Saint

The guy, Bran, lets out a deep sigh. Turning to face me, he says, “I’m really sorry. Are you okay?”

“She’s not interested in you and your half-assed apologies.” She pushes to her feet and grabs my hand to yank me to mine. “Come on, Mal. It’s time to go.”

Baffled, I let her drag me away from the trio of testosterone. She doesn’t say a word to me until we’re outside and halfway to the academic building.

“Loni? What the hell was that back there? Who were those guys?”

She finally stops and turns to face me. Her dark gaze is bleak, and her cheeks are hollowed, as if she’s fighting for control.

“That was Jon Eric, Fi

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” I murmur, studying her expression. “What’s got you so worked up?”

She seems hesitant to say. She looks around to make sure we’re alone, then releases a deep huff of breath. “Okay, here’s the thing,” she begins. “Last year, there was an … incident.”

The tiny hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end. “A-an incident?”

“An attack,” she admits in a small voice. “On Henry’s brother Nick.”

I blink at her, surprised. “I didn’t know Henry had a brother.”

She bobs her head, her black curls bouncing around her face. “Yeah. Nick and Henry are twins, but they’re very different people. Henry has always been more outgoing and athletic. He was on the football team and part of the more popular crowd before … well, before the incident. Nick was always quieter. A little nerdy. A little awkward. He never hurt anyone, though. Never had a mean thing to say about anybody and God knows most of the assholes on this campus deserve the worst.”

The way she’s speaking makes me think the worst happened to Nick. “Did he … is he—”

Loni’s eyes pop wide and she jerks her head from either side. “Oh, no! Nick’s still alive. Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that he wasn’t. It was hit or miss for a little while, right after, though. He was beat so bad, he had to have surgery to reconstruct part of his face.”

“Oh my God!” I cry, nausea churning in my stomach. “Who the hell would do something like that? Why?”

She licks her lips, looking a little nervous. “The attack happened at a party Saint was throwing. Everyone assumes it was him and his friends, but the only people who know for sure are Nick. And Brandon.”

“Brandon?”

“Yeah. Nick can’t remember anything from that night, but Brandon was the one who found him, took him to the hospital. I know he knows exactly what happened because he can’t look me in the eye when I ask him about it, but he’s too much of a pussy to say anything.”

“So that’s why you hate him so much?”

She scratches her head and focuses her attention on the brick pavers beneath her designer loafers. “That, and the fact that I was dating him at the time and didn’t realize how much of a shit human he was.”

“Oh, shit.”

She sighs and releases a gritty laugh. “Yeah. Oh, shit is right.”

I think about what’s she’s said and puff out a shallow breath. “So … it seems the likeliest person to have done this to Nick is Saint?”

“Yeah, it does.”

A dull weight settles in the pit of my stomach, and I’m instantly filled with disgust at Saint—and myself. I’ve been dreaming about this guy. Lusting for him, on a subconscious level at least, despite all the stuff he’s put me through.

Loni warned me, though. He destroys lives.

What have I been thinking? The guy’s a monster.

Wanting him only makes me pathetic.

“What happened to Nick?” I figure he’s not attending Angelview anymore if Henry hasn’t even mentioned him to me once.

“He’s being homeschooled in Chicago for the rest of high school, I think,” Loni says, rubbing the back of her neck. “He’s still pretty messed up from last year, and his doctors thought the stress of returning to the place where he was brutalized would only cause added trauma.”

“Makes sense.” I can only imagine what he must be going through. What does something like that do to a person?

It breaks them. Tears them down to nothing, until they think they’re worthless.

I think of the accident.

Think of the pain I left behind in Rayfort.

I think of Saint, and how he probably doesn’t think about Nick.

I hate him. I fucking hate him.

As Loni and I turn to continue onto class, I know I won’t be dreaming about him anymore. Saint Angelle is fucking dead to me.

“Ellis! I hear you’re supposed to be giving me head on the side. Why don’t you get on your knees and give the people what they want?”

My instinct is to turn around and tear into his arrogant ass, but I force myself to face forward. I figured I’d be in for it after gym, and I’ve mentally prepared myself for his bullshit. I’ve just emerged from the girl’s locker room and am not the least bit surprised to find Saint and Gabe waiting for me in the hallway.

I walk right on by them, ignoring his disgusting request.

“Someone shove a stick up your ass?” he snaps. I can hear him following me, but I don’t glance back. “Are you deaf or something?”

“Maybe she thinks if she believes hard enough, you’ll disappear,” Gabe snickers.

“Shut the fuck up,” Saint snarls. He sounds angry, and I get a sick satisfaction from that fact.

He’s suddenly right beside me, his long strides easily keeping up with my much shorter ones. I feel his eyes burning down on me, but I act as though he doesn’t exist, because to me, he doesn’t. Not anymore.

“You think you can just ignore me, huh?” He lowers his face and I feel his hot breath on my cheek. Smell the ci

The threat makes me shiver, and to my revulsion, not entirely in fear. Still, I keep my eyes locked ahead of me and keep walking. I don’t answer. I don’t look. Even when he stops chasing me, I stay strong in my conviction to ignore him.

I hear Gabe chuckle. “Damn, she’s hot and she’s got some bigggg balls on her. I’ve never seen you turn invisible before, Angelle.”

“Seriously, shut the fuck up before I punch you in the goddamn throat,” Saint growls. To me, he calls out, “You can play your games all you want, Ellis, but you won’t be able to ignore me for long.”

Wa