Page 32 of Boys Who Taint (Spine Ridge University #5)

Levi

“Put this on,” I say, handing out the masks to the people passing by.

Ivy approaches, and she narrows her eyes when she sees me. “Where’s Apollo? I thought he was organizing this party.”

“Inside. Does it matter?” I stuff the mask into her hand. “Did you bring your boyfriend?”

She smirks. “Which one?”

“Silas.”

“No. He refused to come. Said all Phantoms are trash and that they can suck his dick. But I’m not going to pass up on spending time with my friends.”

“Good choice,” Océane replies. “Boys don’t run our lives.”

“Max and Heath had other plans, so I’m here by myself.” Ivy shrugs.

“So why are we getting these? There’s no explanation,” Océane asks me.

I tilt my head. “Adds some mystery to the party.”

“Do you ever do parties without masks?” Ivy asks.

I shake my head.

Talon steals one from my hand and grabs his girlfriend’s hand, dragging her inside. “It’s a Phantom custom.” He winks. “Thanks, Levi.”

I grab another mask for the next person. But when Aspen appears behind Ivy, her hand locked into Grey’s, I nearly break the mask while it’s still in my hand.

“What’s he doing here?”

“He’s with me,” Aspen retorts, staunchly defending him.

“And what makes you think he’s welcome here?” I grit back.

A sudden hand on my shoulder pulls me from my rage. “Relax, Levi. I invited them.” Apollo steps out of the door. “Give them a break.”

“Really?” I growl at him.

“Really.” Aspen folds her arms. “And I don’t remember having to ask you anything.”

“Let’s stay civil, shall we?” Apollo muses, pulling a mask from the basket so he can hand it to Grey.

Traitor.

“These make it harder to find our friends,” Grey says, looking at it.

“Good,” I reply. “Put it on, or you’re not getting in.”

But all she does is stare at the mask as her face slowly turns white as snow.

Aspen

This is what my stalker wears.

This has to be a joke, right?

“This mask,” I murmur.

“What about it?” Apollo says, grinning.

I never thought of it before.

I grab the basket, snatching it from Levi so I can peer inside, but he pulls back and steps away. “It’s just some goddamn masks.”

“How many do you have of those?” I ask, incensed these are the masks they use at a Phantom party.

“Thousands,” Apollo responds.

My face contorts, and the mask in my hand nearly breaks in two.

There’s no mistaking it.

This is the mask.

The mask Ghost was wearing when he stalked into my life.

Which means this motherfucker is part of the Phantom Society, or he went to their parties.

“If you want to come in, put it on,” Levi warns.

I throw him a look, then glance at Apollo. I’m only here because he demanded I’d be here. If it were up to me, I’d turn around immediately and never come back. But if I do, Apollo will tell the world what we did in order to protect Grey.

And now I’m here, in the lion’s den, facing the man who could mean the end of it all.

Apollo doesn’t even flinch, doesn’t say a goddamn word, and I already know enough.

Sighing, I reluctantly put the mask on, feeling like I’m betraying myself.

If Apollo is going to make me do this, fine, but then I’m going to make it my mission to find that Ghost of mine and smoke him out.

Levi

I don’t care that she’s mad about the masks. I’m more interested in the fact that she thinks it’s safe to bring him along to this party.

“C’mon, let’s just go.” Aspen pulls Grey into the building, but the moment she passes me by, our eyes still connect in passing, like a fleeting moment of despair … or what-ifs.

I know she hates me.

Rightfully so.

But I still can’t help but wonder what could’ve happened if Mavis hadn’t—

“Don’t talk to him. Don’t go near him,” Apollo suddenly whispers into my ear. “Just stay away. It’s that easy.”

“Take your hand off my shoulder,” I growl. “Before I cut it off.”

He lifts it in the air. “I’m not your enemy, Levi.”

“You invited her,” I retort.

“So what? She’s not your enemy here.”

I groan out loud. “Remind me again why we’re having this party?”

“Just try to have some fun,” he says. “Live a little.” He steals the basket of masks from me. “My turn.”

“I’m gonna go kick that asshole out of this house,” I say.

He frowns. “Who?”

“Grey.”

He snorts. “You can’t.”

“Watch me,” I growl back.

He blocks the entrance. “You. Can’t.”

“Give me one damn good reason.”

“He’s a Phantom.”

My eyes nearly bulge out of my head. “He’s a what now?” I shake my head, throwing the basket of masks aside. “No. No. It’s not happening.”

“It already did,” he says. “He passed the test.”

“You let him go through the initiation?!” I yell, and I shove him. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“Relax. He came to me on his own. Said he wanted to join, so I let him try. Didn’t think he’d actually do it, but he did.”

“Well, undo it,” I yell.

“I can’t, you know that. He’s one of us now.”

“No.” I keep shaking my head because I can’t fucking believe it. “You shouldn’t have fucking let him.”

“Anyone has a shot.”

“He’s not staying one goddamn day in this fucking house,” I growl.

“He’s a Phantom now, with as much privilege as you.”

This is a nightmare come to life. “Fuck no!”

“It’s already done, Levi. It’s out of my hands now.”

I grab him by the shirt and scream up close. “ You let him in!”

“Calm. Down.” He grabs both my wrists. “Before you hurt yourself.”

I jerk free. “I’m not gonna calm down when he’s infiltrated our goddamn Society.” I march past him.

“He’s joined fair and square!” Apollo yells after me.

I sigh out loud and rub my forehead as I head inside.

I’m already done with tonight, and it hasn’t even started.

All because those two came to a party I didn’t know they were invited to.

What was Apollo thinking, allowing Grey to join our Society?

Is he trying to provoke me? Or is he trying to mend things back together when no one asked him to?

I get to the dance floor and lo and behold … there he fucking is, chatting with her friends. It infuriates me so much that I nearly pull my knife from my pocket and throw it at him.

Grey looks me dead in the eyes with that dumb smirk on his face, and I know he can see it.

I know he can see the fury building inside me.

The unquenchable fire he started.

“You can’t hurt him,” Apollo says, pulling my hand from my pocket. “Not now. Not ever. He’s one of us now.”

One of us now.

It’s like Grey’s eyes are saying the same words.

I can’t hurt him.

And he fucking knows.

“Those are the rules,” Apollo adds. “I’m sorry.”

I know the fucking rules.

My own damn father created them.

“Just ignore them for now. Have a drink or two. Dance with a pretty girl, maybe one with big boobs so you won’t be able to see him.” Apollo winks. “Eh, have some fun.”

“Leave me the fuck alone,” I say, grinding my teeth.

He raises his hands and backs off. “I’m just saying, you really don’t want another murder on your hands when half the campus already hates your guts.”

Of course, he’d remind me of my darkest moment to keep me from making another.

But I’ll be damned if we let this fucking weasel into our sacred place.

Grumbling, I make my way to the drinks table and pick up a glass filled with hard liquor, dunking it down in one go.

“Wow, you must be having one shitty night.” It’s a blond-haired guy in a mask, but his affected voice immediately gives him away. It’s Orion Torres, Apollo’s half brother, who doesn’t even belong to the Phantoms, but apparently he goes wherever the party is. “It’s only just begun.”

“Tell me about it,” I say, picking up another drink.

“Normally I’m the one getting shit-faced at all the parties.” He laughs.

“I might join you tonight.”

“Any reason in particular? Beyond your mortal enemy being here, of course.”

“Not that I’d tell you about,” I reply, annoyed he already figured me out even though we barely ever talk.

“I’m not the target of your vitriol, don’t fight with me.” He raises his glass. “I’m all love. Friend, not foe.”

“You’re probably the only one who still says that after what happened.”

“You mean after what you did?” He glugs down a glass of vodka as if it’s easy. “At least, that’s what they all think, right?”

But that comment totally put me off drinking, and I set down my glass. “You don’t know me.”

“You’re right. I don’t. But someone in this room does, and you’re letting her walk away with another guy.”

His words make me do a double take.

How did he …?

He puts down his empty glass and lets out a sigh. “Now that is a tragedy worth writing about.”

He pulls out his notebook and pen.

“Don’t you write my misery into your book, Oreo.”

He gasps. “ Oreo ?”

I snatch his pen away and throw it into the crowd of dancing people.

“Hey! That was a Montblanc! You can’t just throw that away.”

“Have fun finding it in the sea of people. That quest should give you plenty of inspiration,” I retort, walking off before he laments some more.

I don’t need him to lecture me. As if he isn’t the one pining for something he can’t have.

Still, I can’t help but look at the redhaired girl on the dance floor, minding her own business in her glittery green dress, grinding against her boyfriend, and all I can think of is how she is in the arms of the wrong goddamn man.

My fist balls.

He isn’t right for her. He never was.

That weasel has lied his way into her life, I just know it.

He doesn’t deserve her, doesn’t know what he’s got, and doesn’t appreciate what she gave to him.

She should’ve been mine.

And if I can’t have her, then neither can he.

Aspen

If I’m going to be forced to come to a party to keep Apollo from blabbing his mouth, then at least I’m going to enjoy myself and dance to my heart’s content.

I curl myself into Grey’s body, and he wraps his arms around my neck as we sway to the music, slowly losing ourselves to the moment.

My friends are having the time of their lives, and no one is bothered by the fact that it’s a Phantom-run party.

I’m glad Ivy left Silas at the Skull and Serpent Society to seethe by himself.

I have enough on my mind to worry about without Silas trying to kill everyone, because that would definitely start a murder chain we have to explain to the cops, or worse … our parents.

“I love dancing like this with you,” Grey whispers in my ear, breaking my chain of thought. He presses a sweet kiss to my neck, and a stupid grin forms on my face because I feel so goddamn good about myself when he’s all over me like that.

I turn around and wrap my arms around him, kissing him because I can, because it feels good, because he is mine and I am his, and I don’t need any other reason to kiss this man.

His lips are sweet and tantalizing and so incredibly gentle with me, it’s out of this world, and I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve him.

When our lips unravel, I smile. “I’m gonna go grab us some drinks. Have a preference?”

“Rum and Coke, if they have it,” he replies.

I nod and peck him on the cheek before leaving him on the dance floor with Ivy and Océane.

I make my way to the drinks table through the crowd and take a much-needed breather.

The night may have started badly with having to face Levi, but it doesn’t mean the rest of the party is ruined.

And I’m glad he disappeared out of my sight so I don’t have to worry about accidentally causing my own murder chain.

I grab some cups and fill them with drinks. There’s rum and Coke, and I mix it all up, hoping Grey will like it. But when I pick them up, my eyes find a masked individual in the back of the room with a hoodie on, staring right at me with bright red eyes.

It’s him.

The cups immediately drop to the floor.

Shit!

I pick them up and step out of the liquids, but when I look up again, the masked man is nowhere to be seen.

How did he so easily disappear into the crowd?

“What’s wrong?” Orion, Apollo’s half brother, approaches and grabs some new cups for me, filling them up. “What did you see?”

“Uh …” I swallow away the lump in my throat. “Nothing. I’m just frazzled because of all the masks, that’s all.”

He tucks his long blond hair behind his ear. “Seeing ghosts?”

All the blood drains from my face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He hands me the cups. “I meant, if you saw someone you recognized.”

“Oh … um, maybe. I don’t know. I don’t even know what I’m doing here, to be honest.”

“What?” He frowns. “Then why are you here if you don’t want to be?”

I roll my eyes. “Apollo basically forced me to.”

“Apollo?” He narrows his eyes. “Interesting.”

Shit. I may have said too much.

I take a sip of my drink, which is so goddamn alcoholic I nearly choke. “Jesus.”

“Sorry, I like my drinks with a little bit of zest to them. Want me to redo it?”

“No, it’s fine. Thanks.”

I walk away before he continues his interrogation, but I still feel off.

That guy who was watching me through the crowd … was definitely my Ghost.

And he’s definitely here for me.

I take another sip of my drink, the burn in my throat keeping me from roaring out loud. I need to find this goddamn Ghost before he finds me. But where?

Putting the two drinks down on a table, I scan the room, looking for his hoodie, those red eyes, but I can’t see him anywhere. The music blasts in my ears, distracting me, and I wish I could tune it out so I could focus better.

It doesn’t help that the only lights on the dance floor are flickering beams.

He could be anywhere right now.

Maybe even right behind me.

Sweat rolls down the back of my neck as a finger slowly slides around, and I reach into my pocket for the small knife I carry with me everywhere, but another hand in my pocket stops me from pulling it out.

The familiar whisper makes my skin prick. “Try, and I will make sure it ends up in your boyfriend’s neck.”

Oh God.