Page 36 of Let the Game Begin

“I-I thought something had happened to you. I heard a loud noise and…” My voice trailed off.

“Nothing happened. It’s best if you just go back to your room,” Logan pressed, and I decided to listen to him. I nodded and apologized, and I was about to walk out the door when Neil let out a wicked laugh that nailed me to the spot, sending shivers down my spine.

I spun around, terrified.

“Yeah, Selene, go back to your room. But come back to mine when you want a ride later. Maybe when you’re drunk.” He gave me an evil wink, and I blushed with shame. Was he crazy? Did he want Logan to figure out what had happened? I paled, unable to speak.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Neil?” Logan cut in obliviously. “Selene, don’t listen to him, he’s not himself right now,” Logan added, scrambling to excuse him.

I tried to walk away, I really did. I was on edge and afraid as Neil approached me. Immediately, I could smell his distinctive scent and I stared at him. Dressed all in black with a cruel expression on his face and both fists clenched, he looked like the devil incarnate. The fresh purple love bite on his neck and his disheveled hair told me he’d just been with someone, which caused a stab of pain in my chest.

“Tigress…” he whispered, his eyes fixed on my mouth. I swallowed and waited for him like a sacrificial victim offering herself up to the executioner.

“Do you want to know what happened with Jennifer the other day?” he asked, and I could feel his breath on my face.

I tried to stay cool, but my legs had started to tremble. Slowly, I turned my gaze to Logan, who was staring fixedly at his brother. I slowly exhaled, aware that any misstep here could endanger me.

“I thought about you while she was trying to blow me.” He walked past me and stopped right behind me. Logan’s eyes narrowed warily while I remained completely motionless.

Neil stood behind me for a few seconds, smelling my hair and gently touching my arm, which grew tense under his provocative touch.

“Do you know what hell really is?” He moved a strand of hair away from the side of my face and blew softly into my ear. I shivered, trying to keep my wits about me, trying to keep breathing.

“Hmm?” he murmured, slowly pressing his pelvis against my butt. I tried to pull myself free, but Neil put a hand on my stomach to keep me plastered against him.

“I don’t think I do,” I managed nervously. I felt trapped against the solid marble of his body, which could have crushed me at any time.

“Hell is a world away. Away from hope, love, trust, and reason. It’s an empty space where all you do is fight to survive among people just as evil as you are.” All at once, he grabbed me by the hair and forcefully pulled my head back. I let out a cry of surprise, and Logan took a step toward us but froze when Neil gave him a warning look.

I squeezed my eyes shut from the pain in my scalp. I wasn’t processing anything. Why was he acting like this? It occurred to me that I didn’t actually know him at all. When I twisted my head slightly to meet his eyes, I found them distant, completely disconnected from reality.

“If my brother wasn’t here…” he whispered in my ear, “I would’ve already pounded you into that bed,” he finished, pressing a brief kiss to my neck. A second later, he let me go roughly, and the only reason I didn’t fall over was because Logan caught me before I could.

“Out,” Neil ordered in a tone that brooked no argument and gestured at the door. Logan and I obeyed him.

I turned one last time before I left the room and saw Neil sitting on the floor in a shadowy corner. He hugged his knees to his chest and wore a lost look on his face. Slowly, he began to rock back and forth, hitting his head against the wall, his hands crawling up to his temples. It was disconcerting to see him like that, suddenly so fragile and vulnerable.

There was no trace left of the confident, menacing young man of just a few moments before.

He looked instead like a lonely and remote child, cast out and suffering.

Logan shut the door, preventing me from continuing to look at him, and I shook myself.

“We should go to bed.” He gave a frustrated sigh. He seemed used to living with that kind of incident.

I, on the other hand, was shaken, unable to even move.

“But…” I didn’t want to go and leave Neil all alone like that. We needed to call someone, maybe a doctor or even an ambulance. He might do something drastic. I was terrified, but Logan seemed significantly calmer than I was. He gave me a searching look as he rested his hands on my shoulders, which still wouldn’t stop shaking.

“He’ll get better. Today was just a bad day.”

His calm tone of voice reassured me even though it was clear that he was also hurting a lot for his brother.

What had happened to him?

One thing was clear to me: hell existed, because I had seen it Neil’s golden eyes.

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