20. Embedded

20

Embedded

Violet

Everything is sore. Muscles I've never felt ache as I roll over and blink open my eyes.

Kole's room is dark, except for the single beam of light streaming through the cracked bathroom door. It's quiet, and I know he's not in there. I vaguely remember watching the back of his head as he slipped out of the bedroom earlier.

Rolling onto my back, I clutch my stomach and try to settle the nerves welling up.

I should have left after the bath, but I was too tired to argue when Kole carried me back to his bed. My body gave out at the same time as my eyes, and I must have fallen asleep the moment I rested my head on the pillow .

The bath helped soothe some of the pain, but now that I'm awake, it's rushing back. Soreness in places so deep my entire body aches.

Lifting to sit, I look around Kole's room, taking it all in. When he first pulled me inside earlier, I was too distracted by what was happening to focus on my surroundings. But now, alone, I roam over the details.

It's a large open space with big pieces of furniture. A four-poster bedframe that is the focus of the space. A desk and couch sit against one wall and a bookcase on another. Everything about Kole's room is surprisingly normal when part of me expected to be met with whips and chains.

On the surface, it's what I'd expect of Kole—cold, undecorated—the opposite of my view of Saint. And while the somewhat boring fa?ade of his bedroom should probably be comforting, it's an unsettling reminder of how well he is at disguising himself when he needs to.

Glancing down, I spot Mila's dress in shreds on the floor next to the bed. She's going to kill me—if Saint doesn't first.

Noise comes from the other side of the bedroom door as people shuffle down the hallway, and reality rushes back. I need to get out of here before Kole returns. Just because I survived him once doesn't mean I will a second time.

He didn't take my virginity sweetly; he ripped it out of me. And if there's a possibility that was him taking it easy on me for my first time, I don't know what he considers rough .

Kole is Saint.

Saint is cruel.

What he's done so far is probably just a hint of what he's capable of.

He carved himself into my skin and embedded himself into my soul. I still taste his blood on my tongue and feel his grip on my throat.

My fingers rub the column of my neck, and my stomach jumps at the memory of him holding me tighter. Of him pulling my face to his and making my insides flutter.

What's wrong with me?

Climbing out of bed, I stop at the pile of scraps that was once Mila's dress, and my hopes of salvaging it are dashed when I realize it's completely torn in two.

I can't walk out of here wearing that, so I head to Kole's closet instead.

Opening it, I'm relieved when I don't find someone chained and gagged sitting on the floor.

I dig through Kole's drawers and pull out a T-shirt and a pair of sweats. They're swimming on me, so I roll the waistband down and tie the T-shirt to make them fit better.

More voices kick up in the hallway as I stop in front of a mirror to brush my hair off my face and try to make myself presentable. My makeup has been completely washed off and my hair is flat now that the product has been rinsed out of it.

The faint bruising on my skin is showing again, so I grab a sweater off Kole's desk chair and wrap myself in it.

I really hope my roommates are sleeping when I get back to the dorm or they're going to have a million questions about me walking in looking like this.

I dig through the scraps of Mila's dress. I find my purse and phone and see texts from my mom and Mila. Mom is asking about how my psychology test went, so I skip to Mila's texts, realizing I didn't tell her where I was going before I disappeared upstairs with Kole.

Mila : You okay? You disappeared.

Mila: Earth to Violet. Where are you?

Mila: Seriously, I'm sending out a search party if you don't respond to me.

Right below her third text is one I didn't send.

Violet : I'm fine. I got distracted by something. I'll catch you up tomorrow.

Mila : Ooooh slut! You better tell me everything.

I'm not sure if I'm disturbed or relieved that Kole texted Mila for me. It wasn't for her benefit since he wanted me all to himself. But I don't want her to worry either.

Worry.

Like I wasn't just fucked by a murderer.

My spine tingles.

Slipping into my shoes, I roll my shoulders back and prepare for the ultimate walk of shame. It's impossible to tell how many people are still partying downstairs, but there's no other way out, and I can't stay here.

I need space.

I need to escape Kole—to be free of Saint.

It doesn't matter what darkness he tapped into last night; nothing has changed. I refuse to let Saint turn me into someone like him just because he enjoys feeding into the fantasies only we have shared.

He kills people. I have no choice but to expose him. I just need time to figure out how to do it since I'm walking away without the physical proof I came here for.

Slowly, I walk to the bedroom door and grab the handle, but it doesn't budge. Kole locked it behind him, which would be comforting from anyone but him. Luckily, I'm able to unlock it from the inside, so I'm not trapped.

I step out into the hallway and am thankful it's empty. The party has either ended or quieted downstairs because I no longer hear screams or feel the thumping of the bass.

Making my way down the hall, I pass a series of doors that look the same, and I wonder which one is Liam's. While I used to tell myself I never came here when I was dating him because Sigma Sin made me uncomfortable, I now realize why he never pushed the issue.

There was a whole other side to him I didn't know existed.

Passing another door, I see it's half-open, and a woman's muffled scream draws my attention. Looking over, I freeze in place at the sight in the dim room.

A girl is on her back on the bed. Her hands and feet are stretched out and bound to the four posts, not giving her any room to move. Maddox is fucking her roughly and has his hand wrapped around her neck, which holds her head in place for Declan, who stands at the bottom of the bed, forcing his dick down her throat .

The woman screams out again, muffled by Declan's cock, and I don't know whether it's pain or pleasure. Declan grabs the back of her head and tenses as he thrusts in deeper. His entire body goes rigid as he holds her to swallow him down. Spit and cum spill out from her lips and down her face as he pulls out. Declan looks down at her with amusement as Maddox continues to fuck her.

I take a step back, and it catches Declan's attention, whose dark gaze meets mine and freezes me in place.

Pulling up his pants, he buttons them and walks over to the door to meet me, still shirtless. I don't know anything about Declan Pierce beyond the rumors, but I suddenly want to know why he has the word ETERNAL carved into the center of his chest.

"You enjoying the show?" Declan smirks, pausing in the doorway.

"I—" I take a step back. "Sorry, I was headed home, and I just—"

What?

Stopped to watch some girl get fucked by the two of them?

What have I gotten myself into walking into Sigma House?

"Never mind," I murmur.

"Mm-hmm." His eyes drag the length of my body, darting over my shoulder when they make their way back up. "Enjoy your night, Violet."

He closes the door, and I'm frozen, facing it. Staring at the Sigma House insignia carved into the wood like it can make sense of what this place is. As if it can help me understand why I'm here.

I spin around, ready to run, when I slam straight into a solid chest.

"Kole." I catch myself on his shirt.

His eyes narrow when he looks down at me. "Why did you leave my room?"

"How did you know I did?" I take a step back but corner myself against Declan's closed door when I do.

"I know when my door opens."

Of course he does. He's got my bedroom wired, so why would I expect anything different from his?

"You're keeping tabs on me?"

"Always." He steps toward me, planting a hand over my head on the closed door. "Besides, everyone here knows better than to go into my room, so it had to be you."

He brushes my jaw with his thumb, and it makes me shiver.

"I need to get some sleep."

"Then why did you get up?" His gaze skims down to my outfit. "Not that I'm complaining about the wardrobe choice."

His comment is borderline flirty and so unlike him, I don't know what to do with it—even if his expression has yet to flinch.

"I want to sleep in my bed."

He hums, his dark stare darting back up. Those maple eyes of his trap me against the door, and the tension has my stomach in my throat. If he wants to hold me hostage, I have no doubt he can. But right now, I need some space to process what we've done.

I seal my eyes shut and take a breath like it can free me of him, but then when I open them and am met with his maple gaze, I know it's no use. Dropping my stare from his face, I realize he's slipped into a white T-shirt, and it's flecked with dark red spots.

"Whose blood is that?" I swallow hard, not sure how I didn't immediately notice.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that question?" he asks, his stoic expression not faltering.

Probably not .

I shake my head.

He nods, stepping back and taking my hand in his to tug me away from Declan's door and pulling his phone out of his pocket to call someone.

"I'm running an errand. I'll be back," is all he says before hanging up and tucking his phone in his pocket.

"I'm an errand now?"

Kole looks down at me, and I'm caught off guard by the depth in his gaze when I've been staring at a mask for so long. His expression is emotionless but somehow more intense than anything I've ever faced.

If I thought Saint was terrifying, Kole might be worse.

"Yes, an errand." Kole stops at his bedroom and grabs a jacket, meeting me back in the hallway to wrap it around me.

I appreciate it, even if the borderline-sweet gesture is just one more thing that doesn't make sense .

"Thank you." I clutch it over my chest. "Where are we going?"

He wraps an arm around my shoulders and walks me back down the hallway. "I'm taking you home."