Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181613 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 908(@200wpm)___ 726(@250wpm)___ 605(@300wpm)
He wants me to hate him?
Fine.
I’ll grant his fucking wish …
Even if it destroys my heart.
A sudden ruckus up ahead makes me lift my head.
BANG!
That sounds like … a fight.
Lots of screams and shouts are coming from beyond the cafeteria, and I dart into the hallway only to come to an abrupt halt when I see who’s throwing the punches.
My eyes widen.
My half brother Silas has Levi in a death grip against a door, which has been smashed to pieces. He slams him into the wall, punching him in the face, but Levi doesn't hit back. Instead, he takes off his hoodie as if to prepare for the confrontation.
“Stop!” I yell, running straight into the crowd. “Stop it!”
I push everyone aside and storm into the fight without a thought, pushing myself between them.
Silas focuses his homicidal gaze on me. “Sorry, sis, can’t you see I’m a little busy beating this fucker’s ass? Can’t believe he had the fucking gall to come back to this university after what he did.” Silas raises his fists like he’s waiting for Levi to strike back. “You know he deserves it for killing Mavis, and he knows it too.”
Gasps sound out from all over the hallway.
A sudden strong hand on my shoulder makes me turn around and look at Levi, his calloused fingers digging into my flesh.
Good God, I still can’t look away, especially now that I’m this close and he’s not wearing that hoodie anymore. He’s all bulked up behind that flimsy black shirt, muscular in every sense of the word, like he took the time these past few weeks to refine what he had and turn it into a weapon. The bruise on his face slowly grows redder, but the darkened gaze from underneath his eyelashes makes me do a double take.
This is not the Levi I know, but a monster.
“I told you to get out of my way … Aspen.” His voice is low, heavy, and he says my name with a kind of possessiveness that makes all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
The veins in his arms pop as he pushes me away from him and snatches his hoodie off the floor.
“Now move,” he growls, annoyed, as if he was gearing up for a brawl and I ruined it.
He marches off through the crowd, which parts for him like they’re scared they’re gonna get killed next.
“Well, fuck you too!” I sneer at him, but of course it’s too late.
“What are you even doing?” Silas growls at me. “I had him right where I wanted him, and you just couldn’t help but ruin everything!”
“Fuck you, Silas,” I growl, shoving my way past him and the sea of people surrounding us.
“You know he killed my sister, right?”
“Ours!” I retort.
“Then why don’t you want him dead in a ditch?”
I walk away, not knowing how to answer.
Why don’t I want him dead?
Why didn’t I let Silas punch him?
My nails dig into my skin.
I want Levi to feel the pain I felt, desperately.
But I don’t know if I could live with myself if I let Silas have his way with him. He’d maim him. Hang him from the roof by his neck and take him apart limb by limb.
Silas is a monster, and Levi … Levi is …
I bump into something without looking, and when my eyes open again, there are two very thick, muscular slabs of man titty right in my face.
“You look rough.”
I look up, right into the eyes of Apollo Torres, who grins like he just twisted someone’s neck.
God, every part of him is all muscle, even worse than Levi.
My cheeks flush, and I pull away immediately. “Sorry, I didn’t see—”
“Pecs like these before?” he asks, flexing at me. “It’s all right. I get that a lot.”
Jesus.
“I heard the fight. Levi get in trouble again?”
He’s got the kind of grin that could make people run just from looking at him. And those deadly gray eyes sure make it hard to look away.
“You didn’t see my brother trying to kill him?”
He snorts. “Nahhhhh, those two were just playing.”
I frown. “Playing? It’s not a joke to Silas.”
He stretches his arms and cracks his knuckles. “Silas is all talk. I’m waiting for him to bring in the knives so we can actually have some fun.”
What the hell is wrong with this dude?
“Levi didn’t even punch him back,” I point out.
“Just because he didn’t, doesn’t mean he couldn’t.” He smirks. “Levi could easily take him.”
“Right …” I frown.
He leans in, too close, and the grin on his face is so uneasy that it’s making me lean back. “You don’t believe me? Levi’s a killer, remember? That’s what your entire family has been chanting. You think he couldn’t kill Silas if he wanted to?”
He’s just gossiping now.
“How would you know?”
A low-rumbling laugh from deep within his chest makes me swallow. “Because I trained him.” He winks. “I could train you too, if you’re interested.”