Page 107 of G.O.D.S Omnibus

“Kai can tattoo?”

“He can. And so can Chester, though he doesn’t do many tattoos; he is kind of weird about it, but his art is amazing. So we all generally go to Kai—he is more than willing to do anything.”

“Did Kai do Creed’s back tattoo?”

“No, Chester has done all of Creed’s tattoos; they have some kind of freaky bond. Plus, Kai loves colour, hence why we’re all covered in colourful tattoos.”

We drop the conversation and get back to running through techniques to take an attacker down. I know these lessons are for my benefit, to start from the basics, but Trace seems to forget that I learned all this growing up. Now that I remember, it’s only a matter of practise.

The entire day drags on, but the last bell finally rings, and I head straight to the science building. I think I have found a way to get closer to Chester. He has been the hardest to work out.

Creed can read me, but his passion is dead people, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up when I asked to cut someone open. I have spent some time with Brennan, Trace, and Kai already, and I can easily read them. Chester is the enigma; where Marlow was mellow, Chester is different, darker. His pain is visible, lurking behind his whiskey-coloured eyes.

Approaching the staffroom, I hear raised voices coming from inside a nearby classroom. Poking my head in, I see Chester with a student pressed up against the wall, his hand wrapped around his neck. He must hear me gasp because he turns his head slightly.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I yell, rushing towards him. “You’re going to kill him.” I try to pry Chester’s fingers from around the guy’s neck but fail miserably. “Let him go,” I demand.

Chester releases his fingers, and the kid falls to the floor, gasping for breath. “Get out of here, and make sure you keep your eyes to yourself, or next time you’re going to wish for death.”

The kid doesn’t say anything, just scrambles to his feet and runs from the room. Chester and I stand in a stare off, and I blink first.

“Are you going to tell me what that was about?”

“No.”

“You were going to kill him.”

“So?”

“Are you fucking insane? First you kill your brother, now students at the school. What is wrong with your head?” I throw my hands up in exasperation.

“You’re what’s wrong with my head. You’re in there so damn deep and I can’t get you out. Do you know what it’s like to have no control over the way you feel about someone? You’re a fucking stranger to me now, and yet there you are, consuming my thoughts,” he says as he moves in closer to me. “I can smell your scent of cherry blossoms and toffee apples whenever you’re near, and it’s driving me insane. When I close my eyes, your beautiful ocean-coloured eyes stare back into my damn soul. I can’t escape you. I never asked for this.” His chest presses up against me, his heart pounding against my breasts.

I feel it too, and I hate myself for it.

“Do you know how sick it made me feel as a teenager to love you, a young girl? We were told we were your protectors, but my heart literally ached to be with you. That fucked with my head—you were a little girl!”

“I’m not a little girl anymore.” My voice is a whisper.

I now realise I’m going to have to use my body to get close to them, though I’m sure Brennan would have warned them already. I never had training for seducing someone; it came naturally to me. Sex was a way to feel loved. I need Team Zeus on my side to take down Mr Z. They hold all the knowledge and have years of research, but they’re not going to tell me shit unless they can trust me.

Chester’s hands slide up my face and his thumbs hook behind my ears as he leans down and presses his lips to mine. Our mouths move together, starting off slowly, then the kiss quickly turns passionate. His tongue rubs against mine and the feeling of his tongue ring is foreign, but I don’t hate it.

He pulls away abruptly, taking several steps back. “Fuck!” he swears, and mutters a few more unintelligible words under his breath. “You’re damn good. I’ll give you that.”

I snort. “You left yourself open. Me reminding you I’m not a little girl anymore was all it took.”

He stalks back towards me, his demeanour changing instantly. The darkness washes over him like a silk sheet, effortlessly, almost innately.

He backs me up against a wall and he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a flip knife. “Don’t mess with my head. I have no issues ending you.”

He runs the tip of the blade along my collarbone, and I smirk up at him. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself? You want to fuck me, but you know how much I hate you. So you would know if I was seducing you, but why would I want to do that?”

“What is it you want from me, Little Angel?” He runs the tip of the knife across my hardened nipple and a small gasp slips from my lips. “I know you’re turned on. Would you give in to your primal needs, knowing that I might not give you whatever it is you want?”

“Trace said that you’ve done all of Creed’s tattoos, but it’s an intimate process for you. Do I have to fuck you to get a tattoo?”

“What tattoo do you want?”

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