Page 30 of Blood Sport

“With whom?” I play dumb, turning fully toward her. I know exactly what she’s talking about, but I don’t want to make this easy for her.

Amara rolls her eyes. “I saw you with Jaylen after the game. Are you looking to have my sloppy seconds?”

I snort, shaking my head. This bitch can’t be serious, right? Her sloppy seconds? I fold my arms over my chest, matching her stance. If she wants to play games, I can play better than her.

“Sloppy seconds? Please. From what I overheard, he wasn’t too keen on having you again, so I don’t think you’re in a position to be possessive over him, don’t you think?”

Amara’s jaw drops slightly at my words, and I bite back a snicker. Check and fucking mate.

“You need to stay away from him,” she says, her voice lowering as if to intimate me. Unfortunately for her, it doesn’t work.

I laugh, shaking my head. “You want me to stay away from Jaylen? For what reason? So you can have him to yourself? I think you’re dreaming, Amara.”

She slams her fist on the countertop, the noise echoing throughout the room. “You listen here, bitch. Jaylen is mine, so it would be in your best interest to stay away from him or else.”

I raise a brow at her. “Or what?”

“I will ruin your life,” she says through gritted teeth.

I roll my eyes. “I’d like to see you try.”

Not wanting to stick around to hear any more of her useless threats, I push off the counter and walk toward the door, making sure to collect my book off the island along the way. It’s amusing to me that Amara, someone who may have slept with Jaylen once, is trying to warn me away from him. It’s comical, really.

If I didn’t listen to my brother’s warning, then there is no way in hell I’m listening to hers.

When I reach the top of the staircase, my phone vibrates in my hand. I look down to see an unread message from Roman. I swallow hard. This nonsense has been going on for way too long now. When I was walking back to the bar last night, he texted me a fully nude photo of me in my closet that I didn’t know he had taken. My face was clear and so was every inch of my body.

All the text said was: You have one last chance or this photo will be online forever. I’m not fucking around anymore, Evie. Last chance.

Let’s just say, the text rattled me enough that now I refuse to open his recent message for fear of what I might find.

***

Amara’s warning to stay away from Jaylen is still lingering in the back of my mind as I sit in my lecture this warm Monday morning. I’m not worried that she’s going to ‘ruin my life’ as she so kindly put it. I just want to know what happened between the two of them for her to act this possessively over him that she thinks it’s okay to go around threatening anyone who might get close to him.

She’s batshit crazy.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when the professor announces the end of the lecture. Thank, God. All I’ve been able to think about for the past hour is going to Bluebird Co. to grab a bite to eat and a coffee. As I leave the building, I feel the warm, humid air on my skin, instantly making it feel clammy. I can’t wait for the weather to start getting cooler.

Slipping my sunglasses over my eyes, I make my way to the coffee shop. I notice students splayed out on the grass areas eating lunch together or enjoying some time alone while reading a book or listening to music. It’s a stunning day with not a cloud in the sky, so I understand the appeal. The campus is decorated with many trees and manicured gardens that make it appealing to sit outside instead of in the library. I might just have to do the same.

“The victim count is up to eight now,” a girl says to her friend as they pass me.

The guy standing next to her gasps, his hand on his chest. “You’re fucking kidding me. What the hell is going on in this town?”

The two of them walk in the opposite direction, taking their conversation with them. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know what they’re talking about. It’s all anyone can talk about in Pullman.

Eight victims. Eight vampires have been killed in the past few weeks by a hunter.

Who the fuck is this person? They’re clearly on a war path to take down all the vampires in Pullman. I should find it alarming that there are more vampires in Pullman than I thought, but each passing day reminds me that anything is possible in this fucking town.

As I round the corner to the street where Bluebird Co. is located, I run into something hard, forcing me backward. “What the fuck—” The words die in my throat when I see Roman’s face, his eyes staring down at me.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“Evie,” Roman drawls, shifting the backpack further up his shoulder. He’s dressed in a pair of blue denim jorts and a white T-shirt. “What a lovely surprise.”

“For you maybe,” I grumble. I’m not the least bit thrilled to see this motherfucker, once again. Are his threatening messages not enough that now he has to show me his face to remind me that he is still lurking in the dark corners of my life? “I’m getting really tired of having to constantly ask what the hell is it that you want.”

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