Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

SERAFINA

I’ve read the same page in this book and haven’t absorbed a single word. My eyes keep looking at the window. I can’t stop thinking about… him .

Let’s be very clear, there is no fancy or flirty word for what’s happening. He’s stalking me. For sure. Following me. Watching me. He knows what I’m going to do next. Where I’m going to be.

He’s always in his mask, except for tonight. I could tell he wasn’t wearing his mask. And, of course, it was too dark to see his face.

But I did see him attack some guy. I never saw anything like it. The way he moved. How strong he was. How much he didn’t give a fuck.

To be fair, he was leaning on the guy’s car. He was in the wrong! But it didn’t matter. He grabbed the guy that owned the car and smashed his face into it. I heard the noise even with the distance and through the window.

The guy fell to the ground, definitely knocked out. Then he said something to the guy’s girlfriend or whatever she was. Chased her away.

Pure evil. Or insanity. Or both. Or maybe it was just raw power. I did hear a name from Naya though.

She had offered for me to go outside with her to smoke a joint. I guess Lia is allergic to smoke. I declined the offer. Shortly after coming back inside, washing her hands and spraying herself with enough body spray to make me feel like I had allergies, I heard Naya saying something to Lia about Tyrant.

Ty.

Tyrant.

If that’s the name… and then I think about him …

I can’t read. I slam my book shut and close my eyes. A voice in the back of my head tickles at me, telling me it’s okay to think about him. It’s okay to keep my distance and just enjoy some of that stuff. In other words, it’s okay to fantasize about him.

In his mask. His muscles. That fucking nipple piercing.

Him as this monstrous figure, grabbing my legs, spreading them wide, thrusting his huge cock…

I quickly reach for my phone and my earbuds. I pop my earbuds in and choose some random ambient sounding sleep playlist. Anything to drown out the voice of temptation. Bad enough this evil guy already had a fucking knife to my throat.

Now I’m supposed to fantasize about him fucking me?

Coffee. Banana. And I go for a run. I know he’s going to be there at some point. Following me. Watching me.

I try to pretend it doesn’t bother me. I wonder if and when he sleeps. I also wonder what the fuck the point of this is. What’s the end result of this game? Does he think I’m going break down and beg him to take me? To love me? Like, what is this?

To help silence that voice, I chose a metal playlist for running. I’ll be real—I have no idea who these bands are. Or what these songs are. It’s just loud guitars and screeching and screaming vocals. The only word I can ever make out when these guys are bellowing is the word fuck . But the music is heavy, loud, and I focus on running.

The walkways, paths and trails around SA are amazing. It’s springtime so all the trees are freshly budding and the grass is coming out of its winter slumber. There’s a crispness to the air that smells like early November, yet at the same time it smells like spring. Of course, in my head I’m thinking about spring as the cliché stuff.

Coming alive again and all that nonsense.

Anything to convince myself that being sent to a place called Sinners Academy is not the end of the world.

I find myself running faster than I normally do. Maybe it’s the music. Or maybe I just want this run over to turn this music off. My legs pump faster. My lungs work harder. My heart races more. My eyes are focused in front of me. In a matter of seconds I forget all about the weather and the springtime and even the name Sinners Academy . It’s just me and the path in front of me.

Wrong!

The voice in my head screams that word just as a figure steps out onto the path. A massive figure, dressed in all black, wearing a black mask. I don’t have time to scream or even try to stop.

The best I can do is throw myself out of the way, just out of instinct of not wanting to crash into the tall figure built with tons of muscle. My arms flail out and my feet collide together. I’m not just going to trip right now. I’m flying through the air.

I turn my head and shut my eyes, not sure if I’m going to smack the ground or go headfirst into a tree.

There’s a thud and I stop in midair. With my eyes still shut I feel like I’m floating. When I open my eyes I realize he’s caught me. This masked figure. I can probably bet my life on who this is… Yet I want to know for sure.

His hands are big, strong, and he holds me so easily.

“Fuck you for doing that,” I growl at him. “Getting in my way… Tyrant … right?”

His entire body tenses up. Maybe this isn’t Tyrant? The only way I can figure to find out…?

I take my chance and move my right hand up to his chest. My fingertips exploring, finding his nipple, feeling what is obviously a piercing.

“It is you,” I whisper. “ Tyrant .”

“Who the fuck named me?”

“You can’t be anonymous forever, can you?”

“I can be whatever the fuck I want, claimed one ,” he growls. “Did you just touch my body without asking permission?”

I swallow hard. Tyrant puts me back on my feet. Towering over me, looking down with his mask on. To my surprise he reaches up and peels the mask back, up to the top of his head, then off. He holds it in his left hand.

I gasp at the sight of his face. He’s chiseled from stone. His eyes are a rich, dark-brown color but I swear I can see some green specks in there. His eyes are sexy, sure, but they are scary as fuck too. There is not a hint of remorse in his eyes. Everything he has said is true. I can tell just by looking into his eyes.

“Answer me, Sera. ”

My blood runs cold, except for the sudden rush between my legs.

“I wanted to make sure it was you,” I say. “Your nipple…”

“Right,” he says. “Well, I better make sure I’m talking to the right Serafina, correct?”

“What?”

“Lift your shirt and sports bra, claimed one . So I can feel your nipple.”

I gasp. He’s not joking. Not even remotely joking. His eyes are cold, evil, and he’s…

“That’s a fucking order,” he says. “I’m your ace . Do I need to bend you over and smack your ass until you’re ready to listen?”

“I… that’s not… there’s…”

I’m losing words. Yet I feel like I’m gaining some kind of insight here. A normally quiet voice in my head starts to echo.

He wants you, Sera. He wants to touch you. He wants your body. You have the power and control. You get to choose consent. That’s your power.

It makes sense. Oh, it really makes sense.

This alpha wants me. I turn away from him and take a step. Yes, there’s a part of me that wants to break out into a run and get away from Tyrant. But there’s another part that wants him—

A hand grabs my hair and pulls me back. I let out a scream. Tyrant’s other hand goes around my throat. He doesn’t squeeze. He’s just… there.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going, claimed one ? I gave you an order.”

He did give me an order. And now his left hand is pulling my hair while his right hand touches my throat. I’m afraid if I get any more turned on, I’ll have a wet spot on my running pants.

I can stomp on his foot, right? I can and fight and hit him in the balls and give myself a head start, right?

“Last warning,” Tyrant growls. “Do not fuck with me, Serafina. I will find the darkest punishments for you. You are now mine. Face that fucking fact. Come to terms with it. You have nobody but me. You are nothing without me. I can kill you right now and nobody would give a fuck.” He chuckles. “And you’re worried about one little nipple?”

My hips shake. I feel like I’m standing in frigid air. But there’s a heater between my legs.

Tyrant is a total fucking asshole. And yet I…

I swallow hard.

And I start to lift my shirt for him.