Total pages in book: 187
Estimated words: 184867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 924(@200wpm)___ 739(@250wpm)___ 616(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 924(@200wpm)___ 739(@250wpm)___ 616(@300wpm)
“Whatever,” he says, shrugging it off like it’s no big deal. Then he raises his finger. “Don’t tell Ares.”
I raise my brow back.
“Promise me, Blaine,” he asks. When I don’t reply, he adds a pout. “Please.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. But if he asks, I won’t cover for you either. I’ll just pretend I know nothing and be done with it.”
“Sounds good to me,” he says, walking off, leaving the kitchen one giant trash can. “Have to go shower now to get rid of this stain in my pants. Bye.”
“Go wash your ass, you filthy bastard,” I tell him, and he actually winks at me.
God, I need a rinse too after this conversation.
I grasp an apple from the basket and lean back against the counter, throwing the apple up and down as the pink sheen reminds me of the glossy cheeks of the girl from the maze.
I wonder if she knows what she’s up against.
If she’s prepared for what’s to come.
Maybe it’s about time I paid her a visit.
Crystal
At school, I feel antsy, clutching my bag close to my shoulder as though someone might steal it from my hands. Of course, no one would. It’s a ridiculous thought, yet … What if those boys want something from me?
I mean, Ares made it very clear he wanted me scared, and then that same night, someone came to visit me and left cum on my window.
I’m not losing it. I know it was there because I touched it.
This means someone was watching me while I was playing with myself, and I can only think of three people who would do such a thing: those Tartarus boys.
I gulp and walk past the people chatting away in the hallway, blissfully unaware that a murder has taken place on campus soil and the perpetrators visit these very same classrooms.
But right before I enter my next class, the door closes in my face.
A big, flat hand rests on the door as a figure approaches from the shadows, hair as dark as the skull shirt he’s wearing, with only the jewel on his belt buckle glinting in the dark on top of his purple pants.
I twist on my heels, but he grabs my shoulders and pulls me back, cornering me in the hallway underneath the stairs where no one ever comes.
And when I look up, there he is. A glorious man, who looks almost seven feet tall, chiseled and sculpted like an angel fallen from heaven, flexing his muscles as he flicks his hair back.
“Blaine,” I mutter.
“Oh, how adorable, you already know my name,” he muses, his voice awfully chipper and … zesty. “So nice to make your acquaintance.”
He grasps my free hand and pulls it up to his face, pressing a gentle kiss on top, and I’m too shocked to even say a word.
What are you doing, Crystal?
I swiftly pull my hand back.
“What do you want?” I have trouble looking away from his gold-colored eyes.
“Can’t we have a little chat?” He leans in to casually play with my hair, twirling it around his finger like he’s petting a dainty doll. “I’m curious as to why you were at the Tartarus party and the Phantom party.”
“It’s none of your business,” I reply with a smile so I don’t anger him too.
“So direct, yet you’re still sporting a polite smile,” he muses, his eyes landing on the tips of my lips. “No wonder they’ve taken a liking to you.”
They?
I frown. “What are you talking about?”
He slowly plants his hands behind me on the wall, trapping me inside.
“Hey—”
He leans in so close I can smell his fruity cologne, and I can’t even finish my sentence. For some reason, it’s becoming harder and harder to breathe when his nostrils flare against my skin. I can hear him suck in a few breaths.
Is he … smelling me?
Within seconds, he leans back, staring straight into my eyes for a good ten seconds, and this could not get any more awkward.
What is happening?
With a single finger, he tips up my chin and inspects my face like he’s determining the value of cattle, and quite honestly, it’s making me feel weird.
What is wrong with him?
When his finger slides down my chin and neck to the bite mark visible on my shoulder, I slap him away.
“Stop it,” I say.
“Hmm … interesting.”
I tug my puffy pink shirt farther over my shoulder. “What is? Do you have something to say to me or are you just going to feel me up like Ares did?”
“Feel you up?” The tip of his mouth quirks up into a smile. “Oh no, if I was actually touching you for pleasure, you’d know.”
My cheeks flush with heat.
He did not just say that.
He grabs my shoulder and leans in again, getting a little too close for comfort. “You’re curious. I like that.”
I frown, completely confused as to what’s happening here.