attack.
"I have issues with the rules about me making all the breakfasts and having no control over my clothes," Tatum began but she paused as she looked my way and I forced myself to hold her gaze as I fought not to crack a tooth. "But...maybe we can just agree that I'll get a bit of help with the breakfast clean up and that I can have some say on the clothes...some days."
I knew that what she was really saying was that she intended to start picking her own clothes on the days the others had control over her and I knew I should have argued against it, but at this point it felt like the world was caving in and I knew the others didn’t really give a shit about those things the way I did. Kyan and Blake were so pussy blind that they might vote with her against me, and then I wouldn't even be able to dress her on my own days. That was utterly unthinkable so I just gave a curt nod which was as close to agreeing with the idea of playing fast and loose with the rules as I could get.
No one had anything else to disagree with so I turned the page in my notebook and carefully wrote out the amended rules.
We all belong with each other exclusively.
Tatum is allowed two hours of undisturbed study time at the library on every weekday.
Tatum is allowed one friend who we cannot be a dick towards.
Once a week we all eat pizza for dinner without cutlery.
Tatum may select her own seat in class.
Tatum will sleep in a Night Keeper's bed every night on rotation and they will have priority over her for 24 hours (6pm - 6am).
Tatum will cook breakfast for us in the mornings.
Tatum will wear the clothes selected for her by the Night Keeper who has possession of her that day.
Tatum will do as we say without complaint unless it conflicts with any of the above rules.
"Are the rules really necessary at all anymore?" Blake asked as I shoved them towards him for his signature.
"Just sign them and let's finish this fucking meeting," I snapped as I pushed myself to my feet.
Kyan made a joke about me keeping my panties on and I snarled at him as I turned and strode away. I could feel their eyes on me as I went but I didn't care. We'd covered the things we needed to discuss.
"Just leave the rules on the table for me once you've all signed them," I commanded as I made it to the door and I pushed my feet into my shoes. "I'll laminate them once I come home."
I stepped out into the cold as Kyan started laughing, the anger in my veins heating to the point where I either needed to find my own outlet for it or I was going to start a damn brawl with all of them and I didn't need that shit right now. I needed to calm down. I needed to get out of my own head and find a way to stop the frantic pounding of my heart.
I knew exactly why it was racing, too. Not that I wanted to think about that too much. But the rules which had been keeping me away from Tatum had just been severed with a finality that I couldn't ignore. The question was, would I take advantage of that?
Clearly I wanted to. No, fuck that, I didn’t want to. I ached to, hungered to, fucking needed to. This obsession I had with her was only growing stronger and I felt like I'd been denying myself of her for far too fucking long already. But I also knew that I was poison. The closer she got to me, the deeper I'd delve into her body and infect her soul. And even I knew that doing so would be the most selfish act I'd ever committed.
I strode up the path to Ash Chambers and made my way inside with a growl of frustration as I headed for the grand piano. I needed to lose myself in the movement of my fingers across the keys and drown this frustration in music.
I flicked on the low lights as I entered the cold room where the grand piano sat waiting for me in the shadows like a constant and stoic old friend looking forward to my return.
There was something undeniably comfortable about the enormous instrument, in knowing that there was little to