9. Blaze
BLAZE
The door shuts, and I step into Pandora’s personal space. She looks up at me, the dark eyeliner making her eyes appear even wider.
“What are you playing at, Pandora?” I ask, reaching out to stroke her jaw. “You think that guy is going to protect you from me?”
“No,” Pandora says. She doesn’t move away from my hand.
She doesn’t cower the way Declan had. No, she continues to meet my gaze without flinching, like she isn’t trapped in a small space with a tiger.
“I know River can’t protect me from the likes of you. But he’s a friend, and he needs the connections being a Kappa Alpha Loser would bring.” Pandora’s breath hitches when I push my thumb against the underside of her jaw.
I snort in disbelief. “Doesn’t he know Giulio Pavone? That seems like connections enough.”
I’ll need to contact my father to find out if that’s true. Once we have River’s application, I’ll know more than enough about him to run a full background check, but background checks don’t include shady connections to notorious mob bosses .
Not that Giulio Pavone has done anything big in over a decade, but my father still tries to avoid interacting with him when he can.
If I could get close to Giulio Pavone, if I can take subdue him or take him down or kill him ?—
My father would see how strong I am.
“Giulio Pavone is extremely picky about who he lets into his personal sphere, if the rumors are true. River’s dad might be tight with him, but that doesn’t mean River can get the same benefits.
He needs to prove himself. He needs to build connections of his own.
” Her expression is fierce, unyielding. “You can do this for him. Since you’re already getting so much from me. ”
I laugh, then grab her by the throat. Pandora gasps and reaches up to claw at my arm. Her sharp nails rake across my skin, but it isn’t enough to deter me.
If anything, it makes arousal spike through me.
“You don’t get to make any demands, Pandora,” I say, leaning down to kiss her open mouth. “You’re here on my terms.”
I loosen my grip and sigh in contentment when I hear her gasp for breath.
My cock throbs.
“Are you scared?” Pandora asks in a ragged voice.
I tense. “Scared? Of what?”
Only the weak are scared.
Only the weak cower from the unknown.
“Of River. Of me.” Pandora grins widely and licks her lips. “Did Asch say I couldn’t be trusted? It’s okay if you’re both cowards.”
It’s such blatant manipulation, but my hand tightens again anyway.
There is nothing cowardly about me.
I’m the monster in the dark everybody fears.
“I’m not afraid ,” I hiss. “This isn’t going to work on me. I’m the one who makes the rules here, not you.”
Pandora opens her mouth, but only soft, mewling sounds escape .
I squeeze her neck for another few breaths before I release her again.
Pandora coughs and turns away from me, but I push her flat onto the bed and box her in.
Her eyes are glassy, and her face is red, and she’s so hot like this that I lean in and kiss her. She tries to break the kiss, but I don’t let her, holding her down and forcing her to accept me.
There’s a hint of her teeth against my tongue, but she doesn’t bite.
Good. She’s learning.
She’s already weaker than last time.
That should be a welcoming thought, but instead, I feel a sense of disappointment. I pull back in annoyance.
There has to be a way to make her fight more. Something she cares about.
Something like… I smirk and bend forward again.
“If you don’t play along, I’ll not only make your life hell,” I say. “I’ll have River blacklisted and humiliated. He’s going to have the worst pledge experience in the history of Kappa Alpha—and the entire school will know it.”
Her eyes widen, and she curls her nails on my arms, drawing them down with just enough force that I know I’ll have scratches.
“You wouldn’t,” Pandora hisses. “Isn’t your brotherhood crap sacred?”
I grin nastily at her. “You should have considered that before you convinced your boy to join. You just gave me another pawn to play with, Pandora.”
“River isn’t—” Pandora says, but she cuts herself off when the door opens again.
I don’t bother to move. Let Asch and River see.
Let them see how weak she is, how she bends for me.
How much control I have over her.
Let River know that Pandora is my toy.
“Are we interrupting?” Asch asks, his voice deceptively mild .
River lets out a low growl, and he pushes past Asch. “Get off of her, Bouchard.”
I step away from Pandora with my hands up. “Chill out, River. You’ll get off to a bad start with Kappa Alpha if you beat up a frat brother.”
“What about if I kill one of them?” River retorts.
I focus on River, trying to figure out if he’s serious. Many people have threatened to kill me, but few actually had the backbone to even attempt to follow through.
River’s expression is dark and vicious, and I think he might actually be willing to do it.
So he isn’t one of the soft, weak boys that usually attend Dyschord.
That story about his father having ties to Giulio Pavone might have merit after all. Asch grabs River’s arm, yanking him back.
“I’m fine!” Pandora says. She sits up and rubs at her neck. “Honestly, there’s no need for all of this.”
I’m surprised at how she can say that without her voice even wavering.
Not quite as weak yet as I’d thought.
How long would it take to truly beat the fight out of her?
“See? You’re defending honor that doesn’t even need defending,” I say to River with a smile. “Calm down, or your career at Kappa Alpha will be over before it even starts.”
River’s jaw clenches, and he shakes Asch off of him. “So is every Chaos brother a fucking?—”
“River,” Pandora interrupts.
River flashes her a disgusted look, but he falls silent.
“Maybe there’s just a misunderstanding,” Asch suggests. “I don’t think Pandora is the monogamous type. Let’s keep jealousy in check.”
“Who said anything about monogamy?” I meet Asch’s gaze. He hasn’t even had a proper turn with her yet.
If River hadn’t shown up to derail everything, I would have let Asch have a go at her. He could have fucked her after I did and gotten my sloppy seconds.
Pandora gets up from the bed and adjusts her jeans. I notice her patting the pocket like she’s checking what’s in it. That’s not the first time I’ve seen her do that, either.
“Is monogamy a rule here at Chaos?” Pandora asks, as though she’s completely unbothered by everything. “Just so I know whether I need to keep River in line with all his conquests.”
“No,” Asch says evenly. “He can have as many conquests as he wants as long as he doesn’t try to be a cockblock for anyone else.” He looks pointedly at River.
“Got it,” River says through gritted teeth. “I’d never dream of being a cockblock for anyone.”
“Maybe Blaze needs to explain all of the rules to River,” Asch says. “Pandora, I’ll escort you out.”
Pandora looks between all of us and purses her lips. “Are we sure that’s safe? Blaze might get intimidated by?—”
My vision grows hazy at the suggestion that I might be scared of anyone. “Asch, take her. Pandora has outstayed her welcome.”
Except I was the one who invited her, and somehow now I’m the one kicking her out.
Pandora winks at me before she walks over to Asch and links her arm with his. “Show me out then, dear butler.”
Asch scowls, but he only says, “I’ll be right back, Blaze.”
River’s eyes track the two of them as they leave the room. “Thanks for the warning,” he says sarcastically.
I cross my arms and glare at him. “Joining Kappa Alpha Omega Sigma isn’t easy. You’ve got the pamphlets, and I bet Asch told you a few things, but this isn’t some walk in the park. We don’t accept anyone without real resolve. If you’re here because you think it’ll get you into Pandora’s pants…”
“I can get into Pandora’s pants without being in Chaos, and I don’t even have to threaten her,” he says with a brittle smile. “What about you? ”
I could easily have anyone I want.
I could have had Pandora, too. If I wanted Pandora to adore me, I could turn up the charm and the smiles and woo her off her feet.
She lost that privilege when she hurt Asch.
“So you’re serious about Kappa Alpha?” I ask, ignoring his question. “Then you learn that here, in this house, your frat elders are in charge. And you don’t do something stupid like try to threaten me, ever again. Got it?”
I wait for a show of the defiance I see lurking behind his dark eyes, but he’s smart enough to bide his time. He doesn’t cry or beg either, not like Declan had.
“Got it,” he replies.
I go over to him and put an arm around his shoulders. “There you go. It’s not so bad. And if you play nice with me, I can promise you lots of benefits. I reward my friends.”
Tell me all your secrets , I think. I’ll take what I need from River and leave him a hollowed-out husk. And then I’ll show those remains to Pandora and watch as she cries.
As she breaks.
Showing me she cares about somebody? Yeah, that was a mistake.
He goes rigid beneath my arm. “Sure. We can be friends ,” he replies. “Does that include you ‘sharing’ Pandora with everyone in the frat house?”
I shake my head. “Everybody? No. I like cunts to be tight, not so sloppy you could fit the entire school in there. But my closest friends? Sure.” I grin at him. “You’re gonna want to be one of my friends, River.”
Violence is the easiest way to break a man, but I’ve seen other methods. My father can string somebody along, build their trust, and shatter their entire self-esteem with a few simple words.
I’ll use River—my new pawn—to his fullest extent and sacrifice him when he’s served his purpose.
River doesn’t look convinced, but that’s all right. He doesn’t have to be, not yet. In time, he’ll come around .
Asch returns, letting himself in without so much as a knock. His expression has smoothed out, no longer all storm clouds, and he flashes River a friendly smile. “Sorry about that. I think Pandora has a way of getting under people’s skin.”
“You could say that,” River says with an ugly laugh.
“Asch, good timing,” I say. “I’ve been thinking, since you’re going to be River’s Big Brother, I might as well take him into my fold too. We’ll make sure he gets through the pledge process together.” I pat River’s jaw. “Lucky you.”
“Yeah,” he says, deadpan. “Lucky.”
I notice Asch looking at us with narrowed eyes, but the second he realizes I’m watching him, his expression smooths out.
I let go of River and go back to my desk.
“All right. You did cockblock me, River, but I’ll forgive you this time.
Just make sure you’re on time for bid acceptance on Saturday.
” I sit down and swivel my chair around.
“Pledging starts the week after that. It’s a grueling process.
I wasn’t kidding about weaklings not being able to handle it. ”
“Good thing I’m no weakling,” River replies. He stays standing, even though Asch goes to my bed and sits down on the edge. “If that’s all? I can see myself out.”
“Yeah, we’re done.” I wave River away, and he leaves, shutting the door behind him. If he goes snooping in other frat brothers’ rooms… well, that’ll teach them the need to keep their doors locked.
“What was that all about?” Asch asks.
I shake my head. “Not sure. Pandora tried to beg me to go easy on River. Clearly he isn’t here out of some desire for brotherhood.”
“So why is he here?” Asch wonders aloud, though I don’t think he expects me to have the answer to that question. “I keep telling you, Blaze. Something’s going on with her. I think we should write them both off.”
There’s definitely something wrong with Pandora, but that’s all the more reason to keep going and find out all the ways she’s wrong.
I shake my head. “You worry too much, Asch. Now that we’ve got River here, she can’t do anything. Her soft spot for him is going to be her undoing.”
Asch doesn’t look convinced, but he nods. “What about the Giulio Pavone link?” he asks.
Whatever Asch is going to be doing for me in the future, he definitely doesn’t need to get involved in the sordid underworld right now.
“He’s a has-been,” I say easily. “My dad’s been making in-roads up north. There’s been no word from the Pavones at all. Even if he’s as ‘crazy’ as people say, I don’t think he’s somebody to worry about. Pandora was running her mouth, trying to get River into the frat.”
“Interesting that she’s bragging about mafia ties to try to get her friend into Kappa Alpha,” Asch remarks.
“So she did a bit of research on me. Her and every other woman on campus.” I smile at him. “Maybe she has a notebook with my photo plastered inside. Pandora Bouchard, hearts hearts hearts.”
Let it go, Asch .
Asch sighs. “You’re determined not to listen to me on this, huh?”
“Come on, I got you this Big Brother deal now. That means you can keep an extra close eye on River. That’s the sexy protection plan that gets you off, right?” I say.
“I don’t get off on…” Asch protests.
I grin wider. “No? Then why’d you get all bodyguard downstairs? I noticed you body blocking for me. Were you running extraction scenarios in your head?” I joke. “Oh yeah. Bullet trajectories, bullet resistant vests….” I make a jerking-off motion.
“Shut up, you dick.” Asch gets up, walking over to me and standing in front of me. He stares down at me, and I’m not sure what he’s thinking as he tousles my hair. “I just worry about you, Blaze. Someone has to.”
“Seriously, you worry too much.” I push his hand aside. “Anyway, let’s get back to cleaning out your room. You won’t be able to do any homework in there the way it is right now. And yeah, you might be an econ major, but you’ll still need to copy and paste a few essays. ”
Asch’s expression shifts into what I know is disappointment, but I’m not thinking too hard about why he’s disappointed. “Yeah,” he says. “I can get it done, Blaze. You don’t have to help.”
I know better, though. Without my help, it’s never going to get done.
“It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do. Besides, we don’t want you to get kicked out on account of the mess.” I get up and head for the door. “New semester, fresh start and all.” I laugh and incline my head at him. “How else are we gonna bend Pandora over your bed?”
“That’s what your room is for,” he mutters, but he lets me lead him toward the door. His mood has crashed and burned, but he’ll get over it.
He always does.