Kings of Anarchy (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #3) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,122

of holding my girl in my arms," he joked and I smiled at him. "Then I'd have to gut him for making me miss out on you."

"You wouldn't realise I was missing from your life if that was the case," I pointed out.

"Naw, I missed you my whole life, Tatum Rivers. That hole in me would have just gotten wider and wider, filled with whiskey and second rate pussy until I put a gun to my head out of sheer boredom."

"Jesus, don't say that." I smacked his arm and he grinned widely.

"I won't sweeten the truth. Not ever." He shrugged then pushed his fingers into my hair as he gazed at me, drinking me in. "And the filthy, rotten core of it is…you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I won't let you go. I'm your captor, baby, but your mine too. And I say we both throw away the key and stay in each other's cages forever."

***

"I don't even understand how they can be all over her like that. Especially Blake. His mom died from the Hades Virus for god's sake," Pearl Devickers' voice carried to me from the stacks as I sat in my favourite spot in the library by the large window that overlooked the lake.

Mila looked up as she heard her too, frowning at me across the table. We were out of sight here, their conversation clearly meant to be private.

"I know," Georgie huffed. "There go my dreams of being prom queen with Kyan Roscoe."

"Firstly, I'd be prom queen," Pearl jested. "And Blake would be my king. I'd pick Saint, but I'm not really into freaky stuff and Candice Norrington said he fucked her mouth so hard two years ago that she had to get her tonsils removed after and still has problems swallowing. Not my bag."

My hand was tight around my pen and Mila gave me an expression that told me to ignore them. But screw that.

"Maybe this is all some long term plan. Like they're gonna make her fall in love with them then rip her heart out by hosting an orgy for every girl in school at The Temple," Georgie suggested and they both fell into hysterics.

"You're right, it has to be that," Pearl agreed.

"I guess they could be taking pity on her since her dad died though," Georgie said thoughtfully.

"The guy was a psycho who unleashed a fucking plague on the world. She's trapped us all in this place until they find a vaccine. And frankly, I'm not sticking any kind of shit in my body even if they do come up with one. The government will use it as an opportunity to put trackers on all of us."

I stood up, rounding the corner into the stacks as I lost my cool and Georgie's eyes widened as she spotted me, making Pearl wheel around to find me there behind her.

"Why would the government want to track you, Pearl?" I asked icily. "I'm sure they have far more important things to be doing than watching you take multiple trips to the Botox clinic."

"Have you been eavesdropping on us, Plague?" Pearl hissed at me.

"It's hard to miss your shrill voice when you're standing within five feet of me." I strode toward her and was pleased when she cowered, backing into Georgie in alarm. "If you talk about my Night Keepers, my dad, or me again, I'll have you outcast into the Unspeakables."

Her powder pink lips fell open. "You don't have the power."

"Want a bet?" I growled, taking my phone from my pocket and making a show of me bringing up Saint's number to call.

"Okay, okay," Pearl blurted. "But it’s not like I'm saying anything the whole school doesn't know anyway."

Georgie tried to hush her, but Pearl clearly didn't have as much control over her tongue, even with this threat hanging over her. I wouldn't actually do it. Pearl might have been a rude bitch, but she hadn't done anything that would serve her a place amongst the Unspeakables.

"I'm going to say this once and if I hear you contradicting it again, I'll make the call to Saint and make sure you’re named Liar as an Unspeakable." I got into her personal space, my upper lip peeling back. "My dad is innocent. The Night Keepers know that as well as I do."

I turned my back on her, about to stalk away when her foolish tongue ran away with her once again.

"Was innocent," she corrected, her voice biting, aimed to hurt. "You can't