“I see you caught a dead fish,” Charlie said, his tone chilling the air.
“Oh, I don’t know about dead,” Tray mused, his grip tightening. “Feels pretty lively to me.”
“Let me go,” I demanded, my fingers clutching his upper arms.
“Nah, I like you right where you are, Isabella.”
“Isabella?” I repeated. “No one calls—” I choked on a mouthful of water as he harshly jerked me under the surface, his palms cement blocks against my sides.
Male chuckles reverberated above, the sound distant to my ears. I clawed at Tray’s stomach, demanding my release, but the jackass didn’t even budge.
My legs scissored, creating a whirlpool beneath us as I fought for leverage.
Nothing.
Fuck!
My lungs began to burn, my energy expelled from trying to fight the brick wall that was Trayton Nacht.
I grabbed his swim trunks and tried to yank them down as a last resort.
The tie held.
He couldn’t just drown me. But something about the way he held me had me second-guessing that assessment.
My limbs began to tingle.
My need to breathe taking over in a convulsion that had me opening my mouth.
And sweet air suddenly hit me in the face, causing me to gasp in agony.
Dash and Charlie were laughing hysterically.
But Tray’s eyes were on mine, an intensity in them that had me blinking rapidly and sputtering liquid from my mouth. “Let’s see you finish that lap now,” he taunted, harshly shoving me away from him.
I didn’t think, my arms and legs already moving as I fought the ache building inside my chest. A tidal wave rode my tail, the trio having taken off after me like some sort of screwed-up chase.
I dove under the lane lines, searching for the side of the pool, and forced myself out of the water before they could catch me. Every part of me trembled, from my head to my toes, the vivid sensation of drowning haunting each fresh inhale.
Tray reached the side first, but rather than jump up after me, he placed his arms on the edge and looked me over. Charlie and Dash weren’t as casual, their anger palpable.
“What the fuck was that, man?” Charlie demanded.
Tray’s lips curled briefly, and he winked at me before his features fell behind a cool mask. “What the fuck was what?” he asked, glancing at my tormentors. “The mouse got away. We’ll chase her again soon.”
“Because you used my torso as a fucking springboard,” Charlie snapped, pulling himself out of the water.
And sure enough, he had a red mark forming on his abdomen.
That’s interesting. I was almost jealous.
“My bad, man,” Tray said, releasing the wall. “I was eager to play with my new toy.”
My stomach churned. I am not a fucking toy.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready to swim some laps. We’ll catch up after.” He released the wall and floated off on his back. After a few flutter kicks, he turned onto his stomach and took off toward the other end with long, strong strokes.
No wonder he’d caught me.
The dude was a freaking fish.
“This isn’t over, Cindersoot,” Charlie hissed, drawing my attention back to him.
“It never is,” I muttered, forcing myself to stand on shaky legs. “But I’ve had enough for today.”
With that weak retort, I headed to the one place they couldn’t follow me—the girls’ locker room.
Chapter Four
Tray
My blood boiled, magic flaring at my fingertips. It took physical restraint not to lash out at Charlie and his buddy Dash. Drowning them would have been too easy.
Also, I couldn’t. They deserved to suffer for their crimes against Isabella. And she needed to be the one to make them pay for their years of torment.
However, the two females leaning up against my car now would serve as the grand finale.
Ryan and Carmen Cinder, the queen bees of Darlington Academy.
Short skirts, loosely buttoned blouses, and lips painted a shade of fuck-me red. They were the definition of trying too hard. Very unlike their gorgeous stepsister, who didn’t need a smear of makeup to enhance her naturally beautiful features.
I hit the button to unlock my car, opened the passenger door, and tossed my bag inside. Ryan and Carmen remained against the driver’s side, their matching brown eyes glimmering as I approached.
“Ladies,” I greeted, forcing a smile. “Are you looking for a ride?” I’d prefer to drive them straight to hell, where they belonged, but that wasn’t part of the game. If Isabella chose to send these bitches to a cruel fate, then so be it. For now, however, I had to play my part.
“We hear you’re interested in our stepsister,” Carmen said, her finger twirling a platinum blonde strand.
“Yeah?” I propped my hip against my car and slowly checked her out.
Plump breasts, tiny waist, long legs.
I could see the appeal to the human male population, but beneath her porcelain skin lived a witch with evil claws.
“Who’s your stepsister?” I asked, pretending I didn’t know anything about the infamous Cinder sisters. “Does she look anything like you?” That would be a straight no. Isabella’s hair was a natural blonde shade, her body slender and lean but curved in all the right places, and she had a face I could study forever without growing bored.
It was why Dash and Charlie were obsessed with her. Oh, they used her sisters’ penchant for bullying Isabella as an excuse for their actions, but both men wanted to fuck her. I could see it in their eyes today when she stepped onto the deck in that formfitting swimsuit. They bullied her because it gave them a reason to touch her.
Hence, my interference.
Which hadn’t won me many points, but hell if I was going to sit there and watch them torment her.
Carmen giggled while Ryan laughed, drawing me back to this stupid exercise.
“Me? Look like Isabella?” Carmen sounded offended, which caused my lips to twitch. Because yeah, there was definitely no resemblance between the two. And Ryan wasn’t any better with her fake nose and bleached white teeth.
Both these chicks were like an advertisement for airbrushing gone wrong.
“Trust me, only rodents resemble our wretched stepsister,” Ryan put in, stepping toward me and running a blood-red nail down my chest. “But we’re curious why you’re interested in her.”
“Yes, rumor has it you had some fun with her in the pool,” Carmen added, also invading my personal space to grasp my arm.
Very forward.
Confident.
And clearly in the mood for control.
But these two had no idea whom they were propositioning.
I grabbed Ryan’s hip and yanked her closer, loving the way she gasped at my abruptness. Try to manipulate me, I thought. I dare you.
“My interest is my business,” I told her instead, catching her gaze and holding it. “But you’ve piqued mine, sweetheart. Shall I have some fun with you instead?”
Because lighting you on fire would be incredibly entertaining, I added, amused with the image that stirred in my head.
Her palm flattened against my chest, her body pressing into mine in a practiced way that bespoke of sexual experience.