17. Figure Me Out

17

Figure Me Out

Violet

Declan looks up at me and grins. "Vi, you actually made it."

His pupils are blown wide, and there's a sheen of sweat on his forehead. If I had to guess from the pile of coke on the table in front of him, he's high, and the drink in his hand isn't going to help the situation.

"I did."

"Nice dress." Brax huffs, leaning forward and snorting a line of coke. "Getting over my brother pretty fast, apparently."

"He's the one who disappeared on me," I point out, annoyed when I probably shouldn't be. "I'm not going to sit around pouting about it."

"Clearly." Brax leans back, sinking his palms to his thighs as he tips his head, his eyes roll as if his mind is floating away .

Kole still hasn't said a word, but I feel his eyes on me. Watching, waiting to see what I'll do as always. I'm not sure how I never sensed his attention. But it's proof of how easy it is to be in denial about the things that are right in front of you.

"So, what can we do for you, sweetheart?" Declan winks.

From the corner of my eye, I think I spot Kole curling his fingers into fists, but then he draws them up and pops his knuckles, making me wonder how much of this I'm imagining.

"Like I said, I need a favor." I press my lips together, mustering some confidence. "Can I see Liam's room?"

"Why?" Brax bursts out laughing, so high he almost falls forward as he leans in for another hit. "Missing him already and want to sniff his pillow?"

"No." I grit my teeth. "He had something of mine, and I need to get it back."

Declan narrows his gaze. "And what would that be?"

"It's personal."

Declan and Brax both look up at me from the couch. Smirking, smiling, oozing with arrogance. They're trying to break me like I'm sure they're used to doing to people who dare to walk in here and ask them for things. But I dated one of them. I know their tricks.

If I don't flinch and don't back down, they won't have anything to use against me.

"Fine, I'll give you the tour." Declan rakes his teeth over his lower lip, and his eyes drag down to my chest. "Big house, wouldn't want a pretty thing like you to get lost. "

"I've got it." Kole stands up before Declan can, walking past me. And I don't miss that Declan smirks at the back of Kole's head like he was trying to elicit a reaction and is pleased with what he got.

Kole waits for me at the archway to the room. "You coming?"

He's annoyed. Irritable.

Good.

The closer I tip him to that ledge, the closer I get to Saint.

I wave a thank you to Declan and head toward Kole.

He waits until I'm in front of him to guide me through the crowd. And with anyone else, it would feel protective. But this is a man who spends his spare time terrorizing me, and his attention sears through my skin.

When we reach the staircase, Kole nods at two guys who are standing like guards at the bottom.

I can't imagine what's so special up here that they need to monitor who walks past, but given the raging party behind me, at the very least, I'm guessing they don't want this mess spilling into their bedrooms.

Starting up the staircase, every step makes me question my sanity. Not only am I purposely trying to irritate a killer, I'm walking straight into his trap.

My goal tonight was always to get Kole alone, but now that we are, I'm second-guessing offering myself to a predator.

When we reach the top of the staircase, Kole leads me to the right. One side is open to the party raging below us until we turn a corner, and there are doors on either side.

"Are all your bedrooms up here?" I ask, walking beside him.

He nods. "Except the spare ones in the basement."

A chill runs down my spine as I remember what happened down below.

The pleasure. The chaos. The blood.

Glancing up at Kole, his expression doesn't falter. If he's remembering what I am, he doesn't show it.

While Saint is fire, Kole is ice. Two clear sides, and I need to break through one to get to the other.

Slowing my pace, I trace my fingers along one of the doors, along the Sigma House insignia carved into it.

"Which one is your room?" I pause, my fingers stopping at the center of the Sigma symbol.

Kole freezes, his entire body tensing when he looks over his shoulder at me. His icy fa?ade cracks the slightest as I wet my lips.

"This one?" I point a single finger at the door, toying with the design on it.

Static electrifies the air. It stings my skin. A current of energy Kole tries to bury, but I'm tapping into it.

"Why?" he asks.

That tone. It vibrates the earth like thunder. Seeps through my bones and rattles around inside my chest.

One word—one question—and I realize why I didn't recognize Kole's voice when he slipped into his Saint mask. When he's Saint, he's a raw nerve. Anger cracked open, and a fire that's been lit. Kole is the opposite. He's careful and measured. Calm even.

This particular voice that sends goosebumps up my arms only comes out of hiding when he's Saint.

It comes out for me.

"Liam and I are over, you know." I push off the door and step toward Kole, tipping my head back to look up at him as I plant a hand on his chest.

Pure heat radiates out of him. Electricity that lights me up on the spot. He's the sun drawing me in, defying Earth's gravity, and forcing me to cave in on myself.

Skating my hand down his chest, my heart races at the feel of his muscles tensing beneath his T-shirt. His jaw clenches, but he doesn't break my gaze or flinch.

I'm playing with fire, and it's working. Even if a little too well with how I can't help the reaction it blooms inside me.

The path of my hand is a match striking. I'm turning the stove up and setting Saint's rage to full boil to draw him out. To him, I'm touching another man, even if they are ultimately one and the same. And he's looking at me like he wants to carve himself open with his own knife as a result.

My fingers pause when I reach the firm center of Kole's stomach, his abs tensing.

"Why did you really want to come upstairs, Violet?" Kole ticks his head to the side. "You don't actually have anything in Liam's room, do you? "

"Maybe not. Can't remember." I shrug, brushing off his question. "But does it matter? You're not seeing anyone, are you?"

I sweep my ponytail off my shoulder, and his dark eyes follow the movement. His gaze traces my collarbone, my throat, up to my lips. But he doesn't look at me like Declan did—like a piece of meat. Kole eyes me with fascination. Like he's memorizing every inch.

It might be him envisioning peeling the skin from my bones since I'm intentionally trying to piss him off, but a part of me doesn't mind. A part of me wants to stand here and watch that darkness come to the surface as he flays me open.

Kole's eyes narrow as he watches me with intent. "I am, actually."

"Oh." His response catches me off guard.

I take a step back, eyebrows pinched and not sure what to make of his answer. I assumed with how closely Saint's been watching me he wouldn't have time for anyone else. It shouldn't sting as much as it does, knowing that's not true.

Finding out Liam was messing around on me didn't make me so much as blink. But Kole seeing someone else while he's been pursuing me might as well be knives in my chest.

What does that say about me?

I shouldn't want the attention of my murderous stalker.

"Sorry, I should—" I take another step back in an attempt to escape .

This was a mistake. I'm in over my head, and there's no way out. Sigma Sin breeds nothing but trouble, and I'm tempting a beast.

But Kole doesn't give me the chance. He grabs my ponytail with one hand and winds the other around my waist to pull my back against his chest, preventing me from getting away.

"Don't act so offended. You already know that, kitten." He dips his mouth to my ear and licks the length of it, tightening his grip on my hair to force my neck back until our gazes meet. "So, tell me, when did you figure me out?"

Saint has come out to play now.

No longer cold. No longer quiet. He's a furnace searing through my back as he grips my ponytail and pulls it. My neck strains as my body arches.

And even if I'm faced with Kole's strong jawline and the familiar scar that carves a story through his features, all I focus on are Saint's dark eyes. Like he's split down the middle, and the man I sought tonight has finally come out to play.

Reaching down to the arm he has wrapped around my waist, I grab Saint's wrist. "I saw the nail marks when we were in the library. I did that to you, right?"

A flicker of amusement darkens his expression as his lip curls up in a smirk. "Yes, kitten. You did."

Something about seeing his face when he calls me that turns me liquid. It puts a face to my nightmares—my fantasies. And I grip his wrist tighter, trying to steady my breath .

He releases my ponytail but doesn't let me go as he opens a door on his left. He pulls me inside, shoving me against the closed door once we're in and wrapping his fingers around my throat, cutting off my air.

"Are you happy now?" He grips my throat tighter while I choke for breath. "You were curious what would happen if you pissed me off, right? You wanted to see what you'd get?"

Saint leans in close, running his lips over the line of my jaw and sinking his teeth into the side of my neck. His grip on my throat muffles my scream as the room darkens with my spotted vision.

"Do you want to find out what I'll do to you when I'm angry, Violet?"

Still gripping my throat, he pulls back and spins us around, only releasing me to push me back onto a bed.

I scramble back, trying to get away from him when there's no use. Oxygen floods my lungs as it rushes back, and Saint stands at the edge, watching me. Amused with what he's done.

"You're insane." I barely choke the words out through stuttered breaths.

"Don't act like it bothers you." Saint starts circling the bed slowly, humming as he looks me up and down. "You're the one who came here tonight knowing what happened the last time. You wanted your Saint, and now you have him."

I hate that he's right. That he's seen straight through my plan. And I can't help but wonder what I was thinking .

Am I any saner than he is if I knew I was walking into the home of a killer and taunted him anyway?

Saint continues to circle until he's at my back. I'm tempted to run as he reaches the part of the bed that's farthest from the door because I have a straight shot if I move fast enough. But I don't know if he would let me.

"Don't even think about it." His words in my ear make me jump.

"Wouldn't do me any good, anyway, right?" I challenge him, looking over my shoulder to catch a glimpse as he stands tall in the shadows above me. "You'd just chase?"

Saint smirks, crossing his arms over his chest. His black T-shirt is tight and shows off his muscular shoulders. He's lean but solid muscle. A wall of steel.

I've always found Kole attractive, even when I knew I shouldn't. But thinking those thoughts right now is dangerous given what I know his strong hands are capable of—whose blood they've spilled.

"You could always try." He hitches an eyebrow.

Watching me.

Baiting me.

Daring me.

He might even be considering killing me.

Would he?

That thought settles, and I realize maybe I've pushed this too far. I put myself at the mercy of a man who is unhinged enough to plant cameras in my room. Morally void enough to kill at least two people and to send me their body parts .

Saint doesn't fear consequences, and he doesn't regret his actions, leaving me well out of my depth.

I sit up and try to scramble off the bed, but Saint grabs my ponytail before I get the chance, pulling me back to him. His grip stings my scalp as I try to claw at his wrists.

He grabs one of my arms, twisting it behind my back and spinning me face down on the bed.

"Let me go." I try to wiggle loose, but he's pinned me to the mattress. His hard chest rests over me, and his dick is rock hard against my ass the more I squirm.

"Why would I do that?" He drags his lips along my neck, trailing his free hand downward. "You were the slut offering yourself up to me in the hallway."

"And you were the one who said you were seeing someone, so why do you care?" I hate that it still hurts, even when he's being mean and aggressive.

"You're right, Violet, I am." He drags his hand down to the hem of my short dress and lifts it up over my ass. "And right now, I'm tempted to teach her a lesson."

He reaches between my legs and grabs me so hard it takes my breath away.

"We're not seeing each other."

"Aren't we?" He rubs my pussy, slowly building that familiar flutter in my core. "Because I'm pretty sure you're all I see."

"Saint." I moan as he drags his hand up to finger my clit, digging his hard length against me.

"Tell me, kitten…" He rocks his hips. "How far were you willing to take this to test me? What would you have done if I'd let Declan bring you up here? Would you have been a slut for him too? Would you have sucked his cock just to give me a reason to cut it off him?"

"No." I try to shake my head, but his grip on my ponytail doesn't allow for much movement. "And you can't do that. He's your friend."

"So was Liam."

I grip the blanket at the harsh reminder. Wiggling once more, I try to break free, but Saint holds me tighter. Reaching back, I rake his arms with my nails, getting in a scratch that draws blood.

Saint lifts off me, spinning me to pin my back to the mattress and shoving his hips between my legs.

I claw at his chest and try to shove him off me. But with every scratch, every hit, and every struggle, his dark eyes light up with a crackling fire.

He grabs both my wrists in one of his hands and pins them overhead. His other grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. And without the mask, I'm faced with the full force of the man who won't let me escape.

"Answer my question, Violet." He pinches my cheeks, forcing my lips apart so he can shove his thumb into my mouth. "Would you have swallowed another man's cum down your pretty little throat, like you did mine in that forest, just to piss me off?"

"Fuck you." It comes out mumbled around his thumb.

"What was that?" He shoves his thumb further, making me gag. "Talk to me like a whore, and I'll fuck you like one. "

Saint pulls his hand away and moves it down once again, pulling my dress up at the front and peeling my underwear to the side.

"Except you aren't a whore, are you?" He slides his fingers through me. "You're untouched. Untamed. A perfect virgin cunt waiting to be ripped open."

He presses a finger to my entrance, and I can't help the moan that escapes. I hate how I want this as much as I don't. How my mind tells me to fight, but my body begs him to keep going.

I struggle in his grip, but he doesn't let me go, shoving a finger into my pussy instead.

"I'm not doing this with you." I tip my head back and seal my eyes shut at the feel of him inside me. "I hate you."

"No, Violet." He draws his fingers out and shoves them into my mouth, forcing me to taste myself. "You don't hate me. You're too busy hating yourself for what I'm waking up inside you. But you should hate me."

He shoves his fingers to the back of my throat as he rocks his hips against my core.

"And if you could read my thoughts, you really would."