I glanced over my shoulder at the three boys behind me, chewing on the end of my pen as I watched them play rock, paper, scissors. Whoever won got to punch the loser and I rolled my eyes as Kyan gave Blake a dead arm, then I turned back to face the front of class again.
Miss Pontus walked in, trying to hush everyone even though no one was paying her any attention and she strode to her desk with a frown creasing her forehead. She picked up a note on it and looked to me with a raised brow. “Miss Rivers, Headmaster Monroe wishes to see you in his office.”
My heart lurched and I rose out of my seat, hearing three chairs pull back behind me.
I turned to the Night Keepers who clearly intended on following me and shook my head. “I’m just going upstairs to see another Night Keeper, assholes. You don’t have to follow me like hungry strays.”
Saint narrowed his eyes and the three of them shared a look where some silent agreement passed between them before they slowly lowered back into their seats.
“Good boys.” I reached forward to scruff Blake’s hair and he barked like a dog, making me laugh.
I reached for Saint’s hair next, but his eyes warned me off. “People have been executed by me for far less, Barbie,” he warned and I smirked as I side-stepped towards Kyan, reaching out to him as he gave me a bored expression before turning my hand at the last second and holding my middle finger up in front of his face. He caught my wrist with lightning quick reactions, closing his mouth over my finger and sinking his teeth into it.
“Ah!” I smacked him across the head with my free hand and he released me with a smirk, leaning back in his seat and gazing at the teeth marks he’d left on my flesh.
“Thanks for the snack, baby. Hurry along. If you’re not back soon, we’ll come hunting.” He gnashed his teeth together like he meant that in the violent sense of the word and I walked away with a scowl, feeling eyes on me from all around the room as I exited.
I headed along the empty corridor, taking the large stairway that curved up onto the second level and drifting along the hall. Headmaster Brown’s old office had been boarded up and abandoned since the toilet paper fire considering no one could get any workman in because of the pandemic. So the new headmaster’s office was upstairs, but it wasn’t a room I’d ever been in before.
Monroe was still avoiding me as much as he could. I knew why now, but that knowledge also made me unbearably sad. My mind was always drifting to the two kisses we’d shared and my heart broke every time I remembered him walking away from me. We were still allies, friends I guessed, but now I put my walls up around him, trying to keep my mind on neutral topics. Whenever we sparred, we spent minimal time pinning each other down. We basically acted like each other’s bodies were made of liquid hot magma, so I was surprised he’d called me out to speak to him one on one.
I headed to the door at the end of the corridor and knocked, my heart quickening as I waited for him to call me in. When he didn’t answer, I knocked again, frowning when there was no response. I took hold of the handle, twisting it but it was locked.
Taking out my phone, I shot him a message asking where he was, moving to rest my back against the wall as I waited for his reply.
And waited.
And waited.
My gaze drifted to the door across the hall. It was ajar and there was a note stuck to it with three words printed across it in bold that made my heart jolt.
In
Here
Tatum
I frowned as I headed across the hall, realising this was the photography darkroom and wondered why Monroe was lurking in there. My mind conjured up thoughts of him grabbing me and kissing me as I tip-toed into the gloom.
Oh my god, what if he’s changed his mind?
“Monroe?” I called innocently, moving past a screen someone had put up to block the light spilling in from the doorway.
The space was lit in a low red light and as my eyes adjusted to it, I could see there was no one in here.
What the hell?
I fell entirely still as I took in the photographs developing on a line running across the back of the room. Fear crept along my spine and made me choke on the breath in my lungs. They were all of me, taken while I wasn’t looking. And worse than that, there were photos of me and Kyan behind the Sacred Stone with me down on my knees for him or my head tipped back in pleasure while Kyan touched me. Sweat began to bead on my brow as I forced myself to move closer and take them all in. There were photos taken through the windows of The Temple. Of the night I’d stripped for the guys, but worse than that, far fucking worse. Of the night we’d all been drinking, me held in Kyan’s lap while Blake’s head dipped between my thighs, my lips parted in ecstasy.
Fuck fuck fuck!
I started snatching them all from the pegs that held them on the line, gathering them in my arms. I took each and every one of them, my hands trembling, my mouth horribly dry.
Who did this?
Who’s watching me?
What do they want?
As I grabbed the final photo, I realised it wasn’t of me. It was of two distorted eyes, the
