Page 70 of Virgin Sacrifice

Technically, a serial killer was someone with at least three murders under their belt and our killer only had two, as I explained to Autumn, who was less than reassured by my fun fact of the day. Still, I somehow doubted that whoever had killed those girls was a murder virgin before all this started.

Removing a human heart like that wasn’t amateur stuff. You either had to slice up into the chest cavity through the soft tissue of the gut or saw open the victim’s sternum to access the heart. No matter which way you cut it, it was an extremely messy and time-consuming procedure that was still likely to damage the organ when performed outside of an operating room.

The hearts had been meticulously intact. Someone involved in the killings had to have surgical experience to execute that kind of organ retrieval. More so than the average medical student or family doctor.

UNKNOWN: The heart wants what the heart wants, Penelope.

Cute, grim, and utterly uninformative.

Then there were the twins . . .

I hadn’t seen them during the fall break, although I couldn’t be sure whether that was due to my own efforts to conceal my presence on campus or their absence.

Alister reappeared the week after, returning to lurk in shadows from a distance. I wasn’t sure how I felt about his semi-avoidance of me. Relief certainly, but also irritation. I wasn’t under any illusions about what had happened between us. Even if he was the quiet one, he still had a reputation, although not quite as prolific as his twin’s. I wasn’t even really sure what had happened, and I wasn’t prepared to tell Autumn that I had sucked on my least problematic stalker’s finger. Or worse, that I couldn’t stop replaying it in my head.

Despite appearances, I wasn’t some doe-eyed innocent (my virginity notwithstanding), and I could recognize that someone like Alister Blackwell existed in a class all on his own.

Then there was the fact that my only two previous experiences had both been more of a means to an end.

Still, if I had hoped that the appearance of a second body might spur Alister into seeking me out again, I wound up being sorely disappointed.

“Long time no see, pet.” Nixon’s voice broke the silence of the library with alarming confidence, causing me to jolt up in my seat.

The other Blackwell twin stood on the other side of the large table I was sharing with Autumn, Aaron, and Melody, one inked arm crossed behind his head as he leaned casually against one of the rows of bookshelves that served to obscure the study nook. His lopsided grin was borderline feral as he took in the four of us, like a lion surveying the lambs before the slaughter.

My eyes darted around the table, quickly inspecting my friend and the others.

Melody seemed to be stuck somewhere between fearful and flirtatious as she bit her lip and batted her long lashes despite the nervous tremor in her hands.

Aaron, by contrast, was doing his best to keep his face neutral, but the tension in his jaw and the whiteness of his knuckles told another story.

Autumn’s expression, though, was one of genuine fear and my protective instincts reared up.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed, shoving myself to standing.

Melody’s jaw dropped, and Autumn’s face turned impossibly whiter.

Other than Autumn, the group had never commented on the Blackwell twins’ dubious presence in my life, something that struck me as odd given Aaron’s “protective instincts” and Melody’s general nosiness.

Before I could so much as take a step away from the table, Nixon had stridden over, pulled out the empty chair next to mine and deposited my backpack on the floor without so much as a care.

“Sit,” he commanded me as he took his own seat, and though I considered defying him, I ultimately obeyed.

“Nice study group you have here.” He waved his hand dismissively, then turned his gaze back to me. “I’m kind of hurt I wasn’t invited,” he said with a pout. It looked far too believable with his angelic features.

“Oh, you’re totally welcome to join us.” Melody giggled, earning a heated glare from both Aaron and me.

“No, he is not,” I cut back.

Nixon ignored Melody, his eyes never leaving mine. “You wound me, pet,” he said dolefully. He might have been convincing if it weren’t for the devilish glint in his eyes. “I’m going to start to think you like my brother better than me if you’re not careful.”

“What can I say? I appreciate his taciturn nature.” I broke his stare to turn back to face the group.

Autumn looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time, somewhere between curiosity and concern, and if Aaron gripped his pen any tighter, it was going to snap.

I was usually much more careful with the twins, but I was starting to run out of patience with all the psychos popping up in my life. Plus, there was part of me that wanted to see how Nixon would handle me uncowed.

“Hmmm, I’m certain that’s all you appreciate about him,” Nixon cooed suggestively, reaching over to play with my hair as I batted his hand away with a frustrated sigh.

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