Page 16 of The Sea Witch's Son

His free hand skims the edge of my waist, toying with the band of my skirt. I grit my teeth, feeling him tug the zipper.

“Stop touching me.Please.”

“Only because you asked nicely.” He chuckles, releasing my jaw and stepping aside. I reach up and touch my jaw with a wince, feeling the skin already starting to bruise.

“Finley was right. You are a psychopath.”

Marlin sighs, “The most dangerous men are the ones who fool you into thinking they are something they are not.”

I narrow my eyes, “And I’m supposed to believe your honest ill intentions mean you’re one of the good guys?”

“My little saint, there are no good men in Wolf Hollow.” A wide, breathtaking smile splits his face, “And I’m the worst of them all.”

I stumble back, desperate to put some space between us. Marlin watches me with hooded eyes, those violet orbs never leaving my face.

He’s magnetic. A dark force you can’t help but get sucked into.

“I’m not your saint.”

The words hold less conviction than I would have liked, but I keep my head held high as I meet his gaze, “Do your best to remember that.”

“Not yet.” He grins, tucking his hands into his pockets, “You’re not mineyet.”

The age-old sound of a church bell chimes through the hallway, signalling the start of the communal lunch hour. Students begin trickling through the hallway, making a wide berth around us.

I refuse to turn my back on this guy for even a second, so I’m stuck waiting for him to make a move.

“You are quite something to look at. Soft and delicate in all the right places.”

I can barely hear him over the students funnelling past, but there’s no way in hell I’m edging closer. Made that mistake once already and got a bruised jaw out of it.

“Wear the black skirt tomorrow. The one with the little bow.” A smirk plays at the edge of his mouth, “I think your legs will look particularly ravishingin that one.”

“How did you…”

My question hangs unanswered as Marlin disappears into the crowd.

I blow out a breath and adjust the straps of my backpack. My mind feels scattered from the interaction while my body feels like it’s coming down from an adrenalin rush.

Fuck. And I still have three more classes to survive today.

Out of instinct, I brush my waistband, searching for some reassurance. My hand presses flat against my sweater, the familiar lump nowhere to be found.

A growl rips from my throat as I rejoin the mass of students weaving down the halls.

That bastard stole my pocketknife.

Chapter 5

MARLIN

I thought that went rather well.

Melody’s knife sits deep in my pocket as I make my way towards the team meeting room. I would have enjoyed seeing her face when she realized it was no longer tucked in that salacious skirt of hers, but alas, my duty as team captain summoned me elsewhere.

She is a curious little creature, isn’t she? Carrying a knife in her skirt yet choosing to hide beneath the flowerbeds when Xavier showed the slightest bit of interest in her.

Perhaps one of her three ex-boyfriends left some trauma behind.

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