Page 162 of Broken by my Bully

“Relax, Heavenly,” he says, stepping closer. “You made your point back there.”

“Stay back.” I wiggle the flashlight again when Kai steps closer still.

“Just being neighborly.”

But other than beating him to a pulp with the flashlight, there’s nothing I can do to stop him when he grabs a duffel bag in each hand and heads for the sorority house.

I don’t recognize the bags. Are they Bastian’s? My clothes have been in trash bags for the past few weeks. There’s still a mortified blush on my cheeks when Kai stops in the foyer and looks back at me.

“Where do these go?”

“Right here’s fine.” I hurry over and snatch at the handles, trying to tug them out of Kai’s grip.

“Nah. Couldn’t let a cutie like you hurt yourself with these heavy things.” He tips his chin toward the stairs. “Lead the way.”

We’re alone down here.

It’s gone past ten already, and I’m guessing most of the sorority house is asleep or getting ready for bed.

The stupidest thing you can do in a horror movie is go up the stairs, or down into the basement. But those guys usually have an evil spirit or an ax-murderer to deal with.

I have an unpredictable Kai.

Even I’ll admit murder is a bit dramatic.

My choices are to run out the front door, into an even more deserted street, or head upstairs, where at least there will be a bunch of sorority sisters to hear me scream.

The ornate crystal chandelier above us casts a soft, warm light on Kai’s head, picking out golden strands in his wild brown hair. Turns his tan a shade darker until the whites of his eyes seem to glow. Which is weird, because I know he’s stoned, so his eyes should be red.

Fuck. He’s so handsome it hurts.

One side of his mouth is quirked up, and it looks so much like the permanent little smirk he used to wear when we were young. Always so fucking full of himself. Couldn’t teach kid Kai a damn thing.

But I did.

He used to love killing things before he met me. Insects, reptiles, small rodents. Not in a cruel way. But like he was disposing of pests.Said his mother couldn’t stand that kind of stuff in their trailer. He and Ezra had to keep the place critter-free.

I never really paid him much mind. Insects creep me out, so no loss there. And one less snake in the world was one less chance of getting bitten and dying.

But then he killed a squirrel.

I loved squirrels.

Kai had never believed me until he shot one down off a tree with his slingshot.

I was inconsolable.

I’ll never forget how stunned he looked as I mourned that squirrel. The slack-jawed fascination as I dug out a little grave and buried it. The wreath of flowers I laid on top. How I sat there, sobbing, until the rain had drenched us both and my teeth were chattering together from the cold.

He never did it again.

At least, not when I was around.

I taught him to be kind to animals.

He taught me to be kind to myself.

Staring up at him now, I wish we could just go back to the woods. Back in time, to when we were so young.