She knows nothing about what it truly feels like to hate someone. She couldn’t.
I know. Because that’s how I feel abouther.And to think, she’s unwittingly confirmed she hasnoidea who she’s dealing with. She has no idea what I’m capable of. I smirk to myself. Hell, I guess if I can come back from thedead,I can do anything.
I’ll take advantage of everything I’ve learned about this new, spiteful version of Lux—it’s really too bad for her that I could see it in her alluring gray eyes (and in the way her face flushes) that I have an effect on her. In direct opposition to everything she said… I believe she has a thing for me. I feel it, too, the live wire zapping to life between us every time she’s near.
I intend to find as many ways as possible to fuck with her. But the greatest part will be making her want me. I’ll twist her up. Tempt her body. Toy with her heart. And then I’llbreakher.
She won’t even be able to fucking help herself because, somehow, when she looks at me, I believe she sees the guy she was falling in love with. After everything, she still feelssomething.
That’ll be her downfall—the fact that she caught feelings. The heart is a difficult beast to tame, to control. And that’ll be how I ultimately make her pay for tearing my life apart, for destroying it.
Finally, I meet their gazes, first Kellan’s, then Maddox’s. “In or out. I need to know if I can count on you. If you’ll stand by me on this.” I hold out my fist, my hand steady.
They look at each other for a few short seconds before they nod. “In,” they say in unison, taking turns bumping fists with me.
“Good. Then there’s something you need to know.”
* * *
Later that evening,the three of us leave our suite, noting that the door to the girls’ suite remains closed. Really, it’s been sealed shut ever since Lux first set eyes on me. I wonder what she’s telling those people she hardly knows. It doesn’t matter, honestly. If and when they discover the truth about Lux, they’ll probably have a change of heart. I actually kind of feel for them, having to live with her and all.
Maddox and Kellan walk on either side of me as we cut between a couple of frat houses to get to the field where Royal Revelry is already in full swing. Dark is falling, and in response, tons of those twinkling fairy lights come to life in the trees. I wonder for a few seconds who the poor bastard was who had to string those things through the branches. Shaking my head, I glance around at the scene before us, and I’m soon distracted by the throng of students milling around, the delicious scents coming from the food trucks, the live music, and the intermittent screams from the direction of the rides. It won’t be long before they light the bonfire, and then things will get really crazy. There’s something about fire plus alcohol that produces pure chaos.
For example, last year, toward the end of the night, a bunch of seniors decided they were going out with a bang. Literally. The idiots threw fireworks into the bonfire. It’s a damn good thing they were mostly duds and simply resulted in a crazy sparkler effect in the middle of the fire.
I have to admit, it made for an interesting first Royal Revelry experience. This year, though, I have only one goal. Screwing with Lux’s head. Because fuck if she isn’t messing with mine.
“Hey, check it out. I think there are more food trucks than there were last year.” Maddox rubs his hands together. “What do you want to hit first?”Fucker is always hungry.
I shrug, keeping my eyes peeled for Lux. I want to know exactly where she is. My gaze roams back and forth through the crowd, scanning for her long blonde hair or a hint of what I’ve come to realize is the signature purple color she’s worn the last two times I’ve seen her.
For a long time, I have no luck at all. Kellan forces a burger into my hand and prompts me to eat. Probably a good idea after the whiskey. There are a ton of picnic-type tables set up around the area, so we locate an empty one and have a seat to consume the massive quantity of food they collected from various food trucks. We sit there so long Maddox gets up twice—once to bring fries back and a second time for soft pretzels.
The more time that passes with no sign of her, the more on edge I feel. She’s got to be here somewhere.Is she fucking hiding from me?I laugh internally.Idiot.You know she’s super smart.I scan the area. This place is insane, literally body to body, a wall of people. And now the bonfire is lit, and the music is loud, so they’re all dancing around like they may never get a chance to cut loose again all semester. Shrieks of delight and shouts of laughter from the rides fill the air. My brain is almost on overload from the frenetic pace of my people watching. It’s entirely possible that Lux could be here, and I’d never know it—except… I feel like I’d know it. Just like I’d known it was her on move-in day, even though I hadn’t gotten a good look. I’d felt her.
And just as I think that, she appears, like magic. She’s with her suitemates on the other side of the bonfire, and all three are shaking their asses to the beat of the music.
“Here we go.” Maddox gives a disturbed chuckle, following my gaze.
Kellan clears his throat, slapping his hands on his thighs. “What’re you gonna do?”
I bite down on my lip as I watch for glimpses of her. The way her body moves—it’s fucking mesmerizing. “You’ll see.” I shoot them a tight smile.
Maddox shakes his head. “So, you want us to run interference with the other two? Is that what you need?”
“Yeah. If it looks like it’s necessary. But try not to be fuckin’ weird about it.” I stand up, my eyes locked on her. She keeps glancing in this direction, as if she senses me, but her body language tells me she hasn’t spotted me yet. I can’t decide whether it’d be more fun to make her sweat a little or if I should let my presence be known and take my game to the next level. She’ll soon understand—I’m not fucking around.
“Weird? Us?” Kellan huffs. “Come on. We’re just a couple of normal guys.”
I roll my eyes and, with a nod of my head in her direction, I let them know my intention. Slowly, methodically, I make my way through the crowd. When I get close to the bonfire, I watch her for a while through the flickering flames, paying no mind to the students dancing around me. She throws her head back and looks up into the night sky. Then, the tempo of the music speeds up and she really gets into it, swinging her hips with wild abandon and putting her arms over her head. A wide swatch of soft-looking skin is bared. Animal instinct has lust raging through my system. Lux is undeniably gorgeous. I couldn’t tear my eyes from her even if I wanted to.
One second, I’m ogling her, and the next her eyes meet mine and widen. She stops dancing, frozen in place. Will she recover and try to ignore me? Or—?
I shove my hands in my pockets, waiting to see what she’ll do. She gets Raven and Star’s attention, pointing in my direction. And that’s when I choose to walk away. I’d rather have her on edge than make it obvious that I’m practically stalking her.
From where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like she’s convinced them to leave, but they’ve ushered her across the field to one of the rides and are now in line for the Scrambler. Lux constantly glances over her shoulder. Good. Let her wonder. Let her worry.
It doesn’t matter where she goes or what she does. I’m coming for her.
