12. You Look Tired, Kitten

12

You Look Tired, Kitten

Saint

My stepfather used to say I was destined to repeat the cycle. That sin breeds sin, and because of that, our family is incapable of healthy relationships.

Maybe he was right.

Good can't come from evil.

But beauty is highlighted in darkness.

Like Violet drenched in blood. Legs spread at the hands of death. Red streaks running up the inside of her thighs. A picture of what she will look like when I rip into her for the first time.

My teeth clench as I marinate in that thought.

Her wide eyes. Her pupils blown. Her body painted in blood and cum.

Maybe I should have taken a picture so I couldn't ever forget it.

Walking into class, I tell the demons in my mind to be quiet. Therapy might not have cured me, but at least it taught me to keep these thoughts to myself. Which is what makes Violet so dangerous.

She pulls my addiction to the surface. She wants me to show her what I'm craving. She wants to be as sick as I am. And I'm going to make her face that truth until she's begging me for more.

"Where the fuck did you go last night?" Declan asks as I drop down into the chair next to him.

"Out."

"Yeah, I got that." He leans back, kicking his feet up on the desk. "Care to be more specific?"

"Not really."

He taps a pencil on his thigh, smirking at me. "You know the rules, man; there's no room for drama over a chick, and I saw you disappear downstairs after Violet."

"And you care why?" I hitch an eyebrow. "It's not like Liam's going to give a shit."

Declan smirks, knowing I'm right in more ways than one.

The only reason he's giving me crap about following her is because I wasn't as subtle about it as I should have been. But there wasn't time to be careful.

She makes me fucking sloppy.

With Nixon following her around like a puppy, I couldn't risk it. Violet might have gone on a date or two with him, but she sees the good in people. She doesn't know him like I do. He'd have fucked her whether she wanted it or not if I gave him the chance .

So if I have to do the dirty work to make sure no one hurts her, I will.

At least Liam hadn't crossed the line with Violet yet. It's the only reason I let him live as long as I did. He fucked around behind her back and saved her like his virginal prize while sticking his dick in anything with an open mouth or legs.

We had an understanding.

Until we didn't.

"Besides…" I shrug. "They ended things."

Technically, I ended them. But who cares.

"And the year's up," I remind him.

I watched. I waited. Now it's my time.

"Guess you're right." Declan's half-distracted by something on his phone as he types out a text.

He's only ever half-present lately. Ever since he became president of Sigma House, he's occupied more often than he's not. He used to party harder than all of us, and now he's too busy being miserable.

"You still haven't heard from him, have you?" Declan asks.

"Nah."

"Fucking strange." Declan tucks his phone into his pocket and leans back, assessing the room. "It's not like Liam to disappear like this."

"You're forgetting our freshman year."

Liam went on spring break and forgot to come back for an entire month. Drugs and pussy were always his kryptonite, and he fell into the land of abundance .

"Shit." Declan wipes his palm over his face and starts laughing. "You're right. I totally forgot about that. Those chicks were down for anything. I should have stayed with him."

"Like you'd bang the same chick twice," I remind him. "Especially ones into vanilla shit like they were."

His tastes are arguably even darker than mine.

"Fair point." Declan grins, too distracted by the reminder of topless beaches in Cancun to worry about Liam.

If only everyone's attention was as easy to divert as Declan's.

Sooner or later, people will start asking questions about where Liam is. They'll realize something is wrong and that he's not coming back. I swiped his phone to send a few strategic texts and throw them off the trail, but every ruse has a time limit.

They'll start looking for Liam eventually, even if they never find him.

After all, my stepdad taught me how to hide a body.

I tip my head back and close my eyes, comforted by thoughts of Liam's corpse.

My mind drifts from him to Nixon, and it's almost enough to rock me to sleep when I'm fucking tired. After getting Violet out of Sigma House last night, I spent the rest of the evening disposing of his body and cleaning blood off the tile.

My kitten is exhausting.

Wild .

She needs to be tamed so she'll stop getting herself into trouble—but fuck, I'm enjoying her. And I don't enjoy anything.

She had my attention from the moment I first looked into her sapphire eyes. She blinked at me like she wasn't staring straight into the soul of a devil. Her mouth parted on an exhale, and she had me.

So I watched. I waited.

I understood she thought she was Liam's for a while. I'm patient. I'd show her the truth eventually, and it would all make sense. I just had to guide her there.

Something made easier the moment she downloaded the Dark Desires app.

It's cute that she thinks it was an accident I stumbled upon her in that chat room. She's so innocent; I might have to tie her up to keep her safe.

To keep her closer.

Our messages in the app confirmed she's the girl I thought she was when we first met.

The things she shared with me when she thought I'd forever be in the shadows reveal her true nature. A depravity no one at this school sees when they look at her.

She sees it. She knows she wants the sick things only I can offer.

Her bones know.

Her stuttering breath knows.

Her racing pulse knows.

When I take her, she'll be scared— terrified . Begging for mercy and then begging for me .

My curious little kitten .

I'll paint her whole room red and make her live in it if that's what it takes.

"Speaking of trouble." Declan knocks me on the arm and tips his chin to the doorway, where Violet and Patience are walking into the room.

The dark circles draw out the brightness of her deep blue eyes as she scans the class. And for a fraction of a second, her stare pauses on me.

She knows , even if her mind is blind to the truth. There's a gravitational force she can't deny or resist. It lights me up as much as it pisses me off. Because I warned her what would happen if she looks too long at a man, and that's what she just did.

Finally, Violet sinks into a seat a couple of rows ahead of Declan and me.

"Hey." Declan tosses his pencil at the back of Patience's blonde head because he's an asshole.

Patience gives him a death glare over her shoulder before turning back around.

She still hates Sigma Sin for what happened to her brother, Alex, and she doesn't even know the half of it. It wasn't the first initiation to go bad, but it was one of the worst. And the fact that he still hasn't spoken a word years later means she'll harbor that grudge the entire time she's here.

"Bitch." Declan chuckles.

"You entertained yet?"

"Never." He grins.

Declan might be my friend, but I don't understand him. He loves attention and putting on a show. People at Briar either love him or hate him. But none of them know him. If they did, they'd realize he's a sadistic, perverted jerk, and you're safer keeping your distance.

Not that I'm one to talk.

My gaze slides to the back of Violet's head. Her black hair is down and stick straight, and every so often, she fidgets with it, moving it in front of one shoulder, then the other. She's wearing another turtleneck, and even if I'd rather see my marks on her perfect flesh, this might be better.

Secrets between the two of us.

Patience leans toward Violet and whispers something, but Violet's monotonous head nod is out of habit, not interest. Something is on her mind.

If people paid attention, they'd see it. But they aren't me; I'm the only one who sees her .

The professor starts his lecture, cutting off their conversation as he starts to drone on about criminal law. It's mind-numbing so I pull out my phone.

Saint : You look tired, kitten.

Violet sneaks her phone out of her pocket and freezes when she reads what's on the screen. Her back straightens, and her body tenses. Slowly, she glances around the room, looking for me.

There's something to be said about hiding in plain sight. People can't see what's right in front of them. They're too busy searching the shadows.

Just like how Violet has yet to recognize my voice or clothes. She's always focusing on the wrong things .

Violet : It's not fair that you know who I am when you won't tell me who you are.

Saint : I never said this was fair.

Violet : What do you want?

Saint : You.

Violet : You can't have me.

Saint : Debatable.

Violet : I'm serious. I'm done with all of this. Leave me alone.

Saint : No. But don't worry, I like it better when you fight me, kitten. So keep it up, and maybe I'll give you what you want next time.

Violet : I don't. Not anymore.

Saint : Liar… Enjoy your new present.

Once more, her body tenses, and her head twists slightly from side to side as she looks around the room.

Violet : What present?

Swiping out of the Dark Desires app, I open the feed to one of the cameras I have in her bedroom. I zoom in on her bed and make sure my present is still where I left it while she was out at breakfast with Patience.

A small box. Blue like her eyes. A bed of black rose petals inside it… along with Nixon's tongue.

Saint : Just a little something to add to your collection.