Page 27 of Depraved Desires

Slipping into the room, I closed the door gently behind me, a gasp fluttering past my lips when they locked with Collin’s. He wasn’t in as bad shape as I’d expected. His face had some bruising and swelling, and he was hooked up to some fluids. The bed he laid in was slightly elevated, and in his lap was his phone and a fruit cup.

He squinted, trying to get a better look at me and then as expected, his face paled. Immediately, he jumped into action, placing his fruit cup on the table beside him and reaching for the call light. My legs moved toward him before my mind could catch up and I was jerking the device out of his hold, and hiding it behind the bed, out of reach.

“H-how?” he whispered, slouching into the mattress defeatedly.

A sneer curled my upper lip as I leaned down, our faces inches apart. “I’m not that easy to kill.” My body trembled as rage and pain laced through my veins, fighting for dominance.

A white patch was taped against his nose and the corner of his forehead, bruising surrounding the injuries. The helpless look in his light brown eyes had my stomach twisting withunease. I should have felt empowered having him at my mercy like this. But truth be told, he wasn’t the one I desperately wanted to hurt. Yes, Collin played a part in what happened to me, and I was angry about that, but the full brunt of my rage wasn’t for him.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, a coat of water coating his eyes as he stared back at me. Shifting on the bed, a grimace captured his features, and he clutched his abdomen.

“Your apology doesn’t mean shit to me,” I snapped back. “I almost died because of you and your friends. Not a single one of you stepped forward to try and stop it.” My blood bubbled with rage once again. Before this moment, I had so many things I wanted to say. Now, I couldn’t think of a single one.

He nodded understandingly, a look of shame crossing his face. “I know,” he whispered. “But you’realive.” Disbelief crawled across his face along with another mixture of emotions before finally settling on confusion. “Why are you here? Why didn’t you just leave town?”

Sighing, I plopped down into a seat beside his bed, remembering that I had a game to play.Make him fall in love with you. Like that was an easy fucking task.

“Because I need the academy. It’s my only chance.”And because I want you all to beg for mercy at my feet while I determine your fate.Sinking my teeth into the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from grinning like a malicious fool, I dropped my head as a show of false vulnerability. The only way to this fuckwit’s heart would be through pure manipulation. Collin might not have been my main target, but he wasn’t off the hook. I still hated him with every fiber of my being.

“You look good,” he continued. “Different.”

I internally rolled my eyes and then leveled him with a glare. If he thought that for one second, a few nice words would make me forget his part in all of this, he was sorely mistaken.

That’s it. Fuck us, baby.

Everything between us was planned. The flirting, saving you, fucking you…I’m no prince charming. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to get what I want. Now that I have, you mean nothing.

Clenching my eyes closed, I forced those memories to the back of my mind. I’d been so pathetic. I wouldn’t make the same mistakes. This time, I was the ringmaster, and Collin was officially my bitch.

“Aspen,” he said, slicing through my thoughts. Hearing my name on his lips again felt foreign, but I couldn’t deny the increase of my heart rate as the words left his mouth. I guess some things never changed.

Schooling my features, I brought my gaze to his. “What?” I bit out icily.

“If I could go back in time and change it, I would. I promise you, Iwould.” I tried detecting the lie, but he actually looked sincere. Then again, these boys were masterminds when it came to manipulation and betrayal.

“Well, you can’t.” Standing, I peered down at him. “I’ll be seeing you around.” And without another word, I walked out of the room.

The next few days were uneventful. My mind was still reeling from my encounter with Collin, and I still hadn’t heard from Rocky at all. He wouldn’t even text me back. Maybe he’d given up on helping me or something. As much as that thought stung, I didn’t need him anyways.

Striding into the kitchen, I fixed myself a cup of coffee, using Caroline’s overpriced Keurig. I dropped a spoonful of sugar into the hot beverage, followed by some French-vanilla creamer. Leaning against the counter, I took my first sip. The liquid instantly warmed my throat, leaving a refreshed feeling in its wake.

Collin was still my first target, but seeing as how what would be needed to accomplish harming him would take some time, I needed to move along. If Rocky wasn’t going to help me, then I needed to do it myself. And I had the perfect plan. As soon as I rested the next couple days, because seeing Collin was emotionally draining, that’s when I would strike.

It was Friday afternoon, and Monroe would be coming home any minute now. The house has been deathly silent, so I assumed Caroline was either passed out in her room, or out with her sister. I couldn’t keep living here. The gesture was nice, but it was causing unnecessary strain on Monroe’s marriage, and I didn’t want to cause any more problems. Maybe I was finally growing up—somewhat.

Sighing, I moved into the living room and sank down onto the couch. Taking another drink, I placed the beverage on the coffee table and pulled out the phone I’d been gifted over the weekend.

I didn’t know who I intended on calling. Considering Rocky hasn’t replied to any of my texts since we last saw each other, it was safe to assume that he didn’t want to talk to me. So instead, I hit Monroe’s contact and then slid my finger over the ‘call’ button.

He picked up almost instantly, the sound of wind in the background. “Aspen?” he questioned quickly. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I was just wondering if you could give me a ride when you get here. If you’re too tired from work?—”

“I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” he answered without hesitation, bringing my sentence to a halt. “I’m pulling into the driveway now. Are you dressed appropriately?”

I snorted at that. He was always worried about the weirdest things, but I suppose it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was dressed in a pair of gray leggings and a black crop top with no bra. It would have to do though, since messing up my tattoos wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.

“Yeah. Let me just grab a jacket and I’ll be out.” Hanging up the phone, I headed straight for my room.

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