Page 46 of Deadly Sacrifice

“I really don’t see how you’re so chill right now,” I mumble, pushing my fingers through my hair and holding the long locks up off the back of my neck. “If they’re willing to kill one of their own, then what’s to stop them from slaughtering innocent people just because they feel like it?”

His exhale is long and heavy, like this is something he’s thought about too many times. You. Us. We can stop them, little flame, he signs.

I blink several times to collect my racing thoughts. Narrowing my eyes, I say, “Can I really trust you, or has this been some elaborate scheme to get on my good side for them?” My voice is too weak to hold any real heat behind the words.

Griffin scoots forward on my bed, cupping my face in his large palms. He shakes his head, waiting for my eyes to focus on his, and then he pulls back. I’m not one of them by choice. You can trust me. All I want is to be free, he assures me. As long as you don’t hate me for my involvement with them.

I lean my forehead against my knees, mumbling, “I could never hate you, Griffin. My mind might be exploding, but nothing has changed.” I lift my head just enough to meet his intense stare. “You’re my friend… So let’s take down those asswipes.”

25

Prudence

After a long day of classes and an awkward lunch with the guys, all I want to do is hide away in my bedroom and ignore the rest of the world. It’s been a long fucking few weeks, starting with the party the other Saturday night and ending with Heather waking me up early every morning since to cook the guys breakfast before class. Apparently, I was just so good at it.

Oh, and don’t forget Creed and all his bullshit. The closet thing still clouds my mind with warring emotions.

I’m done. I’m beat, drained, fucking checked out. It’s Friday, and I’m just over it all. I don’t want to think about The Stars, or the guys, or anything else that could make my mood worse than it already is.

Unfortunately, it seems like the universe hates me. I try my best to sneak in to my room silently, hoping that Annie isn’t home. Of course she is. And not only is she home, but she’s curled up in a ball under her vibrant comforter, crying.

I stifle my tired sigh, closing and locking the door behind me before going over and sitting on the edge of her bed. It’s not that I don’t care if she’s upset — I really do — but I’m fucking tired and I could have really used some alone time.

“Want to tell me what happened?” I murmur, rubbing a soothing pattern on her back.

Annie peaks her head out from beneath the comforter, her eyes red and swollen from crying for who knows how long. She pitifully wipes her tears dry, but more follow right in their path, keeping her cheeks wet. With trembling lips, she says, “Mark’s been cheating on me.”

I furrow my brows, absolutely believing it, but not wanting to upset her further. Instead, I offer a sympathetic smile and say, “Are you sure?”

She rolls her eyes, likely not at me, but at the situation she’s in. “Unfortunately so,” she mumbles. “I walked in on it.”

My brows creep up my forehead, nearly touching my hairline. “Did you at least take a chunk out of him before coming back here to cry it out? Lord knows I would have,” I say, trying to lighten her mood.

She breathes out a sad laugh, shaking her head and finally sitting up in bed so we’re at eye level. “I was so mad, I grabbed the nearest thing I could find and chucked it at him without looking.”

I grin, nudging her shoulder with mine. “Good job. A page right out of my book,” I tell her.

“Yeah, except the nearest thing I could find wasn’t some heavy trophy or a lamp or anything else useful.” She buries her face in her hands, groaning before admitting, “It was a Playboy magazine. When I threw it, the pages all fluttered open, and it didn’t even make it halfway across the room.”

I bite my lip, trying not to burst out laughing. She must see it in my face though, because she elbows me in the ribs, saying, “Hey, you try thinking clearly enough to grab a proper weapon when you walk in on your boyfriend raw-dogging some stupid blonde.” But try as she might, she can’t keep the growing smile off of her face either.

I shake my head, clicking my tongue in disgust. “What is it with these boys and blondes?” I shake my head, trying not to think about that party where Creed was dry humping that blonde chick.

Annie shrugs. “Blondes have more fun?” she guesses pathetically, and we both end up laughing.

We gather ourselves, and after a quiet moment, I turn to her and wince. “Please don’t think I’m just trying to be a major bitch, but why did you even stay with him for long, anyway? The guy gave off major weirdo vibes from day one. Didn’t you see the enormous red flags?”

Annie’s smile is sad and heavy as she nods along with my observation. “When I met him, he was perfect. He was kind and funny, he got along with my friends and family, he took me on dates all the time so he could show me off. He always acted like he was so proud to be by my side.” She exhales, picking at a torn cuticle while she works through her emotions. “But then he got… I don’t know, possessive? A few months in, and it was like he was a totally different guy. I couldn’t hang out with her because she partied too much. Couldn’t see him anymore because he swung both ways, and that was too much of a threat. Couldn’t visit her too often because she had an older brother who happened to be single.“ A tear slips down her cheek and she raises her watery, dark eyes to me. “But when he got me alone, he was so sweet still, and he made me feel so good. Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally. He doted on me, called me perfect every day, told me he wouldn’t survive without me. How could I walk away from that? I thought, as long as I could keep the two of us alone, he’d always be that guy for me.”

I frown, wanting to say something insightful, but completely lost for words. After taking a second to think, I go with open honesty. “I’ve never had a boyfriend or anything, so I can’t give you that answer. But I guess I can see how it would have been easy to look past the bad qualities if he had all the right ones just for you.”

Her face crumples, and she bites her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. “You don’t seem like the kind of girl who’d get walked all over the way I did,” she mumbles, wiping her nose. “I was stupid. Weak and easy to mold into whatever sex doll he wanted me to be, only for him to go to someone else as if he wasn’t already getting laid regularly… What am I supposed to do now? He isolated me and then ruined me. I don’t have anyone else. The few friends he didn’t scare away are hours from here, back in my home town.”

Despite my better judgement, I ache for her. I guess I’ve got a soft spot for a woman scorned. I offer a soft smile and say, “Hey, you’ve got me, alright? We’ll start fresh. I want to know who you are without that dick lurking around.”

Annie blinks at me, furrowing her brows. “I’ve been terrible pretty much since we met.”

“You’ve been silenced. He’s been terrible. There’s a difference,“ I tell her firmly, feeling that familiar rage I get whenever I think about him. She doesn’t seem convinced, so I softly add, “I forgive you. Promise.”

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