Page 11 of Godless Saints

The heavy doors shut behind me, and the hall noise died instantly. Cool night air hit my face. Dark stone and rain-wet hedges stretched beneath amber lamps casting a soft glow over the academy campus. Alone, finally.

I exhaled. It should have felt better.

Ah, fuck.

I bit down until I tasted blood. He did this. Dragged Saint Lucia here, and I was unraveling. Am I that fucking touch-deprived?

Control yourself.

Something rustled near the hedge. A small black cat slipped out, gold-eyed and damp, brushing once against my leg.

“Hi, kitty.”

She ignored me and vanished into the dark.

Huh? Where are you going, kitty?

A hand caught my arm and slammed me back against the cold stone wall before resistance even crossed my mind.

His chest crushed against mine. One thigh forced its way between my legs, spreading them.

“I let you walk away in Saint Lucia,” he said, breath hot against my ear. “I won’t be that nice twice.”

“Hi,” I choked out.

Hi.

Brilliant. Aster’s perfect candidate, pinned to a wall, greeting the threat like an idiot.

“Hi?” he echoed. “After you spent all night spilling your secrets and talking yourself out of letting me fuck you in Saint Lucia… that’s all you’ve got?”

His free hand gripped my jaw. Thumb dragged roughly across my bottom lip before shoving between them, pressing down hard on my tongue.

Salt and smoke hit my tongue. My lips closed around the intrusion on reflex. I jerked back hard enough that my skull cracked against stone.

Cillian’s eyes darkened with cruel satisfaction. “There he is. Still so fucking hungry.”

My eyes caught on the small black crescent near the base of his thumb. It definitely wasn’t there in Saint Lucia.

My name on his skin. In a place anyone could see if they looked too long.

“What is that?” I demanded, voice strained around the intrusion.

He didn’t answer. Just pressed his thumb deeper, pinning my tongue.

“You like it?” he asked. “Good. You’re going to see a lot more of it.”

What the hell is wrong with him?

A crescent moon. My name. Permanently carved into his skin like some deranged brand.

Salt and smoke still on my tongue. Skull still ringing from the stone.

Anyone could have walked this path. Anyone could have seen the way my mouth closed around him on reflex. I should have shoved harder. I should have made noise. Instead, I heard myself breathing like he already had me.

I bit down hard on his thumb, teeth sinking into flesh and the edge of that fresh black crescent. Cillian hissed sharply. Then the sound melted into a rough laugh. He pulled his thumb free, eyes gleaming with surprised delight as he examined the fresh indent of my teeth.

“Don’t put your fucking fingers in my mouth,” I snarled, shoving hard at his chest. “Are you insane?”