Page 12 of Merciless Prince
4
Shay
I staredat the sinister words on the mirror, chest rising and falling in short, panicky breaths. It felt as if all the blood had been drained from my body and ice water had poured in to replace it.
Who the hell wrote this message, and why?
When I could finally breathe properly again, I stepped forward and squinted at the red writing. From a couple of feet away, it looked like blood, but I saw now that it was just lipstick.
I shook my head and let out a shaky laugh, suddenly feeling foolish.Of course.Cori had mentioned that this floor was filled with drama department students, so someone had probably sneaked in here earlier and written the message as a stupid prank. It was totally something that a couple of bored film students would do to scare some of the freshmen, especially if they were into the horror genre.
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed some toilet paper and wiped off the message. I needed to go to the Student Services office and ask them for a door code change, because someone else in this building obviously knew how to get into my dorm. Even if they only entered my room before I moved in to play a silly prank on me and had no intention of doing it again, it still made me uncomfortable knowing that they could technically walk back in at any time.
I glanced at my phone. It was just after half past two, which meant the Student Services office would be teeming with people—confused freshmen who needed help finding their dorms, students whose timetables needed fixing before Monday, and helicopter parents who wanted to know why their son or daughter didn’t get the room they asked for in the most sought-after residential hall.
I twisted my lips as I considered my next move, and I wound up deciding to unpack my suitcase instead of heading out just yet. My little code issue could wait a couple of hours. Besides, if anyone tried to get into my room again anytime soon, I’d know about it because I was right here to catch them.
I set up my laptop on the desk opposite my new bed, and then I set about unpacking the clothes and shoes I’d brought with me. When I went into the bathroom to unpack my toiletries and hair products, I heard more thumping from the dorm above me. Loud music was playing, too.
With an irritated sniff and a major eyeroll, I left my dorm and trudged upstairs to find 308. The music spilling out of the room was so loud I could barely hear myself think.
I narrowed my eyes and rapped on the door. It swung open a moment later to reveal—
“Killian,” I said, mouth practically dropping open at the sight of him.
He raised a brow, leaned one arm against the doorframe and smiled down at me. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
His smile was movie-star perfect. Intimidatingly so. I couldn’t decide if it was sexy or sinister.
Definitely sexy,a treacherous part of my brain purred.Beyond sexy. Godlike, really.
I hated to admit it to myself, but that part of my brain was correct. The sight of Killian’s face never failed to suck the air clean from my lungs, and a telltale tingling between my thighs let me know how easily my body would betray me every time I was forced to stand within five feet of him.
Even his damn forearms were sexy. Especially when his shirt sleeves were partially rolled up like they were now, showing off his tanned skin and thick, taut…
Stop it,I chided myself.
I cleared my throat as I tried to tamp down the blazing attraction I felt toward Killian. “Uh… what areyoudoing here?” I asked. “I didn’t think any seniors lived in this hall.”
“They usually don’t. But there was a fire in my hall last semester, and they still haven’t patched up all the damage, so a bunch of us are over here now,” he replied.
“Oh.” I frowned and looked past him to see several other guys in his room, along with four girls. All of them had a beer in hand, except for one girl who was sucking on a candy-pink vape pen. “Well, I can see you’re having a little housewarming party, but I was wondering if you could keep it down. You guys are being really loud.”
Killian’s smile faded. He scratched at his jaw and leaned a little closer. “Maybe you should take a look in the mirror, Shay,” he said in a low voice.
I felt a flush of heat in my cheeks, followed by a cold prickling across my scalp. What was he trying to say? Washethe one who left that message on my mirror?
“Uh… what do you mean?” I asked, taking a short step backward.
“He’s saying you’re a hypocrite,” another guy said, joining us by the door. “We all heard you screaming from downstairs a while ago. Or was that someone else?”
My cheeks flushed hot again. “Something scared me.”
“Well, you were loud as hell. Way worse than us,” the new guy said. He was clearly drunk, swaying slightly and slurring his words. “So kindly shut the fuck up and get out of here.”
“Excuse me? I was just—”
He cut me off. “I’m just messing with you. We’re good,” he said with a lazy grin. “Who are you, anyway? You friends with Kill?”
