Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Dragging myself up, I stripped my sheets and replaced them with fresh ones. I brought plenty of spares. That done, I peeled off my clothes and stepped into the shower, thankful again that rich schools like this gave everyone their own bathroom. Slinking out every night into a grotty public shower was a terrible addition to a rough night. It certainly made it harder to slink to the bottom of the tub and let the pounding streams wash down my tears.
I was going to do it. I was this close to ending the man who humiliated, harassed, and assaulted my sister—plastering her pain on the internet for the entire world to see. If Lucien hadn’t grabbed my hand, Lindsay would’ve been the last woman Owen Thasher treated like dirt.
And he would not have known why.
Sliding down, I stretched out on the porcelain, surrendering to the steamy water. I could hardly process what Rafael, Wilder, and Lucien told me that night. My sister saved them, so they intended to get justice for her. For so long I believed no one in Regalia University cared about Winter. Not only did they care, but they kept an eye on me—stopping me from making a mistake with Owen that would get me caught, and then offering to help me get it right.
What was I supposed to think?
They say they were cool with Winter, but Winter never mentioned the Rogues to me. A guy who thinks he’s a vampire and another who wears a muzzle is the kind of thing you bring up in your weekly video chats with your sister.
What if they’re lying? Rafael said he takes care of people’s problems in exchange for favors and money. How did I know his girlfriend, Saylor, didn’t put him up to the whole thing? Get close to me, lower my guard, and then destroy the Dreg she took a hatred to a second after she met me.
Couldn’t they have turned me into the police if destroying me was the goal? a voice asked. They grabbed you while standing over an unsuspecting victim, holding a knife.
I flipped over, clapping my hands over my ears. I didn’t know anything. Nothing made sense. Nothing felt right.
Four guys appearing out of nowhere, swearing they understood my agony and the lengths it drove me to. Not just understood, but were willing to help and protect me so I might get away with the unspeakable.
That wasn’t real. Things like that didn’t happen. Morally gray men didn’t appear when you needed them. Help did not come when you called. And revenge did not serve itself up on a platter—ready-made and sprinkled with the final touches.
In the real world, there were no Rogues.
So, what did that make all of this but a trick? A cruel game like the many played on Winter. They heard Luna Sinclair was coming to campus, and connected a few dots of their own. What would I want more than making Winter’s tormentors pay? All they had to do was tug that string and I’d eat their crap up.
I told them to prove themselves, but they didn’t need to. I was on my own. No one could do for Winter what I had to do.
The Rogues can play their games with everyone else. If tonight was a scam, they’d end up on my list with the rest.
“WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?”
I lifted my eyes off my plate and wished I didn’t. Victor was scarfing down his food like finishing his breakfast in five minutes was a squid game.
“Ugh. Want to slow down? You’ll choke.”
He replied around a mouthful of bacon. “Sooner I finish, the sooner I can leave.”
“Screw you. You’re the one who insisted we eat together, fiancé.”
“Your point?”
Rolling my eyes, I drifted off him and toward the food line, searching out the Rogues. Monday morning, I rolled into the cafeteria at seven o’clock on the dot. This was a trick. They were probably going to cook something up with Owen, staging fake payback to get in good with me. All of this I knew. Still, something forced me out of bed—and it was only half my promise to Victor.
“Seriously,” Victor said. “What’s up with you?”
“I’m sitting here, eating my bacon and eggs panini, minding my own business. Why would something be up?”
Victor reached for his milk, fixed on me. “You blew off dinner Friday night, claiming you weren’t feeling well. Then I heard you went to the ABC party.”
I paused midchew. Wilder said the freshman Royals would know by morning. I’d give him credit. He was right.
“Yeah,” I stalled. “So?”
“Why would you crash that party, Sinclair? What were you trying to prove?”
I frowned. “Trying to prove? I got dressed up and hit a fun party. I didn’t mess with anyone, get wasted, make a fool of myself, or mess around with anyone’s boyfriend. I was once again minding my own business, then Saylor got in my face. What exactly did I do wrong?”