Page 78 of Pierce Me

“Why? What’s wrong with it?” I look at it.

“It’s a freaking palace on the water,” Yiannis shivers, wrapping skinny arms around himself.

It’s just past three in the morning, and the sea is inky black, but the yacht casts a light blue glow on the waters around and underneath it, lighting it from below. The sea looks deceptively like a heated pool, while in fact I bet it’s as freezing and deadly as the cave’s waterfall, or worse.

I spot Ren and Skye talking heatedly a few yards away from the boat, and brace myself.Here it comes.

“I’m here, guys!” They start talking into their headphones, hopefully to call off the search party.

Skye sprints towards me and grabs my shoulder.

“Thank God,” he murmurs. “What the hell were you thinking, going out without your phone? Without a bodyguard? My God, I had the police dialed on my phone, Isaiah!”

Then he proceeds to yell at me for a full ten minutes in front of Ren, Eden, Yiannis, Dimitris and a handful of my guards.

I let him.

“You never,nevertake a step without a bodyguard,” he screams, spittle gathering at the corner of his lip. I really scared him, did I? I’m such an asshat. “How could you even think of walking around by yourself in a strange country, without protection, without…”

“Oh but I did have protection,” I interrupt him finally, because he’s clearly about to give himself a stroke. And me as well. “I had this one with me. She’s fierce.”

I point to Eden, fighting not to blush as I call her ‘this one’, as if we’re calling each other things like that. As if we’re friends.

We’re not. I need to remember this. She asked and I said ‘no’.

And not too gently either. But at least I didn’t kiss her—so I count it as a win.

“By the way, meet my new friends. After they’re cleared by security, bring them on up. I think we all need a dip in the pool and then maybe the hot tub,” I wink at Dimitris, ignore Skye’s gaping mouth, and hop on deck.

I reach out a hand to help Eden over the steep steps hanging above the black water, and my skin tingles all the way to my shoes as she takes it.Please don’t let my legs buckle right now.

She lets go as soon as she’s on deck and I flex my fingers before I realize I’m doing it. I have to take back control of my hand. Of my body. I can’t. It’s hers.

Snap out of it.

Dimitris and Yiannis stay on the ground, looking uncertainly between the guards, me and the boat.

“They’re cool,” I tell Ren.

I turn around, pretending I don’t see Eden’s pale, tear-streaked face lit up by the yacht’s fluorescent lights. I did this. I made her cry.But it could be worse, I try to convince myself.

I could have kissed her.

The Elliot sisters chat room

Eden: I knew that he would hate me, that was a given. But he really really hates me. He hates me so much he wants to hurt me. And I am going to let him.

*message deleted*

seventeen

Skye’s lion mane of yellow hair appears on the stairs and he looks up at me as if he can’t recognize me. Well, I can barely recognize myself, so join the club, Skye.

“Sorry,” I murmur to him. “I won’t do that again.”

He runs up the stairs in lightning speed and reaches an arm to me as if he wants to check if I’m real. There’s no music coming from the bar, I realize. The party is over, thanks to the stunt I pulled.

I need to start thinking of others.

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