I watch her across the room like a lion stalking his prey, circling, caging her in. Waiting until the right moment to attack. Strategic, and perfectly planned.
Alec walks up to Rory, shaking his hand and pulling him away to show him around. Before he can, Rory leans in quickly to Valentina and whispers something in her ear, then she nods ever so slightly. Telling her he was going for drinks, if I had to guess, although she seems nervous about his exit. I can read her lips from here, even from where she stands partially tucked in the shadows. Now there’s no one around to save her.
Just like there's no one to hear her when I take what's mine.
I make my way across the room until I reach her. The first thing that hits me is the light, floral smell of her perfume. It's sweet, almost sickly, and is everything you'd expect from someone as prim and proper as Valentina Carmichael.
It is everything I want to ruin.
The perfect, unblemished, untouched virgin who thinks she’s the holy one.
Piece by piece I'll break her, until there is nothing left.
Even if it’s the last fucking thing I do.
When she realizes I'm standing in front of her, her eyes widen in surprise. She wasn't expecting me to find her, yet here I am.
I slap my hand over her mouth before she can say anything and pull her against me, then walk away from the crowd, toward the hallway. It's completely dark and one of the only spots in the house which isn't filled with people. I ignore the feel of her tight body pressed against mine, and the response my dick seems to have to her, regardless of the hatred I feel for her.
She squirms against my hold, but I tighten my arms, and half-carry her up the stairs toward my room. Once I reach the door, I use one hand to fish into my pocket and pull out the key I made sure to grab and use before I left, and push her inside, slamming the door shut behind us.
"You are a psychopath!" Her voice comes out in a screech as she backs across the room away from me. Each step she takes farther away from me, I take a step closer, until she has nowhere to run.
"Sociopath, but close enough."
“I’m done with your shit, Rhys, I mean it. I am so fucking done with this… whatever the hell you think this is. You think I ratted on you? Fine. You want to hate me for something I didn’t even do, then fine. But this…” She stomps closer until she’s in my face. “It ends here. Leave me alone! Find someone else to terrorize, because it’s not going to be me.” She pokes her finger into my chest with force, and I’m almost impressed.
I capture her hand in mine and squeeze tightly, not letting go when she winces and her eyebrows pinch together on her forehead in pain.
“It’s almost impressive you have the balls to stand up to me. Almost.” I step closer and back her farther into the room. I can’t control the feeling of pure arousal that hits me as she fights back. “But don’t fucking forget who you are. Don't forget who it is you've fucked over. That was your first mistake. Your second was thinking you were safe here for one second. This is my fucking world. My school. There is never a time where I can't find you. Who you're with. What you're doing. You underestimated the most powerful person at St. Augustine. Now, you're a toy for me to play with until I get bored. Until I no longer feel like punishing you for what you've done.” I inch closer and closer, whispering until I feel the pants from her lungs, the heaving of her chest. The tenseness of her body. "How does it feel to have someone’s attention for once? Even if it’s for all of the wrong reasons."
Her eyes well with tears, and the determination she was just so full of slips momentarily and I see my words hurt her. Good. I want to hurt her.
In more ways than she could imagine.
“Fuck you.”
“Ah, Valentina, what did I tell you about your mouth? You must want it to be fucked.”
Her eyes flit behind me and she sidesteps me, darting toward the door. Before she’s halfway there, I catch her, dragging her backward, then toss her down on the bed.
“You see, I’ve been thinking…” I trail off as she scrambles backward against the headboard of the old wooden bed. The candles cast a low, warm glow in the room. Dark enough to feel forbidden, but enough light to where I can read the fear on her features.
I'll never get tired of seeing it etched into her features.
"I've been thinking of what I could do to innocent, sweet Valentina Carmichael in which it fits the crime."
"You're not going to do anything to me, Rhys. If you thought I told before… I'll scream it to the entire school what you're doing to me."
"That a threat? You’re right, little lamb, you will scream… eventually… just not for the reason you think." I stalk closer to the bed and climb onto the plush mattress. Every inch closer toward her, she backs away, then freezes when her back hits the headboard. "Except you're not going to tell anyone anything. You're going to shut your fucking mouth, like you were supposed to do in the first place. And you know how I know?"
I reach out and wrap my fingers around the pale flesh of her ankle, and yank her toward me. She lets out a yelp and tries to sit up, but my hand finds her throat as I straddle her small hips. In this moment, with my enemy beneath me, at my mercy, I feel more power than I’ve ever felt. It’s indescribable and addictive.
My fingers tighten around her throat and her hands fly to my grip on her, trying to pry my fingers off of her. I'm not cutting off her ability to breathe. Yet.
Leaning down, I bring lips to the shell of her ear. "Remember our little… tryst in the library the other day? When I had my finger in your cunt, and you were mewling for more?"
Her eyes widen, "You're a liar. I didn't ask you to touch me, you forced me!"
"Did I?"
I laugh before dragging my nose along the smooth skin of her cheek.
"The way I see it, and the way Sebastian was recording on his phone, it looked like you were very into it, Valentina."
She stills beneath me completely. I think she stopped breathing when I said it. Her eyes are squeezed tightly shut. I wonder if she's passed out, but the tears leaking out of her eyes show she's listening to every word I'm saying.
"What's wrong, little lamb, have I scared you? Are you worried I'm going to out you to everyone at St. Augustine? Show them what’s beneath your too good exterior, how you're a little slut who wants to be fucked by someone like me? The bad boy who will dirty you up. Is that what you're scared of?"
My tongue darts out to taste the saltiness of her tears I find myself becoming addicted to every second I have her.
"You're evil," she spits, her eyes pop open to hold my gaze.
"Unlike you, I don’t have to pretend to be anything other than who I am. I’d rather be the devil himself than a snitch, or a fucking liar. You're both." I whisper against her lips, "How does it feel to be powerless, Valentina? To know no matter what, no one is going to come to your rescue. You sealed your fate the second you opened your mouth."
I slide my hand under the baggy hoodie until my fingertips slide against the soft, warm flesh of her stomach.
"I want to hurt you, I want to break you. I want to be the reason the nightmares never stop when you close your eyes." My words drip with menace, and I mean every fucking word of this promise. Hovering over her now, it takes root in me and fucking blossoms with her tears.