Page 535 of Lessons in Cruelty

What the fuck is wrong with me?

He smiles. “Once more, boy. With feeling.”

My voice erupts in a roar. “Fuck you! I never⁠—”

Rooke drops his head, his teeth sinking into the muscle bulging just above my collarbone.

That nip on my earlobe? A bee sting.

This? A fucking shark attack.

I yell, shoving him so hard he falls back with a stagger.

“What the fuck!” I clap a hand over the livid teeth marks he left on my flesh, whipping my head up to stare at him as aching pain stabs into my body. There’s blood under my fingers—warm, already slippery.

He grins at me, licking blood off his teeth with a slow swirl of his tongue as he walks backward to the door.

All without taking his eyes off me.

Like he’s soaking in every second of my pain, my disgust…my humiliation.

“Funny thing about blood,” he says, dragging the tip of his finger over his bottom lip. “Doesn’t matter where it comes from. Your flesh, Haven’s pussy…all tastes the same to me.”

Chapter 69

Haven

This is a bad idea. This is a really, really bad idea. In fact, this might be the worst idea I’ve ever had…and damn, I’ve had some doozies over the years.

It’s a clear night, which is great, but the moon lighting my way also makes me feel oh-so-fucking exposed as I scale the side of Kai’s frat house, trying to get to his window without plummeting to my death. My worn-out sneakers have zero grip, which is probably why I’ve nearly died five times attempting this ridiculous stunt of mine.

But I’ve got motherfucking summit fever.

My foot slips, and I almost lose my grip when my entire weight is suddenly relying on the teeny tiny grip my fingertips have on a window ledge.

I haul myself up—more through sheer force of will than upper body strength—wincing when a wild kick has my injured foot connecting with the window ledge.

I got to my new job on time this morning…but Milo wasn’t there.

And neither was his food truck.

I kind of thought Milo left the truck in the parking lot at night, but I guess that isn’t the case.

I tried calling Milo on Bastian’s phone, but he never answered. When I went to the liquor store to find out where he was, the guy behind the register told me it was his first week, so he had no idea.

After hanging out for an hour, I got back in Bastian’s Land Rover and drove off.

I should have been grateful. Milo couldn’t blame me for not showing, and I didn’t have to limp around with a sore foot the whole day.

Instead, I was pissed.

I was counting on this job so I could tell Bastian to go fuck himself again, because damn it feels good. I went to the diner, hoping Teagan might know if he was sick or something, but apparently she was out of town for a few days with her folks. I sent her a message anyway, but she left me on read.

Melissa would say I was being dramatic, but honestly it felt like the universe was conspiring against me.

I spent the day driving around Agony Hollow, somehow talking myself out of getting on the highway and never looking back. I ended up at Lookout Point more out of habit than anything else. But no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to fall asleep in Bastian’s Land Rover. I just couldn’t get comfortable. Dad’s junker at least had pillows and blankets and shit.

I could have gone back to GAZ. Not sure where I would have slept since my slashed-up bed wasn’t an option, but Melissa would have come up with a plan.