Page 30 of Make Me Lie (Rich Demons of Darkwood 1)

“I don't think you understand your situation here. None of the other students want you here. None of them trust you.”

“I wonder why,” I shot back.

“Oh, I think we both know why,” he said.

“If you want to have your professors read your papers, maybe even grade them, you’ll have to convince me. If you want to eat in the dining hall without anyone putting poison in your food or knocking your tray out of your hands…if you want to have a chance to pretend to be a normal student, despite what you've done, then you have to convince me.”

“Why do you think you're in charge of everything?”

“I never said I was in charge of everything, Aurora.” He gave me a slow, maddening smile. “I'm just in charge of you.”

There was no way in hell that I was going to play his little game. That was my first impulse. And then I thought better of it. Cain had an obvious need to be in control. His strengths were pretty obvious. He was popular. Rich people seemed willing to do almost anything to appease him, but he had to have weaknesses too. And he'd invited me to get close to him, after giving me a good motive to murder him. One of those weaknesses appeared to be a slightly faulty intellect, because here the man was claiming I was dangerous and not realizing that he was setting himself up for a whole lot of pain.

“I would love to watch your football game,” I purred, trying to dig down deep and channel just a little bit of Victoria.

He didn't look convinced.

A little while later, the two of us were headed across campus to the football stadium.

“You can sit in the stands,” he said. “Don’t go anywhere else.”

“Like I'm your girlfriend?” I couldn't help but notice how many people had stared at me like I was the luckiest girl on earth because I was walking by Cain’s side.

“Definitely not like that,” he answered.

It was kind of interesting to watch the football team practice. And let's be honest, it was always kind of interesting watching Cain. I propped my chin on my hands, leaning forward with my feet on the bleacher ahead of me, feeling the sunshine warm my hair and shoulders.

All the while, my mind was spinning.

Running would be the safe choice.

But I couldn’t risk plastic surgery again so soon. I was stuck with my current face, which meant maybe there was nowhere to run—not truly—at the moment.

Cain had suggested that maybe I could still have my second chance here—if I won him over.

Maybe I could beat these assholes at their own game.

The bleacher vibrated under my ass, and I jerked my head up.

Two men were walking down the bleachers toward me, coming from my left.

My gaze snapped toward the right where I saw another man making his way up toward me from that side.

Dear lord, please don’t make me hurt anyone today.

But they all had that smug air and the quick, predatorial gazes of men who probably deserved to be hurt.

8

Aurora

“Well, look who we have here.” One of the men sat down next to me, sliding his hip against mine. “If it isn’t The Demon’s daughter.”

“I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, but my name is Aurora and I think you should leave me alone.”

“Oh, is that right? Well, I bet your father's victims wanted to be left alone too. Or are they just as much your victims?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

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