. “Well, I guess I misheard you then?”
He wipes the back of his hand against his jaw. He looks at all the kids in the hallways with hooded eyes. “If any of you say a fucking word to her,” he nods toward me and I turn beet red, “I will fucking demolish you. She is mine now.”
Apparently, that means something because I can see people’s eyes widen.
Oh, God. No. Had he just stamped me as his property or something? Shoot, shoot, shoot.
Valentin turns to the kid on the ground, who is scrambling away from him. He straddles him and says without looking up, “This is what’s going to happen to anyone who tries any shit with her.” He starts raining it on him, one punch after another after another after another.
Every pound brings a gasp from everyone. After a couple moments of tortured screaming, I finally get my body to move from its frozen state. “Valentin! Valentin, stop!” I run to him and try to push him off by the shoulders. “Come on, stop! He gets it! Valentin!”
But it is like he is a machine. Oh, God. He is going to kill him. Because of me?
No. No. No. I wave to the people around us. “Can you guys help me get him off?”
But no one moves.
Oh, my God. What is up with everyone?
There is only one thing I can do. I move fast, going behind him. Quickly, I squat down and straddle him from the back. I wrap my arms around his waist and try to pull him off. “Valentin.”
Blood is splattering everywhere and the kid has gone unconscious, I think. I have no idea what I am doing, all I know is if I don’t pull him off, he is going to kill him.
Chapter 24
Caterina
My heart is beating so hard against my chest, I am sure Valentin can feel it.
Without thinking, I press my lips to his ear, my arms wrapping around his waist and squeezing. “Valentin, please.”
His fist suddenly stops its pounding and hangs in the air. He looks at the guy under us, maybe realizing how badly he’s beaten him. I can see how tense and hard his body is. And suddenly, I feel hot. I am too close…way, way too close.
He turns his head and faces me. Since I am so close to his back, when he turns, our faces almost touch.
I quickly jump off, not wanting to be that close to him. “Uh, good, good. You stopped. Uh, thanks.”
His lips are slightly turned up as he watches me. He shakes his head, turns, and wipes the blood on his hand on the kid’s shirt. He jumps off, grimacing.
He turns to the frozen kids in the hallway, who are still standing there, even though the late bell has already rung. He points to two guys near him and nods to the kid. “Get him up to the bathroom and clean him or some shit.” He looks between them darkly. “If any of this gets to me, you know who I’m going after next.”
He points to a short girl, I think I have her in my Latin class actually, and says, “Get our bags from Mahor.” She nods furiously and scurries off.
I look at him with wide eyes. He sees the unsaid question.
What was that for?
He shrugs with a small smile. “Kitten, as long as you’re going to fall in love with me, I might as well be the possessive boyfriend that all girls dream about.” I turn away from his gaze, not wanting to look at him for so long.
Valentin rolls his eyes and waves the students away. “You can go now.”
I can feel secret glares thrown my way, but this time, when people pass by, I hear nothing at all. I try to disappear into the walls. Squeezing my eyes shut, I pray that God takes me away. Somewhere not here.
“What the hell are you doing, Kitten?”
My eyes fly open. “Nothing!”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Really?” He throws me my backpack. I groan as it hits my stomach.
“You could have just passed it to me.”
Valentin grins. “I though
t you could handle it. Was I wrong?”
I glare at him, swinging my backpack over my shoulder. “You just caught me by surprise is all. I have to go to class now.”
He holds me still with only his gaze. “No, you’re coming with me to the front office to get rid your Latin class.”
I shake my head. “No way. First of all: my parents will be notified immediately.”
“That’s why you’ll tell them the schoolwork is really heavy and you need a study.” A study class is basically, from what I hear from Mell who has like three, a class where you get no credit, no work, and everyone just hangs out.
“They would never believe that.” Mom and Dad both have high expectations of me, and they know me well enough to know I would never drop a class.
Valentin rolls his eyes, walking toward the stairs. “Then you’ll convince them, Kitten. Use your puppy eyes and pouty lips. Come on.”
I inhale slowly. I jog up to him. “No, you don’t understand. They’ll know I’m lying like…instantly.”
“Kitten, you’ll find a way. How many languages do you speak?”
“Four.”
English. Italian. French. Spanish.
My whole family, except for Mom, is Italian so I had learned that before I even knew English, I think. My tutors had taught me French and Spanish from third to eleventh grade and I am fluent in speaking, writing, and reading each language.
“Exactly. You only need to know one or two to be successful.” Valentin flashes me a condescending look. “And you, Kitten, could probably get away with being mute with your parents.”
I grit my teeth. “That’s not the point. I want to learn Latin. It’ll help me once I go to college.” I interrupt him before he says anything. “And before you say some stuff about my parents being rich: I. Don’t. Care. First of all, my parents are not like that. They don’t just give me things. And secondly, I want to work myself.”
Mom has a saying she would joke around with: “Kitty, your parents are rich. You’re broke.”
Valentin stops and turns to face him, with a raised eyebrow. “So, if you asked you dear Daddy for a couple of grand, he wouldn’t give it to you?”
I stutter, “I—what—I—” I shake my head. “What kind of question is that anyway?”
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