Page 40 of Dirty Little Saint

I want to touch her and hold her in my arms, but I still need my own space. I need to distance myself from this obsession. If I start, I won’t want to stop. “Let’s get you back to the Nest. I’m sure Libra is burning a hole in the floor waiting for you.”

She smiles and nods, but I can see the disappointment in her eyes. “Yeah, I need a break from you guys, anyway,” she teases.

Riot’s eyes darken. “I don’t like you staying there without us, Maur. We should all be together.”

Atlas nods in agreement. “Come stay with us, pretty girl.”

Fuck.

Three weeks in the cabin was fucking ecstasy. It was a fantasy. And it was fucking torture. I can’t even remember if I ate food or slept much. If she moves in with us… there will be no stopping my heart from completely attaching itself to hers. I’ll be her monster, enslaved to her without logic or reason.

To my relief, she stands her ground. “Nope. I’m trying to be a normal college student, remember? Besides, Libra will light me on fire if I leave her alone all semester. Your cousin is very persuasive, Atlas.”

“You mean bossy.” They both laugh as I drive up to her dormitories.

She tosses her hair up into a high ponytail, and my cock twitches as I catch a glimpse of the sigil on her neck. The Erebus sigil. Mine.

“Remember, tomorrow night; party at Nocturnus House. I’ll pick you up.” Riot kisses her hard on the lips. I want to finger her while she kisses him. Fucking hell. I shift in my seat, my cock swelling.

Atlas grabs her chin and shoves his tongue in her mouth. I watch as her cheeks flush and her nipples pebble through her white tank top. “Mmm, you taste like the sweetest sin.”

To my surprise she doesn’t wait for me to kiss her as well. Instead, she hops out and closes the door behind her. As much as I want some space, the thought of not kissing her goodbye irritates me. It’s fucking startling.

She leans back in, draping her body through the window frame. “See you later, Frankenstein.”

This fucking girl.

“Sweet dreams, Mary Shelley.”

She blows me a kiss, and I can’t help but grin as she struts away.

Maureen

My dorm is eerily quiet when the elevator doors slide open. Everything is just as I left it—clothes strewn about the living room, mine and Libra’s, a half-drunk bottle of whiskey on the coffee table, and a pile of blankets on the floor from the slumber party that we had with Villette the night before I left.

I sigh as I roll my luggage in. It wasn’t ever my intention to have such a lavish dorm room. Ever since I came to Tenebrose, it’s been one thing after another, painting targets on my back. From my last name to becoming the object of Riot, Atlas, and Valentin’s obsession, to the murder of Zeke, and now… now I have ancient sigils carved into my body, visible for all the haters to see.

If there was any doubt before that Nocturnus had claimed me, that will soon be removed. No matter what I do, I will never be a normal student here at Tenebrose. With my family lineage, maybe I’m not ever meant to be.

The click of my heels echoes as I walk down the hall to Libra’s room. I hesitate before knocking on the door. If she’s sleeping and I wake her up, she’ll throw a massive temper tantrum. But if I don’t announce that I’m back, she’ll be even more pissed. Ugh.

“Lib? You in there?” I knock softly, hoping to ease her out of her slumber. That girl loves her glow-up rest as she calls it.

No answer.

I knock again, louder this time. “Libra, I’m back. The clock is ticking to get out here and remind me of how basic I am.” I chuckle to myself.

While she and I started out as bitchy rivals, we learned to tolerate each other fast and then eventually even grew to like each other. We come from the same world, but my life deviated away from it when I was born. While she has always been aware of our families’ crazy, I just got a crash course in it a few months ago after arriving here.

Still no answer.

I turn the knob and crack the door open just to peek. I scan the room, half-expecting her to lob a pillow at me, but there’s no sign of her. Guaranteed she’s out having mimosas or bloody marys.

It’s just as well. Now, I have some peace and quiet while I unpack and try to figure out my class schedule for the new semester.

After hanging up all my clothes and taking a quick shower, I sit down on the edge of my bed, pull out my phone, and log into my student email account. I have Professor Erebus again. Great. I think Val’s uncle hates me more than his father at this point.

I also have Professor Harker again, along with Miss Tempest for costume design, Professor Visha for Botany, and a new name I haven’t seen before—Professor Crane. I wonder if he’s any relation to Villette… This school is steeped in family lore and history.

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