4. Victoria

He pauses,sensing something isn't quite right.

I don't take my eyes off him.

He turns his head to see me sitting in the back row, and his eyes narrow. "Bryony," he murmurs.

I cringe so hard, I give myself a headache. I've always hated that he called me that. "It's been a while," I grit out.

"Indeed," he murmurs.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Did I?" He feigns surprise.

"The boxes."

"What boxes?" His frown is genuine, and I curse inwardly. The fucking brothers from the start. Dicks. But never let the mask slip. I rise slowly. "You know which boxes."

Asher's steps echo through the hall as he moves closer, a predator masked in feigned ignorance. He senses the trap; I can tell by the cautiousness of his approach. But his curiosity and his sick need for control are what will bring him down in the end. "You've filled out nicely," he murmurs.

A shudder of revulsion goes over me. "Oh? I figured you preferred me flatter."

His gaze rakes over me, a lewd stare that does nothing to crush my disgust. It only ignites it. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Blinking rapidly, I've lost control over this situation in one sentence. "What?" I stammer.

He smiles. It's sinister, confident. He knows he has the upper hand again. "I had to leave you, Bryony, and when I returned, you had been shipped off to boarding school where I couldn't reach you. The timing was just never quite right. I gave you that present to remember me by. Don't you recall?"

My stomach lurches. He never wanted to give me up. This sick fascination he has with me has continued all these years, and I was unaware, assuming I was safe because I was older than he preferred. Turns out, it was me all along that he wanted.

I feel the bile rise in my throat, but I force it down. I can't afford to lose my focus now. "What do you want from me?" I ask, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me.

Asher's smile widens. "Isn't it obvious? I want you back, petal. I've missed you."

I shudder at the sound of that pet name on his lips. "I'm not interested," I spit out.

He chuckles low and menacingly. "You always were stubborn, but I think I can change your mind."

He takes another step towards me, and I realise that he's not as cautious as I thought. He's confident, deluded, but too confident. I need to end this now before he gets any closer.

Asher chuckles, taking another step towards me. "The knife. Do you still carry it? It was a token of my affection. A reminder of what we had." He needs to hear me say I still have it. It's important to him.

"What we had?" I spit out, disgust flooding through me. "You mean the abuse? The manipulation? The lies? No, Asher, I don't still have it."

He shakes his head, his eyes darkening. "No, petal. What we had was love. A connection that transcended age and societal norms."

I scoff, moving my hand closer to the knife. He is no fool. He will know the instant I move my hand out of view. "Love? Is that what you call it? You brainwashed me, Asher. You made me believe that what you were doing was normal, that it was okay. But it wasn't. It never was."

He takes another step towards me, his face twisted in a cruel smile. "You're wrong, Bryony. You loved me too. You still do."

"I don't," I say fiercely, standing up straight. "I hate you. I hate what you did to me."

Asher's eyes narrow, his smile fading. "You're lying," he says softly. "I can see it in your eyes. You still want me."

He lunges.

My heart races as Asher's hand grabs my wrist, his grip tight like steel.

"Let go of me," I hiss, trying to pull away.

But he's too strong. His breath comes in short, ragged gasps as he yanks me towards him. His lips brush against my ear.

"You'll always be mine, Bryony," he growls. "You can't escape me. I was your first. I ripped your innocence away, and no one will ever have that honour except me."

A surge of panic and anger courses through my veins at his words, at the memory he has forced back into my brain after all these years. The moment I had buried so deep into the abyss of my mind, so I didn't have to relive it over and over again.

"No!" I hiss, struggling to get my arm free as the lecture door slams open.

Cian.

I knew he wouldn't sit around for long once he saw Asher come in here. He is like a vengeful god, and his expression turns pitch black when he sees Asher with his hands on me. But I don't have time to fuck about. This kill is mine, and that is pretty much the only thing that gets me to move.

In one swift motion, I flick my coat back with my free hand and grip the handle of the knife. Pulling it out, I barely have time to brandish it before I plunge it into Asher's side.

His eyes go wild, and he cries out in pain, loosening his grip on me. I stumble backwards, dragging the knife out of his flesh. I'm not done yet.

"You bitch," he snarls.

I feel a jolt of satisfaction as I see the fear in his eyes.

"Leave," Cian instructs as he wields Clyde in his hand like a maniac about to go on a rampage.

But no.

I'm not giving him or anyone else the chance.

Lunging forward with a low roar, almost like a battle cry, I slam the knife into Asher's chest, knocking him off his feet with the force of it and his own unsteady gait. Straddling him, I pull the knife out and then slam it into him again. Then again.

Blood spatters up, hitting me in the face as I catch an artery, clouding my vision, but I don't care. I'm lost in the bloodlust as I stab him on repeat.

Everything is a blur as I continue his destruction. The sound of flesh being torn, and the smell of blood, fills the air. I can barely see Asher's face anymore, it's just a bloody mess. But it doesn't matter to me. In this moment, he is nothing but an object, something to take my anger out on.

My mind is consumed with the need for revenge and nothing else. All those years of pain and torment.

But now it's his turn to suffer.

I grab onto his hair, pulling his head back so I can see his face one last time before ending him.

"He's dead," Cian's voice says softly.

"Not enough," I snarl and slash the knife across his throat as a final ‘fuck you'.

Shoving him back to the floor, I climb off him, rasping, gasping for breath, my legs shaking as I look down at him. His blood coats my hands and clothes, but I feel strangely detached from it all.

Cian steps forward cautiously. "Victoria," he says.

I nod, wiping the sweat from my brow with a shaking hand. I brush his hand away from mine as he tries to grip it. "I'm fine," I say, my voice hoarse. "He won't hurt me again."

Cian's expression softens, and he steps closer, pulling me into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there sooner," he says, his voice muffled against my hair.

I shake my head, pulling away from him. "It's okay. I had it under control."

He gives me a small smile, cupping my face in his hands. "You're amazing, Victoria. You know that?"

"Just did what I had to."

Cian turns his head to stare down at Asher's body as I spot Luke standing in the doorway, his face a blank mask as he takes in the scene.

"You sure he's dead?" he asks, his mouth turning up at the corner.

Cian hisses, but I giggle, feeling that uncontrollable hysteria bubbling up. "Think so."

Cian growls and spits on Asher's corpse. "You removed a fucking shit stain from the planet. You did good, Tory."

"Just call me Vanish," I murmur, still chuckling to myself.

He stares at me and then rolls his eyes, trying not to laugh. This is serious business. I've killed a highly influential man in the mafia, and the regular, world in the middle of the day on the BlackBriar campus.

Fucked, doesn't even begin to cover this.

"I need to call my dad, I think," I mutter as I sober up and glare down at Asher. "This needs to be cleaned up."

"Hey, don't worry about that," Luke says, coming closer but still keeping his distance. "We'll take care of it. You did the heavy lifting here. It's the least we can do."

"You sure? I don't mind helping dig."

He smiles. "Aww, you're sweet. But no, he needs to melt into a pile of goo."

"Gross."

"She stabs a man way past death and calls my idea gross," he tuts. His tone is light, almost like he's trying not to make too big a deal out of this.

"Yeah, it's a bit fucked up," I admit. "But it had to be done."

Luke nods in agreement. "You did what you had to do, Victoria. No one can fault you for that."

Cian wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "Come on, let's get out of here. We'll take care of the body, you just focus on getting cleaned up."

I nod, taking one last look at Asher's lifeless body before turning away. As we walk out of the lecture hall, I feel a sense of relief wash over me. It's over. The man who haunted my every waking moment is finally gone.