Page 81 of Depraved Desires

“I’ll be back,” she assured me.

Myles would beat my ass to an inch of my life if she vanished under my watch. Hell, Foster and Hunter would probably even help him. I’ve seen the way they both looked at her.

“You know I can’t let you leave.”

“Collin—”

I shook my head, showing her that my decision was final. The last thing I wanted to do was control her, especially after everything we’ve put her through already, but it wasn’t worth the risk. Guilt still sat heavily in my chest, and I’d make up for it eventually. Somehow.

She dropped her hand from around my face and crossed her arms angrily over her chest. After a few moments, the wheels started turning in her head as she plotted other ways to get what she wanted. I’ve grown accustomed to that look. The way her face hardened, right before softening as an idea popped up in her brain. She glanced over at me again with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Come with me then.”

I reeled back, surprised that she’d even suggest it. I’m sure Myles wouldn’t care if she wore something to the cafeteria. He was possessive over her and didn’t want anyone seeing what belonged to him beneath her clothes.

“Where?” I asked skeptically, knowing that her clothes had been cleaned out of her room.

She bit her lower lip nervously as if she was afraid to say anything. This only set me on edge, though, and made me more determined to know. “If I tell you…you have to promise not to tell the guys.” She grabbed my hand in hers, clutching it tightly.“I mean it, Collin. This is important to me. If you don’t keep my secret, I’ll never forgive you. For anything.”

No pressure or anything.

What could be so bad that she was afraid of the guys knowing? Has she been staying on campus this entire time? My mind started spinning as the questions came one after another. Was I willing to keep this secret for her? The hopeful glint in her eyes made my chest tighten. She was trusting me. Willing to confide in me. Maybe this was the first step in getting her to forgive me.

Blowing out a breath, I nodded. “I won’t tell them.”

A relieved smile graced her lips. “Thank you. Seriously.” She squeezed my hand before dropping it completely and climbed out of bed.

I watched as her ass jiggled with every step she took, making my cock strain painfully against the fabric of my sweats. She stopped once she reached my dresser and pulled out one of my T-shirts, slipping it on over her head before grabbing some of my sweats. She was right. They hung loosely around her hips even after she tied them multiple times.

“Are you coming?” she asked, turning to look at me.

I shuffled out of bed, my ribs aching with the movement. At least it wasn’t excruciating anymore. I strolled over to my closet, grabbing two hoodies and tossed one at her before slipping on my shoes. She tugged the green hoodie I’d given her over her head, and I did the same with my black one.

“Let’s go,” I said, opening the door for her.

Aspen didn’t hesitate, slipping out into the hall with me right behind her. It felt weird walking down the hallway like this with her after everything. The first encounter I had with her was in this very area. Raven had been by her side. Guilt started eating away at me again, making me hate myself for what happened toher. I’d never been big on murder and knowing that Aspen was still torn up about it just twisted my insides.

As we neared her old dorm room, Aspen’s footsteps slowed. Her gaze darted to the door, and I watched closely, noting her reaction. Her breathing picked up and pain slithered across her face.

Hesitantly, I reached forward, grabbing her hand in mine. To my surprise, she didn’t pull away. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, tugging her against my chest.

She tensed for only a moment before her arms snaked around my waist. “Myles isn’t,” she replied in a low voice. “He said he wanted to do it. Basically implied that he liked it.” I clenched my teeth.

“Myles is a psychopath,” I told her. “He likes killing people in general. That’s what he meant when he told you that.” It was the truth. There was no bad blood between Myles and Raven. He was always looking for a reason to kill someone. When he received the go-ahead on Raven, he didn’t hesitate. Blood fascinated him like nothing else. The only time I’ve ever seen him hesitate on killing anyone was with Aspen, and she survived because of it.

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” She laughed softly.

“I know.” I pulled away from her. Her eyes were glazed over with unshed tears. The sight of her in so much pain was like a knife to my chest. It took a long time for me to come to terms with how Myles was. His head worked differently than a normal person’s. To him, life was meaningless. Everyone died eventually, so he liked to speed things along and got off on it as he did.

She rubbed her eyes, wiping the remnants of her pain away before we started walking again. I expected her to lead me to another dorm room, but instead, she led me outside. Good thing I came prepared with the hoodies then.

We walked in silence, the cool wind licking at our skin and blowing Aspen’s hair around. Strands of purple slapped me in the face, but it went unnoticed by her. Her gaze remained focused ahead, ignoring everything around her.

As we approached an apartment complex, my eyebrows furrowed. This was where the teachers lived. I glanced at her curiously, ready to ask her if we were in the right place, when she grabbed my hand and pulled me forward to a door. She didn’t even knock, opting to step inside of her own free will as if she lived here. It was well after school hours now, so the owner of this place had to be here.

I looked around the living room. A decent sized couch sat against the furthest wall with a coffee table placed in front of it. To my right was an island with barstools seated on the outside. Around the island was a small kitchen with a dining room set up connected.

Footsteps sounded against the hardwood, making my pulse thunder in my ears. Aspen shot me a reassuring smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

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