Page 34 of Wicked Games (Silvercrest U #1)

KILLIAN

I’m in a shitty mood by the time I head up to my room at six thirty.

The twins, Xave, and I spent most of last night doing damage control after some shit went down at Rebel House.

We don’t even know exactly what happened, just that there was a security breach, and the entire building needed to go into lockdown to deal with it.

Unlike my cousins, I didn’t get a fun job last night. Jace spent his time working with Axel and doing their computer nerd stuff to fortify what was left of our security system, and Jax and Xave were tasked with doing security checks and gathering whatever evidence they could find.

I got stuck rounding up the many visitors to the house and making sure they got their asses out of there without them knowing there was a problem.

Most of them were easy enough to deal with and just needed to be escorted to the door and kicked out, but a few were either too high or drunk to listen, or they were too nosy for their own good.

Those guests needed a bit of a firm hand to get them to leave, and I ended up carrying a few of the more uppity female guests out of the house when they tried to pull the whole “Do you know who I am?” or “Do you know who I’m fucking?

” like that was enough to make them privy to our business.

Today was a bit better, but not by much. Instead of spending my day lounging in bed and resting up for the party tonight, I was running around campus delivering messages and doing whatever jobs I was given until it was time to set up for the party an hour ago.

Luckily my status gives me the privilege of not having to do any of the actual setup for events, and after doling out a list of tasks to various initiates, I finally had enough time to grab something to eat at the dining hall, then head upstairs to make sure my stepbrother heeded my warnings and was in my room long before the party started.

When I reach my door, I push it open.

Felix is sitting on his bed in an oversized hoodie and a pair of sweats, his earbuds in and his phone in his hand.

He looks over as I close the door, and I scowl when I see that damn blank mask on his face again.

I wait as he pulls his earbuds out and taps on his phone a few times.

“What were you listening to?” I ask as I head over to my side of the room.

“A podcast.”

“About what?”

The corner of his mouth tips up in a small smile, but his eyes are still eerily blank. “True crime.”

“Are you one of those people who listens to those to relax?” I ask and strip off my shirt.

“No.” He traces his eyes over my chest and arms, but instead of the usual flare of heat, there’s nothing. “I listen to them to figure out how they could have gotten away with it.”

“That’s what Jax does,” I say absently and root through my drawer for a shirt.

The dress code for the party is simple but strict.

White t-shirts, white pants, white socks and sneakers, and a white mask.

All hair must be pulled back if it’s long enough.

No makeup or any sort of jewelry other than plain body piercings are allowed, and the only part of your face you’re allowed to expose is your mouth.

It’s the same dress code as every year, only the color changes. Last year everyone wore black, the year before it was red. This year it’s white.

The fake smile drops from Felix’s face as I toss my clothes onto the bed.

“I’m going to take a shower.” I give him a pointed look. “Don’t move until I get out.”

He nods, just a clipped tick of his head, and fixes his eyes on something outside his window.

I shake off the urge to ask him what’s wrong and make a beeline for the bathroom.

I’m distracted as I take my shower, and it isn’t until I’m pulling my jeans back on that I see I have a text from Nico.

Nico : second shift

Killian : understood

I open my group text with my cousins.

Killian : what shift are you on?

Their answers come one after the other.

Jace : 1 st

Jax : first

Xave : 3

After what happened at the house last night, Nico informed us that everyone who was in the know about the breach would have to do security shifts during the party tonight.

I was supposed to be on the first shift with the twins, but it looks like I’ve been bumped to the second.

Whatever. It’s not that big a deal. It just means that instead of spending the first hour of the party doing security rounds and making sure people are following the rules, I’m now going to be doing that during the second hour.

That also means I have to stay sober until after my shift is over, but considering the party goes all night, that’s also not a big deal.

Between the breach last night, trying to figure out who’s after Felix, and all the shit with Natalie, I’m really not in a party mood.

Usually this would be the perfect excuse to get as fucked up as possible and forget all about my troubles while indulging in some of my many desires.

Tonight it feels more like a chore than an escape, and that takes all the fun out of it.

Felix is still in the same spot I left him when I come out of the bathroom, and a strange warmth fills my belly at his obedience. My eyes fall to the mess of hickeys and visible bite marks on his neck. He looks good with my marks. Too good.

I tear my eyes from his throat and stalk over to my side of the room. “Did you shower?”

“No.”

“Do you have everything you need?” I toss my phone on the bed and pull off the towel I wrapped around my waist.

He doesn’t look away, but the usual heat and appreciation I’ve gotten used to seeing aren’t there as he traces his gaze over my naked body. “Yeah.”

I don’t like the irritation I feel at his lack of interest, and that only sours my already bad mood.

Felix is silent as I pull on my clothes and slip my feet into a pair of white sneakers.

“I thought phones were forbidden?” he asks when I slip my phone into my pocket.

“They are for everyone else.” I go to my closet to get my mask.

He stays quiet as I retrieve it and close the doors.

“I have to go,” I say when the silence between us stretches.

“Okay.” His tone is dismissive, but the two spots of soft pink painting his cheekbones give away that he’s not as uninterested as he seems.

“Don’t even think of leaving this room until I come back.” I pin him with a look.

“Fine.”

I don’t like that answer, but I let it go. I have enough crap on my plate right now. I’ll deal with him and his mood later. As long as I know he’s safe in our room, I’ll be able to focus enough to do my damn job, and that’s all that matters right now.

“The party starts in an hour,” I tell him, not sure why I’m still talking. “But I have to go supervise the setup and make sure things are on schedule.”

He doesn’t say anything, and I have the insane urge to walk over and shake him. To demand he stop hiding from me.

Instead I tuck the strings of my mask into my back pocket. “Ignore anyone who knocks on the door. If it isn’t me, they don’t exist.”

“Okay.”

Irritation fills me as he blinks at me unseeingly, like he’s looking right through me.

I grab my keychain and work one of the keys off the loop.

“What are you doing?” he asks, finally giving me more than a one-word answer.

“What do you think?” I say, my irritation as clear as a bell in my tone.

“I don’t know. That’s why I asked.”

“Call it an insurance policy.” I toss the rest of my keys in my bedside table and shove the drawer closed.

“Insurance policy?” His tone is bored, but there’s an edge under it as some of his true feelings about what’s going on crack through his carefully controlled demeanor.

“Ever heard of a master key?”

He nods, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“Think of this like one of those. But instead of it being able to unlock any lock, it does the opposite.”

He scrunches up his forehead in confusion.

“This can lock any room in the house from the outside, and it can only be unlocked with the same key.”

His eyes widen, but he schools his features back into that damn neutral expression and leans back against his headboard. “You’re going to lock me in here?”

“Yep.”

“Isn’t that a safety hazard? What if there’s a fire?” He flicks his gaze to the window. “We’re on the third floor. I can’t exactly jump to escape burning to death.”

“The sprinklers and fire system will kick in if there are any issues,” I say. “And the smoke would get you long before any flames did, so burning to death really isn’t your biggest worry here.”

“Awesome,” he deadpans.

“Just don’t be an idiot, and there won’t be any problems. Got it?”

He nods.

“I have to go,” I repeat stupidly.

“’Kay.”

I stand there for a few more beats, but he just looks out the window, silently dismissing me.

Anger and something dark and ugly curls in my chest, and I leave without saying another word. Using my master key, I lock the door, then give it a little test to reassure myself that he’ll be safe.

I don’t know what the fuck is going on with me tonight or why I feel so off-kilter, but I try to shake off the feeling of unease that settles around me as I step away from my door and head downstairs.

I just need to get through this damn party, and everything will be fine.