Page 37 of The Broken Note

My breath hitches.

“I didn’t have a freaking choice in this either, Cadence. The minute you walked into my life, my whole universe shrank down to the size of a single point and I haven’t been able to see anything else.” He rises and glares down at me. “So yeah, continue to be freaking uncomfortable. Because so the hell am I.”

“Dutch!” I shriek. Anger makes me shake and if I had the spoon in my hands, I’d probably fling it at his obnoxious head.

He climbs out of the bench with his tray, eyes an angry storm. “Whether you trust me or not, it won’t change the fact that you belong to me.” He tilts his chin up. “And I always take care of my property.”

Enraged, I pick up the spoon and throw it at him, but Dutch is already walking away.

* * *

Jinx: Redwood Prep Might Have A New Owner

It turns out our were-boy Prince isn’t the only one with sharp teeth. The head of the Pompoms had her backside handed to her by a Cinderella with fangs. It turns out, you don’t mess with the queen in her own kingdom. A lesson Miss Pompoms had to learn the hard way. Why else would she storm out of the bathroom with tears in her eyes and her hair frazzled?

And the reward for Cinderella’s valiant battle? Prince Charming feeding her by hand in the courtyard.

These two lovebirds are syrupy sweet, but the day is still young and there are a few more beasts Cinderella and Prince Charming must slay before they can skip off into the sunset.

Until the next post, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer.

- Jinx

CHAPTEREIGHT

DUTCH

I dump my food in the nearest trash bin and stalk down the hallway. People press themselves against their lockers. Probably because they see the wrath on my face and know I’d step on their heads if they don’t clear out fast enough.

My blood is roaring in my ears.

Fury makes me gnash my teeth.

I’ve spent my life learning to control that rage, pouring it all into my guitar instead of being the type of bastard that punches for sport instead of necessity. Music helps with that. It focuses all my energy. Funnels it into a mess of chords and tangled notes that don’t make sense to anyone but me.

It’s much more satisfying to control the emotions than letting them rule me.

But with Cadence?

Screw that.

Whatever control I thought I had goes slipping through my fingers like sand. It’s infuriating to lose my own balance.

I’ve always been on top of the world. No one above me. No one ruling me.

But all that girl has to do is bat her eyes and I’d wage a war.

Not that she wants me to go to war for her.

The way she looked at me—like I was a freaking annoyance, it got under my skin. Even more than that, her words dug at me, unearthing a truth that bites like a million mosquitoes descending at once.

I did make it my mission to ruin her.

And I failed.

In the end, she’s the one who ruined me.

Some part of my brain is aware that I need to give her time. Time to see that we’re right for each other. Time to prove that I’m never going to hurt her again.