Page 54 of Saint

Saint has come out to play now.

No longer cold. No longer quiet. He’s a furnace searing through my back as he grips my ponytail and pulls it. My neck strains as my body arches.

And even if I’m faced with Kole’s strong jawline and the familiar scar that carves a story through his features, all I focus on are Saint’s dark eyes. Like he’s split down the middle, and the man I sought tonight has finally come out to play.

Reaching down to the arm he has wrapped around my waist, I grab Saint’s wrist. “I saw the nail marks when we were in the library. I did that to you, right?”

A flicker of amusement darkens his expression as his lip curls up in a smirk. “Yes, kitten. You did.”

Something about seeing his face when he calls me that turns me liquid. It puts a face to my nightmares—my fantasies. And I grip his wrist tighter, trying to steady my breath.

He releases my ponytail but doesn’t let me go as he opens a door on his left. He pulls me inside, shoving me against the closed door once we’re in and wrapping his fingers around my throat, cutting off my air.

“Are you happy now?” He grips my throat tighter while I choke for breath. “You were curious what would happen if you pissed me off, right? You wanted to see what you’d get?”

Saint leans in close, running his lips over the line of my jaw and sinking his teeth into the side of my neck. His grip on my throat muffles my scream as the room darkens with my spotted vision.

“Do you want to find out what I’ll do to you when I’m angry, Violet?”

Still gripping my throat, he pulls back and spins us around, only releasing me to push me back onto a bed.

I scramble back, trying to get away from him when there’s no use. Oxygen floods my lungs as it rushes back, and Saint stands at the edge, watching me. Amused with what he’s done.

“You’re insane.” I barely choke the words out through stuttered breaths.

“Don’t act like it bothers you.” Saint starts circling the bed slowly, humming as he looks me up and down. “You’re the one who came here tonight knowing what happened the last time. You wanted your Saint, and now you have him.”

I hate that he’s right. That he’s seen straight through my plan. And I can’t help but wonder what I was thinking.

Am I any saner than he is if I knew I was walking into the home of a killer and taunted him anyway?

Saint continues to circle until he’s at my back. I’m tempted to run as he reaches the part of the bed that’s farthest from the door because I have a straight shot if I move fast enough. But I don’t know if he would let me.

“Don’t even think about it.” His words in my ear make me jump.

“Wouldn’t do me any good, anyway, right?” I challenge him, looking over my shoulder to catch a glimpse as he stands tall in the shadows above me. “You’d just chase?”

Saint smirks, crossing his arms over his chest. His black T-shirt is tight and shows off his muscular shoulders. He’s lean but solid muscle. A wall of steel.

I’ve always found Kole attractive, even when I knew I shouldn’t. But thinking those thoughts right now is dangerous given what I know his strong hands are capable of—whose blood they’ve spilled.

“You could always try.” He hitches an eyebrow.

Watching me.

Baiting me.

Daring me.

He might even be considering killing me.

Would he?

That thought settles, and I realize maybe I’ve pushed this too far. I put myself at the mercy of a man who is unhinged enough to plant cameras in my room. Morally void enough to kill at least two people and to send me their body parts.

Saint doesn’t fear consequences, and he doesn’t regret his actions, leaving me well out of my depth.

I sit up and try to scramble off the bed, but Saint grabs my ponytail before I get the chance, pulling me back to him. His grip stings my scalp as I try to claw at his wrists.

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