Page 11 of Heirs of Havoc

I’m almost at my dorm when a familiar snobby voice comes from behind me.

With a deep breath, I turn around to meet Eve Dubois. Her red lips twist, her braids swapped for a slick bob. It showcases her diamond earrings and a chin as sharp as her venom. Her designer bag and shoes sparkle like her nails and while she's wealthy, she's far from a gem. She’s different now that her father passed. More intense. More power-hungry. While we usually get along, I’m sure my display this morning gave her ammo.

“Listen, Eve,” I start, her army of holy henchmen behind her in matching red flats. Each with diamond-encrusted bows on the tip. I’m used to entitled snobs, but the ones here are on a whole other level. Until now, I’ve stayed off their radar and in their good graces. “It’s not what you think.”

“If you think we’re going to let another outsider come into Clementine and reign hellfire on our holy land, you’re mistaken.” She eyes McQueen’s hoodie, her almond eyes narrowing. “Get it together, Mia Marshall. Or we'll do it for you.”

“Is that a threat, Eve?” I'm cranky and my voice shows it, taught and tired. “That’s not very Christian-like.”

“Neither is distracting our university with your… bosoms.” She lifts a hand to my chest in case I don’t get it. “Nicholas doesn’t need to see to your wicked ways. Handle it." I'm so tired I stumble when Eve nudges past me, her floral perfume choking me. Her friends titter and mock me, pushing up their breasts as they pass. I’ve helped some of them with their essays or exams and hell, there goes three months of work. I was part of this community, my identity hidden behind extra-curricular activities and heavenly smiles. Not only did the twins humiliate me, but they're ruining everything I've built.

My shoulders slump as I move towards my dorm.

“You’re weak, Mia.”

His voice echoes through my head. My father’s ridicule stays a quick thought away. A jackhammer rips through my skull and, while my stomach grumbles, I'm far from hungry. If I can sleep this off, then I can get to repairing my reputation and acting like none of this happened.

“See you around M&M.”

It scares me how familiar being in a room with the twins is. How much I let them get to me. How much I let them touch me and push my body in tantalizing ways. Shaking my head, my hand comes to the stone wall of the dorm hallway, a cross hanging on the arch above me. Even thinking about that moment makes me weaker. My thighs tingle. They know how to touch me, how to play with me. How to toy with me. But I will not be part of their twisted games. I’m focusing on myself. I need a plan of action.

A heaviness hits my chest when my hand comes to the knob of my dorm room door.

Shit. My key.

“Chaya?” My head falls against the door. “Can you open the door? I don’t have my key.”

“Come in.”

My body stills.

I expected Chaya’s raspy voice to come through, but that’s not at all what I heard. This voice is deeper, a smooth rolling croak.

And it makes my chest pound.

“Chaya?” I’m not sure why I’m whispering.

“The door is open.”

No, it can’t be. I must be so tired I’m imagining things.

Pressing my ear to the door, I don’t hear the usual soulful music coming from our speakers. It sounds like strumming. A guitar.

Am I still drunk?

“Just one second!” Eve’s voice comes from down the hall. “I forgot something in my room.”

Shit.

She can't see me here again. Not like this. I won’t take another grilling from the Queen of Quarrels. Facing my door, I'm hoping I'm hallucinating but swinging it open proves I’m not.

My eyes freeze on him, the shake coming back to my legs. Everything slows as he looks up from his guitar with that angular chin. When those big golden eyes land on mine, my throat closes.

“Mia.” He plucks a chord when he says my name, and the world blurs when his lop-sided smirk spreads across his face. “Welcome home, Bunny."

Chapter Five

"Mia?"

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