Compounding Traumas (Artemis University #6) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,26

year like nothing had happened. It boiled my blood, but I knew how to fuck with idiots like her, giving the group a dismissive smirk and glancing at my phone like that was all the attention I’d give them. In truth, I was starting a recording, as I wanted this for leverage later.

Call me pessimistic, but I didn’t think they were gathering to apologize.

“Were flares sent up upon my arrival, or did you all just gather almost a week before classes just to welcome me back?” I mocked as I moved my hand over my heart. “I’m touched. Truly and deeply, I’m touched you’re waiting for me.”

“We’re giving you one chance to make amends before classes begin and—” she started.

“Yeah, not going to happen. I never received any of your apologizes for us to let bygones be bygones.”

“It’s you who needs to apologize,” one of the guys snarled at me.

I’d forgotten his name, but he was one of the guys who had drugged, puppeteered, and gang raped a vampire student glamoured to look like me, and posted the video for all to see. And he had the balls to say I needed to apologize to him? Oh, that was too much.

“So you’ve lost your mind on your hiatus from school,” I chuckled darkly. “For the record, if you come at me again and try to rape me as you wanted last year, I will defend myself by using that celibacy rune so you can’t. I’m clearly stating how things will play out, as your whole crew already owes me a debt, as I warned you what would happen should you ever drug someone.

“You did, drugging and gang raping that poor woman who now lives protected at my haven, and your fucking corrupt, sexist council chastised her while not punishing you as they should. So no, I won’t apologize for shit, and you need to be very, very careful how things are going forward, as I don’t like unpaid debts.”

“Fuck you, bitch,” he snarled, fisting his hands. “Our families lost almost everything. We more than paid any of your fucking debts by—”

“That wasn’t your debt paid, darling,” I purred. “That was the cost to your fathers for protecting and fighting for their sick sons. You brutalized one of your own, a vampire who trusted you, in order to try and slander me because you didn’t even have the balls to come at me head-on. Actions have consequences, and your fathers made their choices. It’s on them what happened to your families. Not me.”

“I will fucking—” he started, stepping towards me in a threatening way.

“Don’t,” Blake warned, moving her arm out to block him. “That’s how she wins. You take a swing at her, and she has all the license she needs to let out her psycho side.”

I smirked at her. “I repeatedly told you to stay down. That wasn’t me being a psycho, Blake, but you being so fucked in the head and full of pride you couldn’t accept I would beat you.”

She shrugged. “You didn’t. I’m here. I will always be here, no matter how many rounds it takes us.”

Ahhh, so she wasn’t updated on the rule changes, so she hadn’t been to pick up her keys or the dorm yet. So they’d portaled over when they got word I came to campus. I couldn’t even hold back a smile at how pathetic that was, and they didn’t even get it.

I chuckled. “Things change, Blake. You don’t have as much power as you think.” I waved off what she was going to say next. “How does your family like being blacklisted forever from so many desired companies?”

She sneered at me and I knew I’d hit a sensitive spot. “There are always ways around your petty blacklists.”

I snorted. “You’re bluffing to save face. There’s no way around hobgoblin magic like that. I’ve seen it live and in color when someone tried to swipe goods from the bakery I own with them.” I nodded when they glanced between themselves. “The goods turn to ash if touched by someone blacklisted from their business. So no, you haven’t been getting around their ban for being horrible people.”

“My family is a respected elder family,” she snarled. “We have all the respect, and you have none, trash. My grandfather is council and—”

“And yet he apologized to me for your behavior,” I reminded her. “I honestly respected him and Councilman Thane until they were part of that decision that let those rapists and more off with nothing