Page 25 of Paper Thin Love

She’s…the best kisser I’ve ever had because she wanted nothing from me, not my money or name. She tasted like confusion, and I, being chaos, craved the disorder. We clashed and became something that sparked my frayed mind.

I couldn’t stop, so I didn’t. I gave in, allowing us both a moment of freedom before the games began.

“The most skilled hunter is someone who is on the verge of death themselves. In the end, we’re all desperate to live. It just boils down to who wants it more.” There’s a twinkle in her eye, not of light but something gray and foggy. An understanding. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip.“How bad do you want to live, Mila?”

Her delicate throat bobs as she forces a swallow down.“How can I trust you?”

A smirk tugs at my lips as I say,“You can’t, but you can trust this. My last name is King, but I’m not my father. Not yet.” I grab my crutch tighter.“I’m just as trapped as you, Mila. However, one day, I won’t be.” I look down at her, challenging her with my eyes.

What is your deep, dark desire, little ballerina? Do you want freedom or something else?

I guess I’ll find out when she comes to collect.

She glances at her watch.“I have practice at three. Do you want me to show you around the school?”

“You’ll learn soon enough that everything my family does is a trick, Mila. So sure, act like you’re giving me a tour, but when you talk to me, I need you to start telling me all the gossip. I need to know who is going to try to cut my throat first.”

“They aren’t brave enough to do that. They know who your father is; attacking you head-on would anger him. They will try to stab you in the back first; that would shock your father more. Shocked men are easier to dismantle than furious ones. And not everyone will try to kill you, Dash. You’re just a stepping stool to your father. Some will try to use you if only to reach him. I’d be more worried about those predators than the kind with teeth.”

Fucking hell. She’s perfect.

Slowly, I grin. I made the right choice, or rather, my father did. Mila is the eyes and ears here. She’s also wise enough to pretend she isn’t.

Those wide hazel eyes peer back at me.“Do you, um, want to change?”

I stare down at the cut-up scrubs I have on.“No.”

“It looks like you went through a paper shredder. Your pants are missing half a pant leg. You’re wearing scrubs.” She comments.

Yeah, it was the only way the nurse could get scrubs over the cast, so she had to cut off half the pant leg.

I tilt my head,“Yeah, it does, but you know what, Mila? It looks like I survived. A King is hard to kill.” I hit the door with my crutch.“Let’s get this tour started. I have a lot to learn.”

***

Oh, she’s good, and when she smiles and those two little dimples appear, everyone believes her. Fuck, I could gobble her right up.

As soon as we walked out that door, she smirked, fake as fuck, and every single person ate it up. They swallowed without tasting her hiddenundertonesthat she was miserable.

No, she’s beyond sad, she’s numb.

Mila’s performing like the perfect straight-A student who loves her school and is excited about getting the opportunity to show the new student around. From a distance, it looks like this is just a random tour. The facts I’ve learned beg to differ. Silverstone is like my other school, just unfiltered. Since the students live here, the waters are more murky. We’re all a huge fucked-up family.

“There are two dorm buildings. Boys are in the North; girls are in the South. You’ll find those rules are not enforced by the school, and the only parents who care about virtue, enforce separate sleep arrangements with the help of full-time body guards. And that usually only pertains to the girls. The boys are free to sleep around,” she bitterly adds.

“Does that bother you?” Does she sleep around? Why does that thought disgust me?It makes me want to brush my teeth, to strip her bare and clean her before I touch her again. I never said I wasn't possessive. I like my toys to be mine and mine alone.

Kings don't share well.

She stops walking and looks up at me. She’s so short she has to tip her head all the way back as if I’m a deity she is calling out from the heavens. Shit, she really is pretty if you’re into that untouched girl-next-door vibe. She’s a trick because she is far from the girl next door. We’re all deceivers here.

“It should bother you.” She reaches up and smooths out her tight hair bun as if trying to remain calm. She demanded that she fix her hair, styling it back in that high, painful ballerina’s bun before we left the school office.

So it does bother her. Why doesn’t she just take it? Sleep with whom she wants? Unlike other kids here, she has no bodyguard following her heels.

What’s stopping you, Mila?

“If I want something, I take it,” I respond. Her pupils dilate, and her eyes drop to my lips.“How do you think I got myself into this mess? I took it and said,‘fuck the consequences’. Now I’ll deal with them.” I touch my broken leg.

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