Kings of Anarchy (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #3) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,67

punish her even more.

The war in her eyes didn't take long to play out and as that defiance in her blazed through her gaze, I found myself equally thrilled and enraged.

"I gave some to Mila," she said in a strong voice. "And I gave some to the Unspeakables too before I understood about them – clearly I regret that now. The rest I snuck into the school restrooms."

My hands curled into fists, tightening and loosening as I fought against the urge to flip the fuck out.

"Do you understand the concept of power, Tatum?" I asked her. "The man who owns the power rules the world. Do you know why I'm hoarding toilet paper as if I have the demand of it equal to an elephant with the shits?"

"So that you can maintain control with it by being the only one handing out vital resources?" she guessed with a tone to her voice which suggested that I was an asshole for that move.

"Wrong. Withholding something that someone desperately needs is where the real power lies. You take it, place it in your possession and then get them to behave in the way you require while keeping the reward they most crave close to your heart. That way, you gain true control."

"Like the way you're holding my letters hostage?" she asked with a bitterness to her tone which set the flames of anger in me flaring.

"Well apparently that isn't enough of a hold to have over you. So I think it's time I had you really begging at my mercy to drive the point home." I moved past her on the stairs and caught her hand to make her walk up them at my side.

The clock ticked onto two o'clock as we made it to the top of them and I pointed her towards my nightstand so that she could fetch the pain pills she was so desperate to force upon me.

While she got them, I headed into the closet and selected a set of white lace underwear complete with garter belt and suspenders for her and then chose one of the velvet pouches from the hidden drawer beneath my tie rail.

Tatum was waiting for me as I emerged and I laid the underwear on the bed for her before placing the pouch on the nightstand with a heavy thump so that her attention fell on it.

I beckoned her closer and opened my mouth obligingly so that she could place the pills on my tongue one at a time. Between each, she lifted a glass of water to my lips so that I could wash them down and throughout the entire exchange, I just kept my gaze fixed on hers.

When she finished, she placed the empty glass on the nightstand and looked at me expectantly.

I reached out and brushed my fingertips over her shoulder, slowly skating them down her skin and watching as goosebumps chased the movement until I found the small, silver scar on her forearm. It was no bigger than the pad of my thumb, the swirl of smooth skin looking strangely like a rose. It frustrated me that I hadn't realised what it was sooner. The Hades Virus left marks just like this and with her father's involvement in its creation, it should have been blindingly obvious to me.

I lifted her arm and slowly lowered my mouth to the scar, placing a kiss down on it, running my tongue over it too. I should have hated this blemish on her perfect flesh, but I didn't. This protected her just as thoroughly as I or any of the other Night Keepers were willing to. It was a barrier between her and death.

"I've decided it's time to forward your father's research to my father," I said as I looked up at her, pleased to find her breathing heavier, her teeth sinking into that full bottom lip of hers.

"You...have?" she asked, clearly scrambling to make her mind function on that topic instead of the reaction her body was having to mine.

"I've been over it all. Every last word. And I even read between the lines too. You're immune, aren't you, Tatum?"

"I...how...I know it doesn't mention anything about him testing a vaccine on me in those files," she said, moving to tug her arm out of my grip, but I tightened my fingers on her and refused to let go.

"Of course he didn't. But he detailed the trials he'd been doing and included analysis of the test subjects. There’s clear accounts of the