“I’d like to know,” she purrs, her grip tightening just enough to tempt violence.
I lean in, mouth grazing her ear. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”
In one motion, I twist her arm behind her back and slam her against the hallway wall. Her breath catches, a groan vibrating through her ribs.
“You play games like a Devil,” I whisper, “but we both know you’re just a pawn.”
Her head tips back into my shoulder, voice low. “Then use me.”
I press her tighter, watching her writhe.
But I don’t drag her down the hall.
I don’t unbuckle.
Because I don’t need to. Not right now.
Sex with Cressida? It’s a transaction. It’s control. A leash I tug when I need leverage or silence.
She’s nothing like Athens.
Athens is a locked vault I’ve been picking with bloodied hands. Everything about her is wrong, her laugh, her warmth, the way she looks at me like I’m someone worth trusting.
She shouldn’t.
I’m not here to love her.
I’m here to destroy everything she’s wrapped herself in.
“Stay out of my way,” I growl, shoving Cressida off me. “Or next time I won’t be gentle.”
She adjusts herself, lips swollen, eyes narrow. “You’re already not gentle, Crew. Just remember who knows what skeletons are in your closet.”
“Mine are buried deeper than yours,” I snap, walking away without another look.
Let her stew in her bitterness. Let her think she’s still relevant.
She’s not.
Not to me.
My phone vibrates in my pocket.
When I see the name flash across the screen, a chill slices through me. It’s not fear. It’s command.
The Elder.
I slide my thumb over the answer icon and raise it to my ear. “I’m in,” I say without preamble.
There’s a pause. Then his voice, low and lethal. “Good. Keep playing the fool. Get her alone. We’re almost there.”
I hang up.
And as I look back toward the classroom door, I imagine her face, soft, trusting, hers.
Soon, little darling.
Soon you’ll understand exactly what blood betrayal tastes like.
