Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 101348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Did you not get the memo?” Audrey hisses at her as she walks by. “You were canceled indefinitely.”
Kailani tilts her gaze up to meet Audrey’s, and the entire hall falls dead silent. “Two years to come up with new material, and that’s the best you’ve got?”
The steel in her voice even knocks Audrey off balance. She wavers for a mere second before reclaiming her queen bitch status, glancing around the hallway to make her declaration to the underlings.
“Anyone talks to this demon slut, they’re going to regret it. She’s hereby declared nonexistent. Understood?”
“Audrey.” My voice echoes like a thunderclap in the hallway, and finally, Kailani turns to look at me.
Our eyes lock, and everything around us disappears. The sea and sky have returned. Filthy little liar. Adrenaline and fury rage in my veins. I want an acknowledgment. Something. Anything. She offers a dismissive smirk like it’s nothing. I’m nothing.
Audrey deftly maneuvers herself to my side, staking her claim on me as she tucks her body against mine. She can sense the shift in the air. Everyone can.
“Come on.” She tugs on my arm. “We’re going to be late for class.”
The bell rings, and I shrug Audrey off me like an insect. “Go.”
She hesitates beside me, and I can feel her gaze burning into my face. She wants to be my sun—the sole reason for my existence—but she never will, and it eats her alive.
Students scatter, disappearing in different directions as Kailani slams her locker shut and zips up her bag. She pivots on her heel and tries to walk right past me, delusional enough to believe she gets to come back here and ignore me.
I snatch her arm and stop her in her tracks. She holds my gaze, looking up at me like I never existed to her. Like nothing ever happened, and she doesn’t even know who I am.
“Can I help you?” She arches a dark eyebrow at me.
Her eyes are shadowed with powdery gold makeup that makes her brown skin glow under the hall lights. In those dark irises is a hint of the girl I thought she was, but she’s drowning, fading into the background as this new alter ego commandeers Kail’s body. I lean into her, towering over her five-foot frame. I’m so close I can smell the mint of her gum and the floral scent of her shampoo.
Goose bumps break out along her skin as I take a step forward, and she steps back. We continue the dance until she’s pressed against the lockers, and I’m caging her in with my body. She’s close enough to touch, yet farther away than she’s ever been.
“Why did you come back?” I growl.
Why did you leave me?
A smile I don’t recognize bleeds across her red lips, and she looks up at me with a hurricane in her eyes. “Oh, Killian. That’s so cute. Is this like a script from your show? The big, bad vampire and his flock thought they got rid of me for good?”
“Two fucking years.” I force the words out between gritted teeth. “And you think you can just walk in here like nothing ever happened?”
The smile slips from her face, and her features turn to stone. “I think I’ll do whatever I want. I’m not the same girl who ran away before. So, why don’t we establish some ground rules now.”
“Ground rules?” I’m vaguely aware that I’m staring at her like she’s my last meal.
It’s tempting to reach out and feel the warmth of her skin. Test if she’s still human beneath that military-grade armor. But it would be like reaching into a steel trap. She really isn’t the same girl who left without a second thought, and she proves it with her parting shot.
“Yes.” She places her palms against my chest and shoves me back. “It’s pretty simple, even for you, Landon. All you have to do is stay the hell out of my way.”
2
Kailani
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
Shit.
My fingers dig into my temples as I tilt my head up toward the ceiling, willing the nerves to disappear. It’s like when you get a bloody nose, and you just want to make it go away. Except, in this case, it’s my fear bleeding out of my brain. My breath hisses between my teeth, edging near panic as I repeat the mantra inside my head.
No weakness. Never let them see you as weak again.
“Kailani, are you in here?” Coach Lopez yells.
Crap. I wipe the moisture leaking from the corner of my eyes and suck in a deep breath, pinching my arm hard to focus on the pain. Pull it together, Kail.
“I’ll be out in just a second,” I call from the changing room.
Realistically, it takes me a full minute to plaster on a badge of courage before I can show my face. Coach Lopez accepted my assurances I could do this, and I won’t let myself fail, no matter how much I’m screaming on the inside.