HaelA sickening emotion encompassed me, one that bordered on painful even though I had no physical injury. It left me feeling vulnerable and exposed, two things I swore I’d never feel again. Like a wounded beast, I lashed out.“That’s cute. You think someone like him could be friends with someone like you?” I said coldly.There was a faint rush of satisfaction as her glare wavered, but Violet was also skilled at hiding her emotions, because all too easily her expression shifted into one of disinterest.“I didn’t know you were capable of thinking something was cute.” She drawled, padding around in the lake like I hadn’t ordered her out of it. “Doesn’t that require…oh, I don’t know, a soul?”I cracked my neck, hissing out the strongest pieces of my anger through clenched teeth before responding. Never have I been this out of control.“So help me—”“So help you what, Hael?” She interrupted, shouting from across the lake, her tone taunting. “You’ll kill me and chop me up into little piec
HaelI blinked and the garage was back, the girl in front of me no longer a child but a woman. Her hair longer, lips fuller, and eyes just as round.There was a rapid thudding sensation beneath my fingers, like the ticking of a clock whose timer needed calibrating.“Hael.”She whispered my name and the thudding beneath my fingers skipped a beat.The world settled back into focus, the spots leaving my eyes until I could see clearly the situation I’d put us in.She was pushed against the side of the Ferrari, her throat nestled within the confines of my hand, her body pressed against mine so tightly that I could feel the impression of her nipples against my sternum. Her eyes were burning—burning with both hatred and fear.This was the second time I found myself with my hand around her throat, only this time around I wasn’t squeezing, wasn’t attempting to drain her of the very life I coveted. No, I was only holding her in place, pinning her against the car as I clenched my eyes shut and t
Hael “What exactly is it that you’re doing?” Violet never seemed to react the way I expected. Hearing my voice, she let out a low string of curses, then threw her head back and groaned loudly. People were predictable, even more so once you learned their habits and motivations, but not Violet. Despite how much I thought I knew her; she’d already managed to surprise me more than once. Violet was an enigma, one I initially hadn’t cared to find out, but what kind of predator didn’t do its research on its prey? “You made me lose count.” She muttered. “I’ll have to start all over again.” Flustered, she flung her mane of curls over her shoulder. The strap of the silk nightgown she wore slid down her arm, flashing but an inch of the curve of her breast. I peeled my eyes off of the patch of milky skin and stared at the back of her head. “Start over?” I questioned; my tone indifferent even though I was intrigued with what she was doing. Really, she could’ve made this much faster by elab
HaelAs I ruefully anticipated, forcing Violet from Holden’s party hadn’t gone unnoticed. Early that morning, just a few hours after catching her little ritual with the door locks, I received a mind-link from my father.‘Hael, my office. Now.’Short and to the point.I didn’t bother getting dressed, not when it would be fastest to run on four legs. First, I called Cole and let him know he’d be taking Violet to school today since I’d be unavailable. I’d have to suffer through taking her home at the end of the day, but with my mother returning this afternoon, Violet would have full use of her driver for the rest of the week.The run from my mother’s estate to my father’s never seemed to be long enough to quell the murderous urges that arose whenever his voice slithered into my head. With each morning, the humidity in the air thinned, vanishing faster as winter’s first frosty notes were sung into the air.There had never been feelings of fondness between my father and I, only a sense of
VioletI stayed up half the night thinking about what happened between Hael and me.Both the kiss, which was mind-blowing in the absolute worst of ways, and the door incident were still fresh on my mind when the sun rose, and a light knock disturbed what little sleep I’d managed. Luckily, I was more than used to running on fumes. I had plenty of practice with working on little sleep when I started at Jeb’s.This wasn’t the first time I’d dealt with a bully, but never had I met one that actually wanted to kill me. Not only that, but my body was indescribably attracted to him, and it was that attraction that dulled the warning bells in my head that should’ve been going off full force.In the midst of the storm raging in my head, I was firmly lodged somewhere between numb and downright angry.Instantly, I knew it wasn’t Hael at my bedroom door. There was no way he’d knock that gently. No, Hael would punish the expensive wood with his meaty fist and use that venomous voice of his to deman
VioletWhen Cole pulled into the drop-off area, I practically threw myself from the car. Shouting a hasty ‘see ya’ over my shoulder, I charged down the floral lined path and towards the front doors which were propped open for this morning’s rush of students.I could hear Cole shout something, but his voice was swallowed by the thrum of chattering students, many of which were talking about me since they’d seen me exit his car. After thwarting Roselle’s line of questions and leaving her to conjure up whatever scenario she wanted, I met with Olive before our first class.We crept around the halls, undoubtedly avoiding Blaze, as we whispered about what went down last night. Olive had heard from many others that I was spotted being dragged out of the party by none other than Hael. As it happens with rumors, there were varying accounts of what people say they saw.“Did he really drag you out by your hair?” Olive hissed quietly, narrowing her eyes, and snarling at a group of girls who slowed
VioletThe moment I stepped into the Dining Hall, I ignored the mouthwatering scent of pasta, garlic, and pesto, and scoured the room for Olive.After ten minutes, I was forced to wait in line and get some food. I sat at our table, my leg bouncing and foot tapping from the sense of nervousness unfurling in my stomach. Another ten minutes passed, and I knew she wasn’t going to show. I’d been picking haphazardly at my food, no longer having an appetite, when I spotted Holden’s warm smile and sparkling eyes.Holden was wearing a stark white polo with the school’s crest embroidered on the front, along with a pair of dark slacks. The slim fitting t-shirt clung to his athletic form, highlighting his narrow waist and muscular arms.He placed his tray on the table beside mine. “Hey, Violet! Just the she-wolf I was looking for. Mind if I sit with you? No worries, it’ll take more than some stern words to scare me off.”“Sure, I don’t mind.” I replied, a bit breathless over the fact that he was
VioletIt was Hael that had grabbed me, snatching me mid-run as though I were the same weight as a football, but there was something off about him.There was pure murder glittering in his charcoal eyes. That I could spot from a mile away, but that wasn’t all I noticed. Like an ebony fire whose flames thrashed and danced to a thunderous beat, there was a dark glow deep within their furthest reaches. When paired with the heavy breaths that left his lips and the way his chest moved rapidly, I could’ve sworn—No, I had to be imaging things. Just like I imagined that moment at Holden’s party, when Hael threw me over his shoulder and carried me from the water. I had unintentionally kicked him in the balls, and in doing so thought I felt his groin stiffen and twitch. It couldn’t be, though. I had already convinced myself of that last night after lingering on the thought for far too long. With how much Hael hated me, there was no way he could actually want me in that way. It was my mind, fil