Page 89 of Deviant

“She was kind to everyone. Look what good it did to her.”

“Illness doesn’t discriminate. It can happen to the good and bad,” I try to console. “I know it’s hard to hear, but she’s in a better place now.”

“The fuck would you know about it?” Elias turns to face me head-on, his melancholy giving way to annoyance.

“I know that she was suffering. I know that every day was a struggle for her. It should bring you some kind of comfort that she no longer has to suffer like that.”

“God, you are so fucking full of opinions, aren’t you?” he grumbles, irritated, while running his fingers through his lush, raven hair.

“No, not entirely. Though I’m starting to think that no matter what I say, I’ll end up annoying you.”

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! We’ve got ourselves a winner. Tell her what she’s won, Johnny.” Elias says sarcastically as if this is some kind of game show to him, his tone thick with malice.

“You don’t have to be an asshole about it. I was just trying to be nice.”

“Argh! God!” he exclaims in exasperation, throwing his arms in the air. “Don’t you get tired of it? Always having to pretend to be the nice one? The sweet one?”

“I’m not pretending,” I quip back, offended.

“The fuck you aren’t. See, you can fool all of Blackwater Falls, but I know you, Rowen. The real Rowen. And she is anything but nice.”

I swallow dryly as he takes a step toward me, and I retort, “I am nice. So nice that I forgot what an asshole you were and tried to comfort you on the worst day of your life.”

“The worst day? This coming from the girl who actually had a hand in giving me one of the worst days of my life.”

My eyes widen at his insinuation.

He knows.

I always assumed his hate stemmed from believing I somehow had something to do with Nora’s death, but Elias has never once been so explicit about his suspicions of me.

Taking another step in my direction while I take two back, he says, “You look nervous, Roe. Why the sudden change?”

“I’m not nervous. And don’t call me that.” He smirks as he takes another step forward, while I take another back.

“Aww, don’t you want to console me anymore? Wasn’t that what you were trying to do?”

“Some people don’t deserve commiseration, so why try?”

He steps forward, and I step back.

“You’re right. All some of us deserve is pain.”

As the words slip from his lips, I stumble on a rock and fall to the ground. I quickly try to pull myself up, going on my hands and knees, but Elias halts my movements by grabbing my chin. He grips me with strength, forcing me to look into his eyes to proclaim, “Hmm. Now, this is a view I could live with. You look good on your knees, Roe.” My heart starts pounding in my chest like a freight train as he eats the small distance between us, positioning my face mere inches away from his crotch. “Too bad you haven’t earned the right to see my dick yet, much less suck it.” He then chucks my face away from his grip, leaving me in the middle of the cemetery, confused, terrified, and to my shame—oddly aroused.

Chapter 17

Elias

Having a bunch of strangers for my mother’s wake, all holed up at my house, is fucking suffocating the air out of my lungs.

I want them gone, every last one of them. However, I have to play nice because that’s what my mother would have wanted.

She died two days ago, and it already feels like I’ve suffered an eternity without her.

Worst of all, I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.

Alice was watching over her that day since Aidan was off doing the mayor’s daughter again. After receiving an urgent text to come home, I rode my bike like the wind, only to find my mom unresponsive when I arrived.

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