Page 1 of Sinful Little Lies

PROLOGUE

Verena - Sophomore Year

Thunder cracksacross the sky as lightning rips it open, the blinding light providing a glimpse of the concrete road before me. The way the clouds split and break above me is a faultless imitation of the way my heart fractures in my chest. The rain pelts down, stinging my skin and threatening to drown me with every drop. My bruised and battered flesh aches underneath the onslaught of rainfall as my feet slam into the pavement.

Mascara runs into my eyes and along my cheeks. Whether it's because of the tears streaming down my face or the rain, I don’t know. Probably both. My lungs burn as I struggle to breathe. I need to find shelter before someone sees me and questions my current state.

I run like my life depends on it. In some ways, it does.

Using the sleeve of my soaked shirt, I wipe my eyes, trying to clear my vision, as my legs continue carrying me as fast as they can. My ankle rolls on a crack in the pavement and the sharp pain causes my body to fall forward.

“Ow! Fuck!” My voice is hoarse as I whisper-shout, landing on the cement. Bringing my bottom lip between my teeth, I bitedown as hard as I can to keep from crying out. I refuse to show weakness right now, to myself or anyone else who happens to be roaming the streets at this hour.

The dry skin splits, and blood coats my tongue, but the pain is nothing compared to the fresh black and blue blanketing my right eye. The impact of the fall only heightens the soreness in my body. Feeling defeated, I stay there for a moment, hands flat against the ground, pebbles digging into my palms and knees. Closing my eyes, I inhale a large breath, desperate for air. My body shakes with effort as I try to calm my racing heart, but it’s no use. My heart rattles against my ribcage the same way the thunder shakes the sky.

The adrenaline coursing through my veins is pumping strong. I’m stuck in flight mode. I might have gotten away tonight, but my body knows that it won't last long. I’ll be looking that familiar danger in the face soon enough. I hope next time it chooses to fight instead of running away, avoiding the problem yet again. I can’t stay, but where will I go?

Exhaling the air from my trembling lips, I push myself up off the ground.

BOOM!

Another crack of thunder shakes the sky, lightning illuminating the ground for me once again. I see traces of blood from where my skin split open on the unforgiving ground. Taking a step forward, I hiss as the pain shoots through my ankle and causes me to stumble in my step. Time is a luxury I don’t have right now. Safety, either.

Run.

Ignore the pain.

Don’t look back.

I scan the empty streets for signs to point me in the right direction. But between the darkness of the night, my swollen eye, and now my bad ankle, I’m fucking lost. Usually, a nightlike this would bring me comfort and security. The pitter-patter of rain against my window is almost hypnotic in the way it can calm me and bring serenity to my mind. But currently, despair and survival are the only things I feel. Instead of the window, it falls against my skin, reminding me of my desperation to get out of the rain and find shelter.

My throbbing ankle threatens to slow me down, but I relent, pushing myself until I come across familiar street signs and buildings. My housing unit isn’t far from here, but it would be impossible to sneak in without alerting the girls of my presence. They can’t see me like this. They’ll ask too many questions.

Covering my face, I hobble past my front door and walk for about another five minutes until my feet are dragging. My breathing is labored, my eyelids heavy, I’m getting weaker and need to rest. But if I stay out here in the piss-pouring rain, in the middle of December no less, my injuries will worsen.

Hypothermia isnoton my bucket list.

Coming to a stop, I stand at the massive house in front of me. Through my blurry vision, I stare ahead, knowing that I might be making the wrong decision, but the promise of safety beyond the large double doors is too tempting to walk away from. Blinking away the rain, I close the distance between myself and the imposing structure.

Hoping and praying that he’s home, I take the remaining strength in my body and pound my fist against the front door.

Within seconds, it flies open, and I’m face to face with Elijah. He doesn’t acknowledge me or my condition, thank fuck. Instead, he immediately calls for the man I’m looking for.

He turns the corner and comes into view of the front door. He freezes in his steps as his jaw drops. The look in his eyes starts with confusion, makes its way to anger, and finally settles at concern.

“V, who did this to you?”

1

GRIMM

Those brown eyesthat are usually filled with light stare up at me with such helplessness that my heart cracks a little. The sight of it, paired with V standing here, has my brain short-circuiting. Verena never comes knocking on my door.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, my heart pounding erratically in my chest. Seeing her typically stirs this reaction, but seeing her likethis, bruised, bloodied, and scared, makes it pound harder.

“I didn’t know where else to go, I couldn’t go home.” She whispers, her eyes never leaving mine. Pain and despair shine through, and I understand how delicate the situation is. I try not to panic, both at her proximity to me and because of her current state. One has my dick threatening to harden in my pants, while the other has me seeing red.

Fully opening the door, I grab the sleeve of her shirt, pulling her inside. I push the door shut and gently lace our fingers together. We make our way upstairs to my room, and I tell her to wait by the door while I rummage through my drawers, looking for clothes that may be small enough to fit her.

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