Page 137 of Boys Who Taint

“Kai, let’s go,” Mom tells him.

Dad’s nostrils flare, but instead of starting something with Dylan he turns to me.“Just keep your cool, okay? Stay out of trouble.” He pats me on the shoulder.

I nod, but it doesn’t even matter at this point.

They glance at Aspen, who tucks her hands between her legs as she tries to mind her own business, but I know she was listening.

When they leave, Aspen’s mom, Penelope, crosses paths with my mom, their eyes briefly connecting as she makes her way upstairs. I don’t know why she’s here or what she has to do with anything.

But then Aspen’s half brother, Silas, comes up the stairs behind her, and it suddenly makes all the sense in the world.

“Aspen. Your turn,” Felix says, before he glances at me. “Levi, stay there.”

Woof.

Silas raises his lip at me, baring his teeth like he intends to bite off my neck. I’d love to see him fucking try. I keep my eyes on him as he saunters into his dad’s office like he’s the high and mighty king of this campus, when we all know that’s a lie.

Suddenly, Penelope stops right in front of me, her purple hair falling over her menacing face as she bends over to look me directly in the eyes.

“Stay away from my daughter, or I will kill you myself.”

Not a single shred of doubt in those words. Not one.

I swallow as she narrows her eyes, and Dylan comes out of the office to grab her shoulder. “C’mon, Pen. Let’s go inside and have a chat with Felix about what happened at the Phantoms.” He pulls her away, but not before he throws one damning look at me.

That wasn’t just a warning.

It was a threat.

They waltz inside the dean’s office, slamming the door shut behind them. Aspen’s eyes find mine in the flurry of emotions shrouding me, and I just know she heard what her mother just told me.

The sword of Damocles hangs above my head, and sooner or later, it’s going to fall.

Aspen

I’m playingwith the water in the fountain as my mind is somewhere far away, while my friends chat about everything that happened at the party. Everyone who got injured was taken care of by the school’s nurse, except for the dead guy.

Sometimes I wish I could chain my brother to his dorm so he wouldn’t come out to destroy everything in his path. But at the same time, I understand why he is the way he is. That same hatred he feels still flows freely through my veins as well.

I sigh out loud.

Apparently, the cleanup of the aftermath went smoothly, and there’s only minor damage left in the Phantom Society house, such as the bullet holes.

Everyone at Spine Ridge is talking about the fight, and who they’re rooting for, and something about that just doesn’t sit right with me. No one should be taking sides. Not with something like this.

I splash the water away in anger.

That damn stalker of mine managed to fold me up like a paper doll and twist me into something I don’t even recognize. And now a remnant of him, that plug, still exists inside me, a stark reminder of the power he holds over me.

I need Ghost to get revenge.

Silas killing him would only start a war between our families.

It has to be someone from the outside. Someone no one will ever find or suspect.

“Hey, watch it!”

The second splash accidentally hits Orion, and he lifts his pen and paper in the air before it gets soaked.