Page 66 of Liars

A hand yanked me back, breaking my focus. Maddox.

“That’s enough!” he barked, shoving me backward.

I turned on him, fists clenched, chest heaving. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I roared. “You just stood there!”

Maddox’s usual smirk was gone, replaced by something colder. “It was just a game, Kreed. You’re the one who lost his damn mind.”

“She’s not a game,” I seethed, my voice low, venomous. “Or have you forgotten the rules?”

Maddox’s jaw tightened. “Fuck the rules.”

Tension crackled between us. Every muscle in my body coiled, ready to snap, but before I could say another word, a soft voice cut through the silence.

“Kreed…”

I turned. Kaylor stood there, her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold the pieces together. Her lips trembled, her eyes shiny with unshed tears, but behind the fear was something else. Something sharp.

Anger.

I grabbed her jacket off the floor and held it out. “Let’s go.”

She hesitated, then reached for me, her fingers cold and shaking as they slipped into mine. For once in her life, she didn’t argue. Thank fucking God. I was in no mood for shit. Not right now.

Despite how incredibly good it felt to beat the crap out Bodie, it only fueled the need for violence simmering within me. That had only been a taste, and the darkness wanted a whole damn meal. I only hoped my control would win, that I had enough willpower to push the craving aside and bank the fire.

My grip tightened around her hand as I led her past Maddox and the others. Their eyes burned into my back, but I didn’t look. I didn’t care. My skin was still buzzing with the need to finish what I started, to put Bodie through the wall a third time.

But the worst part? The sick part? That wasn’t even the real fight raging inside me.

This—her—was the real problem.

As we climbed the stairs, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. Maddox had pretty much declared open season on the new girl tonight. My coming to her rescue also sent a message. It just wasn’t a message I was sure I was comfortable with. I had to figure out what to do with her. I could give her to the wolves, or I could make her part of the pack.

Regardless of which I chose, someone would object. Maddox. Mason. Kaylor. My father.

I had no business touching her. No business caring. Yet here I was, dragging her out like she meant something to me. Like I had some kind of claim.

I clenched my jaw, needing to get my head straight. “Are you okay?”

She blinked at me, doing everything in her resolve to hold the tears I knew were there behind her trembling lip at bay.

“Dumb question,” I mumbled. Of course, she wasn’t okay. Any idiot could see how upset she was, but I also detected something else. Anger. I wasn’t the only one with fire in their veins. Good. She would need the grit and more if she wanted to survive until her eighteenth birthday. Tonight only gave her a glimpse of what she could expect from being tangled up with us.

“I’m fine,” she lied, forcing a smile, but I could see the fear still lingering in her eyes.

“Bullshit. But we can pretend otherwise. At least until we get you out of here. Where’s your mask?”

“I don’t know. I dropped it somewhere down—” Her voice broke off as if she couldn’t bring herself to mention the cellar or what happened.

My fingers forked through my hair. What a fucking way to end this night. Hell, it had barely begun, but honestly, I no longer wanted to be here. My mood soured, and the crowd of people only made me antsy. I craved the night. The silence. The cold air.

As we neared the exit, a figure stepped into our path—Poppy.

“Shit, Kaylor, are you okay?” she asked, reaching for her hand only to realize I still had it.

And I wasn’t letting go.

“Not now,” I snapped, not caring how harsh I sounded. This girl and I weren’t exactly friends to begin with.

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