Chapter 1

I t's Halloween night, and the parties on Greek Row never disappoint. After all, it is the University of Alabama, and we take partying seriously. It brings me to this moment, where I'm dressed as a vampire—minus the fangs—and on my way inside the Phi Mu House. I know. I'm a cliché, especially with this costume. I couldn't find anything else at the last minute—so it will have to do.

A crowd of what looks to be freshmen is entering the monstrosity of a house. It is white with tall columns, something you'd definitely see in ancient Greece. At least the architecture is on point. Then there's the cheerleaders entering behind me, all dressed in their slutty little outfits. Some dressed as witches, one vampire, and even a maid. Any excuse to show their asses tonight, which is just as well, seeing as I'm trying to get laid.

"Good game last night, Jeremiah!" Candace says, flipping her long blonde hair, giving me fuck me eyes with her baby blues. "Come find me later."

"Absolutely." I smirk, knowing I've already bagged her for the night. We've dated on and off for the past couple of months, but nothing exclusive anymore. "Don't go too far, baby girl."

Last night was our game against Auburn, and we won yet again. I don't want to say I carried the game, but being the quarterback has perks; like having the cheerleaders fawning over me. I can't complain, that's for damn sure.

A Tate McRae song plays through the speakers as I enter the house. The crowd of bodies makes it smell like musk and body odor. It's hot as fuck, and I wrinkle my nose as I dodge left and right. I'm here to find Noah, my best friend, and tight end, but that's already proving to be a difficult task.

Making my way through the crowd is a full-time job, but I finally manage to find my friends, spotting them by the makeshift bars. Noah and Ian finally spot me and give me bright smiles, beckoning me over. I quicken my footsteps, trying to get away from the flailing limbs as the student body dances and grinds against each other in perfect synchrony.

"What's up, man?" Noah, my best friend, says as I reach him. He's having to yell over the music, and I squint my eyes as I try to make out his words by reading his lips. "We've been waiting for you."

"I got held up." I lie, knowing damn well I was just buying a last-minute costume.

"A vampire, again, Watters?" Ian smirks. "Don't you think that's a bit repetitive?"

"Oh, fuck off." I roll my eyes. "You're dressed as a damn werewolf. Besides, the girls love this shit."

"You're not wrong." Noah laughs and hands me a shot of what's either vodka or tequila. I'm guessing it's the latter, but with no lime. "Cheers." He clinks the shot glass against mine, and Ian does the same. "Let's get fucking trashed."

I down my shot in one go, grimacing at the taste of the tequila with no chaser. Fucking hell, that's horrible, but that just means I'll be horny later. That saying about tequila making panties fall off is a true fucking story, or in my case, boxers.

"Let's go," Noah says. "Maria texted me—" Another cheerleader, Candace's best friend, to be exact. "—and she said they're waiting for us upstairs."

"Alright," I say, tensing up, yet following him all the same.

Again, we're dodging bodies left and right, mainly going up the stairs. I don't know how people aren't falling down. It's so crowded, but they somehow manage to stay upright. They are probably talking about taking the next available room, everyone knows that's what people come upstairs for. Which is why now I'm asking myself why we're coming upstairs, but since I doubt it's for an orgy, I relax.

Maria lives here, so we're probably going to her room, which is spacious and boasts a pretty cool balcony. I would know, seeing as I've been in there before, not with her, but with Candace, her roommate. She obviously wants a repeat, so maybe they'll give us a bit of privacy soon. Except when we finally push the door open, the lights are off, and candles are scattered all over the floor.

"The fuck—" I mutter, looking at Candace and Maria sitting on the floor around a board game I don't recognize. "What's this?" I ask them, and Candace's eyes light up.

" Baby !" she says excitedly. "You're finally here."

I grin, but Ian and Noah walk past me and join them on the floor, leaving me to lock the door so we're not interrupted. Lord knows people will try to come in here to get laid, and I don't want to have to kick them out.

"What is this?" Noah asks, clearly confused. He takes off his Ghost mask just for Maria to put it back on.

"Don't take it off. It's creepier this way," she murmurs, taking a triangular-shaped object from the ground and placing it on the board."It's a Ouija Board. And before?—"

"Doesn't that summon spirits?" I frown, coming to sit next to Candace.

"I hope so!" Candace giggles, clearly drunk already.

Maria shoves a bottle of vodka my way. "Here, drink. It'll make it fun."

My frown deepens. "Oh, I don't know about this," I mutter. "That shit freaks me out."

"Oh, don't be a pussy," Ian says. "It's Halloween. What's the worst that could happen?"

"We die?" I ask in confusion.

"Don't be so melodramatic." Candace rolls her eyes, taking a swig of her bottle of tequila. Oh, hell. She's going to be trashed, and soon. The last thing I need is to have her throw up on me later. "Drink, so we can get started."

I open the bottle of vodka, take a long gulp, probably equating to at least five shots, and gasp at the burn going down my esophagus. It's definitely way worse than tequila. I take another long gulp, my head feeling light and fuzzy all of a sudden.

"That's it, babe," Candace coos. "Now shut up and let us do the talking."

"Fine by me," Noah says, and I narrow my eyes at him.

His brown eyes meet mine, widening, probably realizing what we're about to do. Now, I'm not superstitious by any means, but my parents have warned me about not fucking around with this type of stuff. I miss them so fucking much it hurts, and losing them never gets easier. There are loud warning bells going off in my head. Loud enough to make me want to get up and bolt, yet I don't.

Candace giggles, "This is called a planchette." She gestures toward the triangular object in her hand, which was just on the board a moment ago. My head spins a little as I look down at the board, trying to figure out what the hell she's about to do, but coming up completely blank.

"Noted," I say dryly.

"Alright, so we're going to get started now," Maria says in a whisper. "Nobody talk. We're going to let Candace do it."

"Okay," Noah says, and Ian and I just nod in acknowledgement.

"Spirits of the Underworld." Candace grins. "I summon you."

"You're supposed to say hello, you twat." Maria cackles, taking the bottle of tequila from Candace's side, and drinking straight from it. "Put the planchette where it belongs."

"Right." Candace rolls her eyes, dragging the object over to the word hello . "Hello."

Nothing happens.

"This is so fucking stupid." I laugh.

"Hello?" Candace repeats. "Spirits of the Underworld?"

"Please tell me you don't believe in this shit," Noah says, chuckling.

"Would y'all shut the fuck up?" Maria snaps, her hazel eyes narrowing on us. She flips her dark brown hair over her shoulder and looks at Candace. "Let her work."

"Fine, fine." Ian raises his hands in defeat, rendering everyone quiet.

Candace says " hello" one more time, then drags the object to the center of the board. Maria and her sigh simultaneously when nothing happens, but just when we're about to give up, the candles begin to flicker. Shadows are cast around the room, and suddenly, the temperature drops, causing a chill to run down my spine.

"I think—" I start, suddenly a little freaked out. I don't know if it's all the alcohol in me, but I feel nauseous and not up for this at all. "I'm gonna go?—"

The balcony doors fly open, the October breeze filtering in and chilling me just a bit more. I shiver, goosebumps blooming on my arms. With the breeze filtering through the doors, all but one candle has been snuffed out. I look around, and Candace's jaw is slack, Maria's eyes are wide, and the boys look spooked. Probably just as spooked as I feel. I'm ready to get the fuck out of here.

"Hello?" Candace says, phrasing it more like a question.

Then the creepiest fucking thing happens—the planchette moves to the word hello . On its fucking own. I know this because Candace is keeping her hands to herself for once in her fucking life.

Candace squeaks, Maria squeals in excitement, and I gulp.

"Fuck this," Noah gasps. "I'm out."

"Nah, you little bitch," Maria snaps. "Sit the fuck down and be quiet."

The breeze filters in more aggressively, ruffling my hair and chilling me to the bone. When Candace speaks next, I can see the fog coming from her breath, as it's many degrees cooler in here now than it is outside.

"Hi." Candace's voice shakes. "I'm Candace. Who are you?"

Nothing happens.

"Maybe ask yes or no questions?" Maria whispers.

"Are you a woman?"

The object moves to the word ‘no' and I balk.

"A man?"

Yes .

"What's your name?" Maria asks now, seeing as Candace has scooted back from the board. She looks just as freaked out as the rest of us, maybe even worse. Her skin is paler than usual, and her blue eyes are rapidly blinking as if she's trying to keep tears at bay.

No .

The planchette moves over to the word effortlessly; the spirit refusing to tell us its name. The board begins to shake, and the planchette is now shooting from one side to the other. The room definitely drops another few degrees, and then the last candle blows out.

My hands begin to tremble, and my eyes stay fixated on the board until the planchette stops moving. "Oh, fuck this shit," I whisper, but I'm rooted to the spot in fear. I can't fucking move, or maybe it's some sort of supernatural force holding me in place. Now that I think of it, I can't even move my fingers.

What the fuck?

"Name?" Maria asks, her voice shaking now, and she is too—like a goddamn leaf.

Not so brave now, are you?

No .

The spirit says again, refusing to give us its name.

"This is crazy," I mutter. "Please make this end."

The object shakes on the board again—on the word no .

"Okay, okay," Candace says. "We're done here."

No .

I can move now, and I get up, slowly stepping back. Maria grabs the planchette from the board and throws it across the room. The balcony doors slam shut, and the candles flicker back to life. It suddenly feels like it's ninety degrees in the room, and I continue to walk backward until my back hits the door. Then I turn around and wrap my hand around the knob.

"You don't want to stay, Jer?" Candace purrs, her words slurring.

"Nah," I tell her, my voice shaking. "I'm wasted. Rain check?" It's not a question, more of a statement, as I pull the door open and get the fuck out of the room. There's no way in hell I'll be coming back to this house ever again in my life, not after that. Her room is probably haunted now.

I make my way back down the stairs and to the makeshift dance floor, feeling like I need to distract myself for a little while. I find the nearest girl and haul her toward me, her eyes widening for a moment before they settle on my face—and she grins. Her dark hair falls over her shoulder as she turns around, backing her ass up against my dick, and beginning to grind on me. I'm wobbling on my feet, barely able to stand, but I somehow manage to grab her hips and move to the beat of the music.

I never should've gone upstairs with them. I should've left the moment I saw that creepy fucking board and they began to say " hello ." But something had me frozen to the spot, something unexplainable, and I couldn't fucking move if I tried, and I did try.

My head feels light as I continue to dance with the nameless girl, and then there's a warm body at my back, getting closer and closer. I smell the scent of musk and vanilla, and it takes me back to my dorm room. I frown as I look over just to find Sam, my roommate, getting closer until his pelvis is right against my ass. I've never been against a train, but this is odd. The guy and I have never really gotten along, yet I can't deny that as he gets closer to me, his body heat feels… nice.

"No Guidance" by Chris Brown begins to play as he gets even closer until not even a piece of paper could fit between us. His fingers brush against mine. Sparks course through me as he presses the hard ridge of his cock against my ass and begins to move with me. I look at him over my shoulder, at his dilated blue eyes, the smirk on his full lips, and my stomach flips. I don't know if it's in excitement or fear. I mean, I've never been with a dude before. Is that what he expects of me? I didn't even know he was gay, and I would've never suspected he'd be into me. But I can't deny this—what I'm feeling right now—is more electric than anything I've felt with a girl.

I face forward once more, trying to focus on the girl in front of me, but his erection against my ass has my cock thickening in my pants. Now, it has a beat of its own, like my heart is literally in my dick. I grind against the girl a little harder, trying to seek some friction and relieve the pressure, but Sam just grinds harder against me and my eyes roll back.

Sam's lips meet the shell of my ear. "You like that, baby?"

A shiver runs down my spine at his husky voice, and I nod. He slips his hands under my shirt, brushing his fingers against my sides, then toward my pecs. He pinches both nipples, and I moan as he repeats the motion once more. "Yes," I gasp.

"I know," he murmurs. "What do I have to do to get you out of here?" Sam bites my earlobe, and when I look over my shoulder at him again, he grins. His shaggy black hair falls over his eyes in perfectly styled curls, and when I look down at his hands over my hips once more, I focus on the skull tattoos on the backs of them. They're really doing it for me right now, and my balls draw up when he licks my neck.

God fucking damn it.

I need to get out of here like I need fucking air.

So I nod. "Let's go." He takes a step back and so do I, getting away from the girl. "Thanks for the dance," I tell her, and she pouts. "I'll see you around."

Sam takes a hold of my hand, and I let him, though I look around to see if anyone is paying attention. It's probably not good for my reputation to be seen holding another guy's hand, but somehow I don't give a fuck about that right now. I just can't wait to get under him. I might even let him take me upstairs to Maria's room and let him fuck me?—

Wait.

"Hold on." I halt. "Wait, wait, wait."

Sam frowns. "Do you not want to anymore?"

"It's not that." I shake my head vehemently. "We didn't say goodbye."

Sam's frown deepens.

"We didn't say goodbye," I repeat. "We played with a Ouija board, and we didn't say goodbye."

I let go of Sam's hand and walk quickly up the stairs, as quick as I can with everyone in the fucking way. I knock on Maria's door repeatedly, but no one answers. So I open it. Just to find Maria and Candace making out on the bed, grinding all over each other. Naked . I roll my eyes, looking around the room, but the board is gone.

"We didn't say goodbye," I yell, and they startle. "What the fuck, Candi? How could you forget?"

"Forget what?" She frowns.

"You didn't say goodbye to the board."

Maria gasps, "Well, we can do that real quick."

They both get out of bed quickly, covering their naked bodies, and look around the room in confusion. The candles are still scattered all over the hardwood floor, now unlit.

"It was right there," Candace whines. "Where the fuck did it go?"

"Maria," I say calmly. "Where's the board?"

"I—I don't—I don't know," she stutters.

Footsteps alert me that there's someone behind me, and when I turn around, Sam is right there. My eyes widen, hoping he doesn't give the girls a clue about what's going on between us, but he just looks past me and at them.

"What's going on?" he asks, his blue eyes narrowing and scanning the room. "What happened?"

"We were playing with a Ouija Board," I reply. "and we didn't say goodbye."

"Oh." Sam grins. "Y'all are probably fine. It's just a game, right?"

"Right," Candace squeaks out with wide eyes. "It's no biggie, baby," she says as she looks at me. Sam looks between us and comes to stand closer behind me. A little too close. "Wait, why are you back here?" she asks Sam, and this time, I frown.

"Back?" Sam asks. "Oh, I found who I was looking for.."

"Oh," Candace whispers, looking between us with narrowed eyes, confusion clearly marring her features. But I don't have time to explain this shit, not when I don't even know what's happening. So I do the only thing that makes sense—I turn around and leave.

Ten minutes later, my hands are shaking uncontrollably as I try to unlock the dorm room. The key rattles in my hold, and Sam chuckles from behind me, prying it out of my hand.

"Relax, Jer," he whispers. "I'm not going to do anything you don't want to do."

I gulp, because the truth of the matter is that my cock is still half-hard in my pants. "I want to."

Sam pushes the door open, and I shut it behind me. There's a soft glow coming from our bathroom, seeing as this is the athlete's dorms, and for once I'm glad we don't have a communal one. I look around at our beds, and mine is neat and made for once, thank God, and most importantly, it's warm in here. I hate being cold during sex.

I swallow hard at the implication of what's about to happen, but when Sam begins to take off his shirt, my hands shake even harder.

Oh, fuck.

I'm about to fuck a guy .

I watch him take off the rest of his clothes, admiring the ink covering every inch of his body. His abs are defined, rippling with every movement, and when he hooks his thumbs into his underwear, my breathing stutters. His black boxer briefs hit the ground, and when I look up at his cock, there's a piercing on the tip. What the?—

"Your turn," Sam says, walking toward me slowly with a devilish grin.

It's suddenly hard to breathe, the air thick between us, and I bite my bottom lip as I pull my shirt over my head. Before I can unbutton my pants, he reaches me and does it for me, pulling them down to my ankles. At this point I'm trembling, but when he touches me, my skin feels like it's on fire. I close my eyes as my cock thickens to a painful degree, and he gets even closer to me, grabbing my cock and giving it a slow tug. I hiss at the contact, feeling his callouses scraping the velvety skin of my dick. But it doesn't feel wrong at all—in fact, I want more .

"Open your eyes," Sam whispers. "Watch me, baby."

I open my eyes, focusing on his face. The way his full bottom lip is caught between his teeth, and when he lets go of my cock, I look down. The tip of his is red and angry, the hoop through his slit shining with the soft glow of the bathroom light. I watch as he gets even closer until our hard cocks are brushing against each other, and he takes both of us in his hand.

Gasping, I let my head fall back at the pleasure coursing through me when he jerks our lengths in tandem. "S-Sam," I moan when he thumbs the little sensitive spot under the head of my cock, and I can feel pre-cum leaking from me. "What are we doing?"

"Kaelin," he whispers as his lips brush against mine. A shiver runs down my spine at the light touch. "Call me Kaelin."

I frown, confused, but repeat myself. "What are we doing?"

He leans in even further, his hand speeding up, and bites my bottom lip, tugging it with his teeth. "Fucking."

Oh, fuck.

I close my eyes, letting the sensations take over, and I realize that even though I'm nervous as hell—I'm still too turned on to put a stop to it.

"Now get on the bed."