Page 15 of Lady Killer

Alister: Need to talk. Meet across the quad in five minutes.

I hadn’t seen any of the Blackwell men since the twins had dropped me off at the hotel at the beginning of the winter break. When the time had come for me to return to campus, they’d sent a driver for me, an excruciatingly uncomfortable experience.

Now, apparently, I was supposed to hurry along at their command like a good girl.

Alister: If you are late, I will send Everest in to get you.

I wasn’t sure if Alister was a mind reader or if he was spying on me again, but his threat worked. Anything to keep Everest out of my dorm and away from Autumn.

Me: Fine.

Making up another lie, I told Autumn I needed to run to the library to pick up a book and promised that I would grab her for dinner that evening. Once she’d disappeared into the building and out of sight, I marched across the marshy quad, finding Alister leaning against one of the old oak trees near Gabriel College House.

He looked as unrepentantly handsome and impassive as ever.

His dirty blond hair was swept cleanly back, and he wore his usual dark colors—an oversize black woolen moto jacket paired with a charcoal knit turtleneck, dark jeans, and black boots. With one foot propped up against the tree and his hands in his pockets, Alister looked like he could be a model for European menswear.

The Blackwell boys may have been monsters, but they knew how to dress.

“What do you want?” I wasn’t interested in playing any of his games today.

Alister scowled before quickly schooling his features. “You would think saving your life would entitle me to a warmer reception, Luz.”

“Considering that it’s your brother who wants me dead, you’ll forgive me if I feel less than gracious.”

He pushed off the tree, his dark blue eyes bearing down on me. “Would it not be wiser to be kind to the man standing between you then?”

“Lucian and I have a deal. Are you saying that your brother is not a man of his word?”

“I am saying none of us are the type of men you want to push, petite diablesse.”

“Please,” I said, not bothering to hide the fatigue and frustration in my voice, “just tell me what you want, Alister. I spent the break hiding out like you wanted me to, I’ve agreed to work with you to find the killer, so just tell me what you want so I can be on my way.”

Yes, I was conveniently ignoring the kiss we’d shared last term, and what I suspected about Melody, but I couldn’t allow my attraction to him to influence me. My to-do list for the term was long enough that I didn’t need to addPlay games with Alister.

“What I want . . .” He scoffed before stopping, his lips pursed.

Huffing through his nostrils, he pinched his eyes shut and I swear I could hear him slowly counting to ten in his head before releasing a slow breath.

When he opened his eyes, any trace of the previous emotions he’d been experiencing were wiped from his face, like a blank slate.

“I’m here to warn you,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Everest will be back on campus tomorrow, and now that you’ve been formally introduced, he’ll be much less . . . restrained around you.”

“Fantastic,” I muttered under my breath. It was one thing to text the self-proclaimed serial killer; it would be another to explain his presence to Autumn.

Alister opened his mouth to say something before snapping it shut and thrusting a USB into my hand.

“What’s this?”

“Everything I was able to find on Aaron and his friend Melody.”

My mouth hung open. “Why did you—‍”

“Best of luck,” he said curtly before stalking away, leaving me confused.

As I watched his back, the smallest part of me felt guilty about upsetting him, but the rest of me quickly squashed those thoughts down.

Still, something shifted uncomfortably inside me as I rolled the small device in my palm.

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