Page 30 of Wicked Waters

Freya rose from where she’d been sprawled on the side of the sofa, her wide eyes meeting mine. They narrowed when our gazes connected, and she opened her mouth. “I’m going to comfort Roman.”

“No, you’re not,” Tristan and I both said at the same time. He glanced at me, nodding towards the door Roman had just gone through, and I returned his nod. Satisfied, he turned back to Lincoln, directing him to take a seat on the sofa while another of their team members held a makeshift ice pack to his face. Freya shot me a savage glare and went to move, but I raised my palm in a universal “stop” gesture. “Don’t even think about it,” I hissed. Before she could reply, I turned my back to her. I forgot all about the threats of my parents, about all the reasons why this was a bad idea.

Sucking in a breath and squaring my shoulders, I headed towards the door that led downstairs.

17

QUINN

Icrept down the stairs and along a long, dark passageway illuminated by low lighting. Up ahead of me, there was a soft creak, and I caught sight of a door closing at the end of the passageway. There. I moved faster, my heart pounding, a shiver going through my body. It was so oppressive down here, buried beneath layers of earth. How Elena and Knox actually enjoyed being down here, I had no idea. I would much rather be out in the open, close to the water, feeling the breeze on my face.

But this was where Roman had gone, and so I had to follow. Why I had to follow, I couldn’t even explain to myself.

I reached the wooden door, curled my fingers around the handle, and pushed it open.

It took a moment for me to adjust to the dim lighting in the room. The only illumination came from a few sconces set into the walls, throwing the rest of the room into shadow, and a heavy iron pendulum hanging from the crumbling stone ceiling in the centre, casting a soft glow over a large iron bed, with a cracked black leather sofa in front of it. Roman was on the sofa, his legs spread in a lazy sprawl, his arms outstretched and draped along the backrest.

My hands were shaking as I stepped closer, Roman silently watching me with a dark look in his eyes. When the tips of my Converse touched his Nikes, his mouth curled into a sneer, but still, he remained silent.

I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. What the fuck was I supposed to do?

He took the decision away from me, rising to his feet, causing me to take a quick step backwards to avoid our bodies colliding. Even so, I still ended up so close to him that when I inhaled, my breasts were brushing against the fabric of his black T-shirt.

His arms came out, and he spun me, yanking me back against him in an aggressive imitation of the movement Lincoln had used earlier. Unlike Lincoln, he held me tightly in place with one arm securely banded around my waist and his other hand gripping my throat. He lowered his head to my ear.

“Seems familiar, doesn’t it? Yeah, I was watching you. All fucking night,” he rasped. His lips skimmed across my lobe as he continued. “I was watching you with him.”

I swallowed around his grip. “I thought you were too busy with Freya to notice anything else.”

He laughed darkly. “Guess what, baby. I’ve tried everything tonight, and nothing has been able to erase the taste of you from my tongue.”

“You kissed her?”

There was silence, and I wondered if he was going to ignore the question. “Just her neck,” he said eventually. “You fucked me up too much. Felt like fucking cheating, even though there’s nothing between you and me.”

“I hated seeing you with her.” My words came out in a whisper, the truth dragged from me, even though I didn’t want to give him any ammunition.

“Yeah? I fucking hated seeing you with him. Look what you made me do. Link’s my friend, my fucking teammate, and I saw red when I saw he was going to kiss you.”

My hand came up, sliding into his soft hair and tugging. “I didn’t do that to you. You don’t get to blame that on me.”

“I know. But you need to understand. You can’t have anyone else. You’ve got my mark branded on your fucking skin. You’re mine.”

I didn’t bother to mention I’d showered since the boat shed, because it was true. He had branded me. Once upon a time, I’d fallen for a boy who hid his true self from the world, and I’d been his ever since. As much as we both hated it.

He slid his nose down the side of my face, nipping at my jaw right above the place his fingers were curled around my throat. His hard cock pressed into my back. “You’re fucking mine, Quinn Farrow.”

“We can’t. I thought we agreed?—”

“I don’t give a fuck what we agreed and what you think we can and can’t do. It’s clear that it isn’t working. How long did it take? A few hours before we both cracked? The fact you followed me down here speaks volumes, baby. What are you gonna be like the next time you see me with another girl? Do you want to be jealous of every fucking person who comes near me? Because I can tell you now, if another guy attempts what Link did tonight, I’ll make them regret it. And I don’t give a fuck that it could get me expelled.”

I exhaled shakily, tilting my head a little. He lowered his hand enough that he could get his mouth on my throat, sucking a mark into my skin, branding me where everyone would be able to see.

“I want you, Quinn, and I’ve decided I’m going to have you. So you’d better speak up now and tell me exactly what happened when you left and why you think you have to avoid me now. No more secrets.”

“Where do I start?” My voice cracked, and I hated it. “The lake. Th-the boat. I?—”

“Speak to Tris and Knox. They both believe that my drink was spiked—something you didn’t even let me fucking explain before.”

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