14. Kreed
14
KREED
I pushed harder, my feet pounding on the pavement as the air in my lungs burned with fast, short breaths, and still, it wasn’t enough. The miles hadn’t erased the feel of Kaylor’s tight ass pressed into me.
Cold wisps of air expelled from my lips, the icy temps cooling the inferno blazing inside me. It had been pitch-black out when I’d left the house. Now brushes of orange, pink, and purple painted the wintry sky.
The muscles in my calves and thighs burned, sweat glistening down my back, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Not until I rid myself of the phantom weight of her, the way she fit against me too damn perfectly.
Maybe I should’ve gone to the gym instead. A few rounds with the punching bag might’ve done the trick. Better yet, someone’s face. I needed to hit something, needed that release. I pitied anyone who fucked with me today. I was not in the mood.
Checking the time, I veered off toward the house, slipping in through the back door. The smell of coffee and last night’s bad decisions filled the kitchen. Maddox stood behind the counter, shaking a couple of aspirin into his palm. He grabbed the steaming mug in front of him, his bloodshot eyes taking me in. “Looks like I’m not the only one suffering. Did the run pay off?”
“You look like hell.” I yanked the fridge open and grabbed a bottle of water.
Maddox scoffed. “I feel worse.”
“Actions have consequences.” No one enjoyed their own misery more than Maddox. It was like he thrived on it. A true tortured soul.
A smirk tugged at his lips. “What bug crawled up your ass? Or maybe it isn’t a bug at all.”
I pinned him with a glower. “Leave the jokes to Mason.”
Right on cue, Mason strolled in, grinning. “Maddox making a joke… He could never. Everyone knows I’m the funny one. He’s the drunk one.”
Maddox swung his arm out, smacking Mason in the gut. “Nice.”
Mason let out an exaggerated oomph, then shoved Maddox’s shoulder in retaliation.
Here we go. God, I’m going to have to intervene.
It was always like this—one shove, one swing, and suddenly, they were rolling on the floor, fists flying. I could already see the busted lips, bruised ribs, and me, inevitably, in the middle of it.
I flexed my fingers, my fists itching for a fight. Maybe this was the universe throwing me a bone.
But no. This wasn’t the fight I was looking for.
“Save it for the field.” My voice cut through their bickering. “We’re leaving in twenty.”
Maddox grunted. Mason huffed. But neither argued.
Good.
Because if anyone was throwing punches today, it was gonna be me.
Taking my water bottle, I headed for the shower. Twenty-five minutes later, we were sitting in my SUV, waiting for the princess to grace us with her presence. Maddox had a pair of shades on, covering the bags under his eyes. He had his head pressed against the frosted glass, and although I couldn’t see his eyes behind the tinted lenses, I was pretty sure they were closed.
Mason sat in the back, staring out the window, at least trying to be helpful, but the touch of humor on his lips made me think he was up to something. Or knew more than he let on.
Maddox might have a reputation for being troublesome, but he was upfront about it and owned it. He wore his ill behavior like a badge. Mason’s approach, however, was much more subtle. He was the one you never saw coming and never saw leave. You were left wondering what the fuck happened. He was much quieter and sneakier with his mischief, which, in my mind, made him often more dangerous than Maddox. He covered his roguery with charm and humor.
What’s taking so long?
Kaylor was late.
It didn’t help that my morning started wrong. I knew it before I even got to the car. There was an itch between my shoulders, a sense of unease I couldn’t shake. By the time Maddox, Mason, and I were waiting in the driveway, my patience was razor-thin.
I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, glancing at the time on the dash. “Where is she?”
“I haven’t seen her,” Maddox mumbled, his lips barely moving.
Another minute passed, then another. The tension in my chest tightened. “Mason,” I said sharply, my tone cutting. “Go inside and get her.”
Mason didn’t look up from his screen. “She’s not there.”
I turned to glare at him. “What do you mean she’s not there?”
“She left before I got up this morning,” Mason said casually, like he was talking about what he had for breakfast.
A slow, seething breath left my lips. “And you’re just now telling me this? Why the fuck didn’t you say something instead of making me sit here like an idiot?” I swore. Sometimes the twins made me want to drive off a cliff…with them in the car.
Mason finally looked up, a smirk playing on his lips. “You didn’t ask. Besides, how the hell am I supposed to know what’s going on inside your head? I’m not a mind reader. I assumed you knew she was gone.”
“Unbelievable,” I muttered, starting the car. “We’re supposed to be keeping tabs on her.”
“After yesterday, I figured we’d gone rogue,” he reasoned.
I flexed my fingers. “You figured wrong.”
Mason let out a low groan. “This is bullshit. I don’t want to spend the last few months of my junior year babysitting some orphan Dad decided to take pity on.”
“Now you know how I feel. All I do is keep you two out of trouble.”
“How far could she have gotten?”
I pressed harder on the gas. “For your sake, you better hope not far.”
The drive to school was tense, the silence only broken by the occasional curse under my breath. My eyes scanned every sidewalk, every street corner, searching for her, but she was nowhere to be found. We took the usual way to school, and at each intersection, stop sign, and turn, I expected to see her figure sauntering down the road.
No sign of her or her long platinum hair. Or her saucy walk.
Did she even know where to go? How to get here?
When we pulled into the school lot, I didn’t bother looking for a spot, parking haphazardly near the front entrance.
“We’re late,” Maddox said as we climbed out, sunglasses still shielding his eyes. He pulled the ball cap lower on his head.
“Don’t care,” I snapped, heading straight for the office. “Find her,” I growled.
“How do you propose we do that?” Mason asked.
“I don’t give a shit how. Just get it done.”
Maddox snorted. “You sound more like Dad every day.”
I stilled for half a second. A low blow, but that didn’t make it any less true. Even I could recognize my tone matched the one our father loved to use on us. I hated it. “Fuck off.”
“I’m not getting detention for this shit,” Mason muttered.
“Why not? You get detention for everything else,” I retorted, heading straight for the office.
The woman behind the desk looked up as we entered, her smile faltering at the sight of us. “Can I help you?”
My lips carved into a deep frown. “What’s Kaylor’s first class?” I asked sharply.
The woman blinked, clearly taken aback. “Excuse me?”
“Kaylor Steele,” I said, leaning against the counter, annoyance more prominent as I stated her full name. “What’s her first class?” The bell rang, marking the start of the day, but I didn’t move.
The woman hesitated before glancing at her computer. “You know I’m not supposed to give that information out.”
I met her gaze, my expression daring her to test me, because today was not the day.
Mason pushed to the counter, flashing his most charming grin at the receptionist. “Hey, Mrs. Jacobs. You look particularly lovely this morning.”
“Mason,” she greeted flatly, peering at him over the rim of her wire-frame glasses. “I still can’t give you her room number.”
“Well, you see. She’s new, and she’s living with us. Her parents died. A terrible accident.” Mason made this tragic, sad expression, shaking his head like he actually cared about her feelings. “As you can imagine, it’s been really hard for her. This morning, she forgot her laptop, and you know that ninety percent of our texts are online. She’s probably in class right now, realizing her forgetfulness. She’s already playing catch-up, having missed a few days and transferring.”
Mrs. Jacobs hesitated, staring at Mason, likely trying to gauge his sincerity.
As if to prove his case, he dug in his bag and pulled out a laptop. “It will only take a minute.”
Her expression softened, and with a sigh, she caved. “Just this once.” She turned to her computer, typing quickly. “If she forgets it again, she’ll have to go without or borrow from a classmate. Now, let me see… Chemistry, upstairs. Room 214.”
“You’re a gem.” Mason winked before stepping back.
I didn’t wait. I turned and strode out of the office, Maddox and Mason falling into step beside me. The hallways were nearly empty, only a few stragglers rushing to class.
Reaching Room 214, I didn’t bother knocking. I flung the door open, stepping inside. The teacher barely had time to react before I scanned the room, my gaze darting over every face.
She wasn’t there.
The teacher cleared his throat, but I was already gone, slamming the door behind me.
Maddox leaned against the lockers, his arms crossed. “Now what, genius?”
I clenched my jaw, my mind racing. “Who was that girl she was talking to yesterday?”
“The one Nash fucks with?” Mason asked.
“Yeah, I think that was her,” I said, already heading down the hall.
“I don’t know what he sees in her,” Maddox grumbled.
“Maddox, focus. What’s her name?”
“Poppy,” Mason supplied. “Her name is Poppy.”
“Poppy Bryce?” It had been too long since I’d heard that name. “We need to find her. Text Nash.” I told Mason. “He might know her schedule.”
It didn’t take long for Nash to text back. My best friend knew better than to ask questions. He supplied the information, knowing I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important.
We found Poppy by the gym lockers, bending to tie her sneakers. The second she spotted us, her smile faltered, but she recovered fast.
I didn’t waste time. “Do you know where Kaylor is?”
She straightened to her full height, eyeing me. “Why do you care?”
“That’s not what’s important. If you know where she is, you need to tell me.”
Poppy tilted her head, her red hair falling to one side as her eyes sharpened. “What’s going on? You’re worried. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you concerned about someone who wasn’t part of your inner circle.”
She meant the Raven Crew. And she was right. But she was also wrong. It wasn’t worry.
The only person I cared about saving in this situation was myself, but admitting that to Poppy wouldn’t get her to reveal Kaylor’s location. I had to play up my uneasiness. “I don’t want her to end up dead on the side of the road like her parents.” Somehow, that would be my fault, and I wasn’t going to be the one who told my father we’d lost his precious goddaughter .
Poppy’s smirk slipped for real this time. “You think she’s in danger. Okay, I’ll bite, but what doesn’t make sense in this scenario is why you would care. You didn’t seem to give a tit yesterday when you made her walk to school.”
“Do you really want to take the chance that she could be in trouble and say you did nothing to help her?” Maddox pressed at my side.
She hesitated, torn between protecting Kaylor and helping her. “Can’t you just call her?”
“We would if we had her number,” Mason pointed out.
Poppy’s gaze bounced between the three of us. “Maybe there’s a good reason she didn’t give it to you.”
More like I didn’t care to ask. I bit back a curse. “Don’t screw with me, Poppy. You won’t like the consequences regardless of who you’re sleeping with.”
She flinched as I hoped. “You’re a dick.”
I took a step forward. “Where is she?”
A smug smile curved on Poppy’s deathly dark-cherry lips. “Behind you.”
I whirled, coming face-to-face with the root of all my problems. My pulse spiked. “Where have you been?”
“Maybe she was having sex in the bathroom,” Poppy interjected.
Mason snickered, and I nearly elbowed him in the gut.
A tick pulsed in my eye. Ignoring Nash’s toy thing, I glowered at Kaylor, wondering how such a small package could cause so much trouble in my life. It was better for my mental health to go there than to think of her having sex. I cursed Poppy for putting the thought into existence. My mind chose that moment to remember the feel of her warm, soft body on top of mine.
When I heard her whimpers as I prepared to run this morning, I should have kept going right out the front door instead of detouring into the family room and finding her tossing in her sleep. As I’d drawn closer to the couch, her cries grew louder and deeper, from a place of raw pain that could no longer be suppressed. Fresh tears had spilled from closed eyes.
My hand had lifted, only to stop from brushing her cheek at the last second.
I hadn’t meant to sit on the edge of the couch, but by the time I’d realized my mistake, it was too late. She must have sensed me somehow, or on a subconscious level, she felt the cushion dip under my weight, because the next thing I knew, she had her hands on me, tugging me toward her. I’d been too surprised to react at first. Then… I don’t know what the fuck happened. Her hands had slipped around my neck, and I’d tried to draw away, but she hadn’t let go, and as I’d sat up, she had come with me. Instead of risking her falling on the ground, clunking her head on the coffee table, and waking up the house, I had wound my hands around her, settling her into my lap. I had no idea how much time had passed with us sitting in the dark, but her cries had quieted, and her head had buried deep against my neck, so close, her warm breath had kissed my skin.
Then she sighed, and all I thought was what the fuck am I doing?
I came to my senses and attempted to lay her back on the couch, and that was when the sobs had started again, stirring something inside of me.
I hadn’t liked the feeling…hadn’t liked what she did to me.
I clenched my jaw, forcing out the too damn vivid memory. It clawed at the edges of my mind, demanding to be replayed, but I shoved it down. Now wasn’t the time. “How did you get to school?” I asked, trying a different route. Frustration churned beneath my words, dark and restless.
She blinked, those long, wispy lashes fanning over wide blue eyes, as if she too had been caught in the memory of this morning. A pink flush crept to her cheeks, blood rushing under her fair skin.
Was she thinking about it too?
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips before she spoke. “Poppy picked me up.” A small furrow appeared between her brows. “Did something happen?”
“Yes. You weren’t where you were supposed to be.”
Her lips parted in disbelief before she scoffed, the sound sharp and incredulous. “Call the fucking press.”
The murmur. The shift in energy. The charged air.
That was when I noticed it—the crowd.
Gym classes. Students lingering in doorways. Their wide, hungry eyes latched on to us, faces alight with curiosity like they’d stumbled onto the best kind of drama. Even the teachers weren’t stepping in. They were waiting, watching.
Because this was out of character for me.
I didn’t chase girls. I didn’t hunt them down. I didn’t single them out—not unless I planned to destroy them. If I wanted to salvage my reputation, I had to spin this in my favor, and turn the game back in my direction.
The easiest way to do that?
Make her the weak one. Remedy the damage my reckless actions had caused.
That Kaylor had caused this. This was her fault.
I took a step closer, my voice dropping into something low and dangerous. “Such a filthy mouth.” I let the words drag, a slow smirk curving on my lips. “Do you know what I do to girls who talk back?”
She didn’t flinch.
Didn’t waver.
Instead, she leaned in. Her gaze flickered, a spark of wildness and unyieldingness lighting in her eyes. A challenge.
Fuck.
Why did that make my pulse spike?
Why did that make me want to push her harder, just to see if she’d break?
Her chin lifted higher, defiance burning in those icy blue eyes. “I’m not one of your girls, so it matters little to me. It would be better for both of us if you just stayed away from me.”
I smirked. “You weren’t complaining when you were sitting on my dick this morning.”
The words landed like a bomb.
Her sharp inhale was barely audible, but I caught it. Saw it. Felt it. For a split second, her expression faltered. The flush of anger on her cheeks drained, and her lips parted in silent shock. Like I’d struck her.
Good. Cruel. Heartless. Callous. That was the point—to embarrass her. To put her in her place.
If she was going to play with fire, she needed to remember who the fuck she was dealing with.
I expected her to crack.
For her breath to hitch. For her to run. But instead?—
She wasn’t scared.
She was pissed.
I lifted a brow, letting the corner of my mouth quirk up. Come on, little raven. Show me what you’ve got.
Her teeth sank into her lower lip, and the sight made my fingers twitch, like I wanted to press my thumb there, pry her mouth open, force her to stop biting down. But before I could process that thought, her hand flew toward my face.
I let her hit me.
Not because I deserved it, but because I understood the urge to hurt.
A hush fell over the hallway.
A breath. A heartbeat.
Then—
“Remind me again,” she said with an edge of lethalness, “was that before or after you were screaming my name?”
Mason’s laughter shattered the heightening tension. “I think we’re rubbing off on you, my little kitten.” He tossed an arm around her shoulders, but Kaylor’s gaze remained fixed on me.
The rush in my veins turned electric.
What the hell is she doing to me?
“I’ll walk you to class,” Mason added, leading her away. “We wouldn’t want you causing any more fights.”
“This wasn’t my doing,” she scoffed, but she let him guide her down the hall.
Maddox stood beside me, his arms crossed, glowering at Kaylor’s back as she disappeared.
The moment she was gone, a whistle blew, jolting the rest of the students back to reality. Slowly, the crowd scattered, their whispers lingering in the air like static.
My reputation? Intact. Maybe even more infamous than before. They’d be talking about this for weeks.
Then why did I feel like shit?
Maddox removed his sunglasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What the fuck are you doing? Did you sleep with her?”
I rolled my shoulders, shrugging off the weight pressing into my chest. “Are you pissed she didn’t get your dick wet first?”
His jaw ticked. “Something’s up with you. And it isn’t just the bulge in your pants.”
I exhaled sharply, forcing a smirk. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
She’s nothing I can’t handle , I silently added.
And yet, I never did find out what she was doing roaming the halls.