Ruthless Valentine (St. Valentines)

5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Phoenix

S weat slickened my body, clinging to every inch of my skin as I crossed the locker room to retrieve my water bottle. You’d think that with it being below freezing in here, it would help with my body temperature, but it did little to nothing. My hands slipped through my dark blonde hair, shoving some of the loose strands back. Twisting the top off my water bottle, I tipped my head back and allowed the cool liquid to snake down my throat.

A hand came down on the back of my shoulder, causing me to choke on my water in surprise. Whirling around, my eyes zeroed in on a set of gray ones. Emmett was our right defender, and he was damn good at what he did. The asshole still managed to get on my nerves despite his capability of playing hockey.

“A couple of us are going out tonight if you and your brother want to show up.” His lips twitched into a smirk, promising nothing but malice. “We’ll be meeting up with some of the sorority girls.”

I was about to tell him to get bent. Partying wasn’t exactly something I considered fun, but he’d caught my attention at the mention of sorority girls. “Really?” I asked with interest. “Will Teagan Bellemont be there?”

A crease formed between his bleached brows. “Who?”

How does nobody know who this bitch is?

“She—” I sighed, shaking my head. “Nevermind. As for your offer, we can’t. We have something to take care of in the morning.” I wasn’t about to pass up torturing our new stepsister, especially after finding out about her relationship to Vivian. If they were close like King suggested, there was a high chance that Vivian told her all about our secret society before she was murdered. We couldn’t let that get out in the open.

Emmett raised an eyebrow. “You sure? There will be tons of naked chicks there, bro. When’s the last time you got laid anyway?”

Annoyance skittered down my spine at his persistence. Couldn’t this asshole take a fucking hint? I wasn’t interested. He must have sensed it in my expression because a nervous laugh rumbled through his chest, and he took a cautious step backwards.

“It was just an offer, man.” He glanced over at King who had just slid up beside me, his eyes raking over our right defender with disinterest. “Maybe next time,” Striker conceded, nodding to himself.

“What was that about?” King asked once we were alone.

I twisted the cap back on my water bottle and pulled my shirt up over my head, a chill skating down my spine from the wave of cold air hitting my newly exposed skin. “Nothing important.” Switching my shirt out for a clean one, I tugged it on before swapping out my pants, too.

King was already changed, his fingers looped through the strap of his backpack that hung loosely over one shoulder. His dark hair was swooped to one side, covering half of his forehead even in its mussed up state.

We were some of the last to exit. Stepping out into the chilly weather, though, it was much warmer compared to the rink.

“So, what’s the plan exactly?” my brother inquired as we started for the dorms.

I spared him a brief glance, shouldering my own bag as we made a beeline across campus. “Plan?”

He rolled his eyes. “With Teagan.”

Tension coiled around my jaw at the mere mention of her name. I’ve been itching for revenge, and since Hayes got to Vivian before any of us could, it was only fair I took out her best friend. After all, Vivian took out mine.

“I think doing this spontaneously will be much more satisfying.” I smirked, cutting my gaze to his. “Don’t you think?”

A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth, something dark cresting over his features—almost like he didn’t like the sound of that at all. His emotions meant little to me, at least when it pertained to this. He was my brother, and we’d always have a bond, but he also needed to understand that Teagan was mine. He could have his fun with her all he wanted, but I would be the shot caller.

We made our way toward our room and slipped inside. My muscles ached from practice, protesting with every movement I made. Rolling my shoulders back, I moved toward my bed and plopped down on it, allowing my back to hit the mattress moments later. Exhaustion immediately threatened to pull me under, but there were too many things that needed done first. First of all, I needed a shower, to pack, and to call my father about the trip tomorrow.

The cabin we’d be going to was ours, but there were a few things we needed from our dad before we could access it.

“When you said spontaneous , what exactly did you mean by that?” King asked, kicking off his shoes near the door.

“Exactly as I meant it.”

He shuffled across the room, his bed creaking beneath his weight as he climbed on top of it. “Like with what happened with Naomi?” he challenged, an edge to his tone that told me he didn’t like that idea in the slightest.

Naomi had been my high school sweetheart. We started dating our sophomore year and both enrolled into St. Valentines University together. She’d been the only girl I’d ever loved. Even despite her betrayal, there was still an ache in my chest, followed by a spike of anger whenever I thought of her.

Long story short, she cheated on me and I caught her in the act with one of the other hockey players. It was the first time, and the last time, that King and I had shared a woman—even if she hadn’t necessarily consented to it. Needless to say, by the time we were done, there wasn’t much left of her to bury.

“Possibly.” I shrugged. “Depends on how much she pisses me off.”

He was silent for a few moments. “What if I don’t think she should die?” His weary eyes met mine, like he was afraid of how I might react to that revelation.

I snorted a laugh. “It’s called a sacrifice for a reason, King. And it was your idea.” I propped myself up on my elbows and raised an eyebrow. “Are you into her or something?”

“I haven’t decided yet. But I’d at least like her to stay alive long enough to decide.”

“Fair enough. But if she knows anything about what happened to Maddox or Vivian—”

He sighed, sweeping a hand through his hair. “I know. If she knows something, we’ll kill her right then and there.”

If he did end up liking our new stepsister, and she did know something about the events that had taken place recently, it would suck. He’s never been interested in a girl before—not like this. He’s gotten laid, but he’s never wanted it to be anything more than that.

Killing her would be unfortunate, but in that instance, it would be necessary. Deep down, he knew it. Hopefully, he didn’t get too attached before we got to the bottom of this.

Personally, I haven’t been with anyone since Naomi. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get pussy. There were girls throwing themselves at me frequently. I just haven’t had the urge in a while. Meaningless hookups didn’t do much for me, not after being in a long-term relationship with someone I thought I’d be with forever.

“It’s for the best,” I added, glancing over at my brother who was staring at the door with a clenched jaw.

King jerked his head in a nod, silently agreeing with me. “I’m not opposed to a little bit of bloodshed. I’m fine with whatever.”

I wasn’t sure how truthful that was. Like me, blood got him off. But he hasn’t indulged in those fantasies in a while, and I did it on occasion. The occult, hockey, and school kept me busy and drained most days, leaving me with little energy for much else.

“Good.” I pulled myself up, planting my feet against the ground. As much as I wanted to pass the hell out, we had a busy day tomorrow and needed to be prepared. A current of anticipation trickled through my veins at the mere thought. Tomorrow, Teagan Bellemont would be completely at our mercy.

It was something I was genuinely looking forward to. It also helped that I had a reason to dislike her—she was associated with Vivian Valentine, after all. The bitch I wanted to kill, but never got the opportunity to.

“Where are you going?” my brother questioned.

“I need a shower.” I shot him a smirk. “You’d be wise to take one, too.” If this shit played out how I expected it to, we’d both need to be clean.

“I feel like you have something up your sleeve.”

I shrugged in response. Nothing was set in stone yet. There were a few ideas whirling around in my mind, but nothing concrete. Until then, I wasn’t saying shit. I drifted over to my dresser, opting to ignore him and collected a change of underwear and socks before slipping my shoes back on.

“Phoenix,” King said sternly as I broached the door. “What do you have planned?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ll know when I do.” I jerked the door open and stepped out into the bustling hallway. A few students were just now getting back from their extracurriculars, while others were heading back from dinner. The cafeteria wasn’t serving yet, but a lot of people chose to go off campus for meals.

I made my way toward the men’s bathroom further down the hall and slipped inside. The room was clouded with steam from the showers and a few naked guys were either talking to one another, in the process of drying off, or getting dressed. I found an empty stall around the corner, setting my clothes on the bench and stripped down, adding my other garments to it since they were still clean.

Teagan invaded my mind as I absently fumbled with the knob in the shower, wincing when cold water pierced through my flesh. I’d be lying if I said she didn’t appeal to me. She was beautiful in an unconventional way, with light brown hair, blue eyes, a dusting of freckles, and sun-kissed skin. It was odd that I’d never noticed her before.

After adjusting the water temperature to my liking, I stepped under the hot spray, reveling in how it pelted my skin, warming it instantly.

It didn’t escape me that my brother seemed to know a lot about our new stepsister. While it could have been a result of his thorough research, it felt like it was more than that. Especially since most of his research revolved around her rather than her mother. Not only had he chosen Inaya personally, but he’d been determined that she was the one for our father. He's never given a shit before, and now I was wondering if his attraction to Teagan had something to do with that.

After showering, I made my way back to my room, not bothering to dry my hair all the way. Damp strands were plastered to my forehead as I navigated my way down the hall and headed toward my dorm.

King was gone when I arrived, causing my eyebrows to dip in confusion. He probably just went to shower like I’d suggested he do. Though, the bathroom was nearly empty when I vacated. Shrugging it off, I grabbed an old backpack from my closet and started filling it with basic necessities—clothes, a lighter, some matches, a pack of cigarettes, a hunting knife, and some rope I kept on hand. You never knew when it would become handy.

We’d stop at the store tomorrow morning for the rest of our supplies. God only knows when the last time the cabin had been stocked with food was. While fucking with Teagan—and possibly torturing her—was our main goal, we couldn’t exactly let her starve while doing it or go hungry ourselves.

I fully intended on working up an appetite, though. A malicious grin curled around the edges of my mouth. Poor little Teagan wouldn’t even know what had hit her.