Page 41 of Thorns of Silence

I smiled despite the destructive energy bubbling inside me with the need to dish out his punishment right fucking now. I grabbed him by the collar, hauling him up in the air.

“Phoenix Romero belongs to me.” Baptiste’s eyes shone with unbounded fear. Fucking finally. He fucked up majorly and messed with the wrong person. “I’ll make you a deal.”

He jerked his head up and down, hope blooming in his eyes. I’d make sure he hurt, but I wouldn’t kill him.

I didn’t get off on violence, but I needed it to release the pent-up rage brewing within me. Violence was my purging method, and I’d searched high and low for another method to replace it with. A more peaceful one. Like a fuck with Phoenix. My instinct flared—or maybe warned—that she’d be enough to soothe all my demons.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” I stated. He’d made two mistakes and there wouldn’t be a chance for a third one. Fuck with me, fine. Fuck with my girl and you were a dead man. “I’ll punish you for daring to come near Phoenix and having the audacity to touch her ass. There’ll be no piano playing for you anymore.” The guy wasn’t that good anyhow. The only reason he was in the orchestra was due to a generous contribution his big brother made to the school. He bought his place, while my girl earned it.

And so, I beat the fuck out of him. I spent the next half hour breaking every single one of his fingers, then his wrists. He screamed and cursed, so I had figured he had enough energy to be waterboarded.

“I always keep my promises,” I drawled as I held a bucket of water over his whimpering face.

SEVENTEEN

PHOENIX

Iwoke up with a start, a familiar scent all around.

Dante Leone, that creepy stalker, had been in my fucking room.Again!

I bolted every door and window and I still smelled him in my space every morning. It was freaking me out. There was no doubt that something wasverywrong with him.

I slid out of bed, almost fighting the urge to look at my nightstand. Slowly, I turned around and cringed seeing the note and a single yellow dandelion.

My eyes jumped around the room while I let out silent curses. I stared at the note and flower like it was covered in acid.

Curling my fists, I let out a shaky breath. A week had gone by since my first disastrous date with Baptiste. A week since I’d seen that batshit crazy man and taken a can of mace to his unforgivable eyes. But the psycho stalker was still watching me. I felt those eyes on me wherever I went.

However, the fucking idiot I was, I couldn’t resist pissing him off. So, I went on five dates over the past week. I was exhausted, and judging by the love note I woke up to this morning, Dante Leone was pissed off.

I plucked the flower and the note from my nightstand, clutching them in the palm of my hand and reading:

I warned you, dandelion. There are no other men for you. I hope you weren’t attached to Baptiste, because he’s no more.

Seething, I ripped it apart, imagining it was him I was shredding to tiny little pieces, shoving the dandelion down his throat.

I reached for my phone and shot a message to Baptiste.

Can you let me know that you’re okay?

Dante wouldn’t kill him. Right?

The audacity of that fucking asshole. Maybe Dante had been stalkerish and unhinged all along but I was just too naive and blind to see it.

I had only just gotten up and exhaustion was already weighing heavily on my heart. And it was allhisfault.

Sighing, I dragged myself out of the room and to the kitchen where I found my friends. I slumped down on the barstool, meeting their curious glances. I didn’t want to alarm them about my nightly intruder, so he would remain my secret.

The same as it had been two years ago.

The dull ache in my chest flared, but I quickly smothered it.

Isla clapped her hands. “Today’s the day. Let’s wake up Reina and surprise her with our plan.”

“She got home late,” Raven signed. “It will be a pain to wake her up.”

“Very late,” Athena added.