Page 252 of Satan's Spawn

“Call him off!” I shout at Alexis and she shrugs.

“Why should I, Shore Whore? You started it.”

I take a step toward her, and she holds up a finger.

“Think very carefully about what you’re about to do,Rebecca.” She spits my name out like venom. “Vladdy’s got a thing for me, you see? He does whatever I say.”

Alexis is satisfied when I straighten my shoulders, so she focuses on her manicure.

How insufferable she is—like a thorn in all our fucking sides.

Archer is seen preparing to reason with the unreasonable, all while Crayton throws every threat known to mankind at Alexis and her men. Including shoving his boot up all three of their asses.

“Alexis, I swear to God I’ll call my grandfather right now—get you expelled,” Archer warns. “Call. Your man. Off.”

This makes her snicker, then speak out in their native tongue again, which makesVladdypress the gun harder into Crayton’s head.

“Fucking do it, you piece of shit. Pull the trigger,” Crayton seethes, spitting a ball of saliva onto the metal by the guy’s feet.

“Crayton shut up!” I yell in a panic, and Alexis watches carefully, as if knowing exactly what comes next.

I’m pretty sure we all do.

In true Crayton form, he has very little regard for his well being, and slams the back of his head into the Russian guy’s face, then turns and skillfully disarms him of the gun when he stumbles back.

The guy barely gets the chance to recover before Crayton has the gun aimed at his forehead, taking several steps down.

“A few quick reminders…” Alexis chirps as the other bodyguard whips out his gun…pointing it at Crayton. “Anyone of importance in this school is aware of who my father is, which means they’re also aware of how he reacts to those who make me mad.” She pauses, lifting her chin. “Well, killing Vladdy here will most definitely make me mad.”

Crayton interprets this as a reason to climb back over to Vladimir, pressing the gun into his forehead.

Alexis throws her head back with an exasperated sigh. “You guys can pretend all you want, but you know this can be settled easy peasy—because this lit cigarette match over here,” she side-eyes me, “doesnotbelong at Crayton’s side.”

Saint and Crayton must be mentally linked, because at the same time Crayton nods over his shoulder, Saint reaches into his pocket, pulling out a pointy sort of brass knuckles. His fierce gaze stays on Vladimir as he shifts to Crayton’s side.

And just like that they’ve flipped the script to become the aggressors.

The rest of us, a bated audience.

Saint switches to approaching Vladimir like a ferocious animal, slithering behind him to skate the metal knuckles against his back like it’s a rink. His buddy attempts to advance, but Alexis stops him with a pointed finger.

Crayton’s fury stays on Vladimir. “So tell us, Alexis, who belongs there? Hm?”

Alexis’ eyes light up like a Christmas tree as she watches Crayton lower the gun from Vladimir’s head to under his chin.

“That’s easy, silly…me.”

“You are one delusional bitch.” Crayton shakes his head.

“Straight facts.” Riggs cackles from behind Alexis. “Gonna be pretty hard to be his Stepford wife if you off the motherfucker.”

Leave it to Riggs to crack a joke at a time like this.

Alexis clutches her chest, as if what he’s suggesting is offensive. Like she didn’t just order her goon to hold a gun to Crayton’s head.

“Me? Have Cray…killed?” With wistful eyes darting side to side, Alexis switches the argument from defensive to appalled. “I’m the one who stopped Vladdy from putting a bullet in his head. We are meant…to be…together. I would never want him to leave this world without me.”

A strange shift in the atmosphere has Archer, Hendrix, Riggs, Levi, and even me bouncing our gazes off each other.