Ruin

4. Declan

FOUR

DECLAN

Sleep. I never thought it would be something I’d miss so much, but fuck, I do.

Before The Pit, I slept all the time. Fuck, I was late to school because I couldn’t get out of bed. Sleep was more important to me than going out with my friends. But now, every time I close my eyes, I hear the screams. I see the fights. I see how people died in the most horrific ways.

I can’t say too much. I’ve killed men with my bare hands. Beat them so badly their eyes popped out of their sockets. No matter how many times I tell myself it was them or me, it doesn’t make me feel any better.

It made me realize why Cain is so shut off from everyone. He grew up in there. I only spent the summer in that hell hole, and it fucked with my head. Almost twenty years. I don’t think I would have walked out like Cain did.

“Are you coming to practice after school?” Vinn asks.

“I am,” I reply, my eyes on Trixie as she draws in her pad.

I gave her the list, and she shoved it in her bag. Not sure if she’ll even look at it again, but one thing she needs to learn is this—once I have my sight set on something, I get it.

“Morning class. Let’s get straight into the year.” Miss Hill’s voice pulls my attention, but my focus is still on Trixie, who hasn’t even glanced up from whatever she’s drawing.

“We’re going to be working in pairs. I’m not picking them. Half the class will have their names in the bowl, while the other half will pick a partner to work with for the year.” Now Miss Hill has my attention. This could work out in my favor.

Miss Hill shouts out a few names, mine included. I smile when she doesn’t say Trixie’s name. We are on other sides of the room, but I’ll find a way to end up with her.

“Everyone’s name I didn’t call, step up and pick your partner.”

I lean back in my seat, as the group walks to the front of the class, and watch them all start pulling names from the bowl.

“Trixie,” Miss Hill calls her name when she doesn’t move.

Her eyes glance over at me and I smile.

Come on, pick my name.

She hesitates as she walks to the front. Blood red lipstick covers her thick lips, her heavy dark make-up covers her eyes, but her hazel eyes shine through it all.

My attention drops to her hand as she reaches into the bowl. Her pointed nails are painted black, sharp as hell, probably leaves marks on people. But what really catches my eye are her wrists. The lace fabric covering her arms is pulled up enough, showing off some tattoos, and bracelets. Most of them, from what I can tell, are dragon themed.

I might need to take a better look at them.

I had no idea what kind of fucked up fashion she’s into, until Lileah told me she’s a romantic goth. Whatever the fuck that means.

To me, it just looks like she’s hiding from the world behind layers of darkness.

With the amount of makeup she’s wearing, I couldn’t even tell what her skin tone is. So what exactly is she hiding?

Trixie unfolds the paper. She lowers her head, and I smile.

“Declan,” Miss Hills announces.

Fucking Perfect.

I wait for everyone else to finish picking partners before raising my hand.

“Mr. Crawford, I’m not interested in whatever excuse you have about your partner.” She doesn’t even look at me when she answers me.

I laugh. The last day of school before summer she was very interested in what I had to say, when my dick was buried inside her.

“I’m not going to complain,” I say. “Not even a little. But don’t you think we should sit next to our partners? You know, make sure we can work together and start the assignment.”

She finally turns to face me, then looks at Trixie, who is still lost in her notepad.

“Sit next to your partners.” She waves her hand as if she doesn’t care what we do. I glance over at Trixie, who isn’t getting her stuff together to sit next to me.

“You might want to start moving,” I warn, “or we can make this fun.”

She finally turns to face me.

“I have an itch.” I laugh when Lileah slaps the back of my head, but I don’t take my eyes off Trixie.

“I can count if that helps.”

Fuck you, asshole.

She signs, then grabs her books off the table and stalks over to me.

I thought the other day she was only signing so I didn’t know what she was saying, but it seems it’s her only way of commutating.

She’s wearing a long black dress that hugs her body. Shame she hides it under all that fabric, because from what I can see, she’s got curves worth looking at.

Before she sits, I pull the desk closer to me. Once she’s sat down, I try to move some of her hair away from her face, but she instantly pulls back.

I lean in lowering my voice. “Next time you pull away from me, I’ll make you stay put. Understood?”

She nods slightly.

Satisfied, I brush the hair from her face, then quickly snatch her notepad from her pile.

She reaches for it, but I grab her wrist pulling it closer.

Her bracelets are all dragon-themed. Before I can move one of them to see her tattoo, she yanks her hand away and goes for her notepad.

I place it on the desk, flipping to a random page. If her clothes and makeup weren’t screaming, help me , these fucking drawings sure as hell are.

One page stops me. A self-portrait—but half of her face is a skeleton, cracked down the middle, with a light glowing from the eye socket.

Fuck, this is dark.

But also really fucking good.

I flip through a few more sketches, and pause again. My brows knit together. I glance at her once again, then back at the page.

She designs clothes. And then makes them.

I hand her the pad back, but she doesn’t look at me. Just stares straight ahead, listening to Miss Hill talk about the assignment.

I’ve no idea what we’re supposed to be doing, but I’m not worried. Lileah is in this class. She’ll fill me in because I don’t think Trixie will.

“Draw me,” I say.

She ignores me.

I slide the notepad back over, flipping it open to a blank page, and hand her my pen.

She ignores me.

I can’t help the smile. She hates me.

And for some reason, I’m okay with it.

“Are you coming to lunch?” Lileah asks, eyeing Trixie as she picks up the pen. “Or do you want to go out?”

“I think Trixie and I will grab a pizza or something.”

Her whole body tenses.

But she still won’t look over at me.

“I have an itch, and I think she might be able to fix it.” I lean back, watching Trixie, watching her reaction.

Reading people. That’s something I never used to do.

But Cain always told me—watch what a person does, not what they say. Their body will give you more answers than their words ever will.

And right now?

Trixie is scared.

But she also seems unbothered.

I need to get her alone.

Maybe then I can get a better read on her.

* * *

The class finishes, and I look over as Lileah walks toward me. Trixie throws all her stuff into her bag. But before she can sling it over her shoulder, I take it from her.

“Where do you think you’re going? We’re getting pizza.” I place her bag back on the table, then turn to Lileah. “You have class while I’m at practice. Come there once you’re finished.”

“The girls want to know if the pool party is still on after school. I’ve said yes.”

I have to laugh at my sister. She’s always happy to have pool parties and I never complain about them either.

“I’m not sure if that’s a question or if you’re telling me,” I say, shaking my head. “But the party is still on.”

I grab Lileah’s books from her, wrap my arm over her shoulders as we leave the classroom, and motion for Trixie to follow behind us. “You want me to grab you a coffee on the way back?”

“Caramel?”

“Would I bring anything else?”

We stop by her locker, and I throw her books in before telling her I’ll see her after lunch.

As I make my way to the car, I hear someone call Trixie’s name, and I stop to see what she does. It’s the guy she was sitting with at lunch yesterday.

“You coming to lun-”

“She can’t. She has plans with me.” I cut him off, not bothering to figure out who in this school can actually have a conversation with her.

“Trixie?” he asks her.

I wait to see what she does.

All she does is smile and walk to my car. She waits for me while I stare at Ash.

I laugh. “If you’re fucking her, I promise to bring her back smiling for you.”

Ash turns to me and shakes his head. So they aren’t together.

Interesting.

I take a step closer to him, and he instinctively takes a small one back. “How do you two talk to each other?” I ask quietly, not wanting Trixie to hear. I plan on asking her the same question.

“She doesn’t,” he says. “From the day she started, she’s kept to herself. I do all the talking.”

Before he can say anything else, I turn and walk away, sliding into the driver’s seat.

She doesn’t talk to anyone at school. How can you go a whole day without having a conversation with someone? The teachers in the building don’t even know sign language, which is fucking stupid. They have enough fucking money to hire someone for the year.

I glance at her as I pull out of the parking lot. She’s staring out the window.

“Who do you talk to at school?”

Nothing.

I had a feeling she’d test me. See how far she could push my buttons before I lose my cool with her.

“You can tell me, or I can find other ways to make you.”

Now I wouldn’t mind her on her knees, those full lips. I’m sure she knows how to do something good to my dick.

She signs.

I don’t talk to anyone. No one can understand me, anyway.

So, I was right about her.

When we park outside the pizza place, I tell her to get out, and we go straight to the booth in the corner.

“You can sit here.” I motion to the seat next to me.

She looks at the seat across from me.

“Sit down now,” I warn. “Unless you’d rather get on your knees under the table and start your repayment.”

I’m not fucking around. She needs to know that. This is my game. My fucking rules.

“Hey Declan, what can I get you today?”

Beth is the same server who has worked here since we were kids, smiles at me.

“What I always get. Thanks Beth. Trixie?” I slide the menu to her so she can take a look.

This pizza place is the best in town. No one from school ever comes here for two reasons. One, pizza isn’t cheap, and two, it’s a little out of the way.

Trixie grabs her bag, and I look at Beth and give her a nod to say give us a minute.

“What are you doing?” I ask Trixie.

She ignores me, so I ask again. This time I take her hand, so she stops looking through her fucking bag.

She looks at me, and starts signing.

Wanted to see if I have enough money with me.

“What do you want?” I call Beth back over to us as Trixie hands the menu back to me. “I’ll add it to the debt you already owe me.”

Leaning back I take my phone out to message Hayden.

Declan

You find me a car?

Hayden

I’m picking it up later

with Mason. It’s a piece of shit.

Declan

Good, I want it to be shit.

I can fix it up again.

I throw my phone onto the table and turn to Trixie, who’s playing with her bracelets.

“Dragons? I ask. “Not something most girls like.” She looks down at her wrists, then pulls down some of the lace covering her sleeves.

Has she shut herself off from the world so much, she doesn’t want to talk to anyone?

Leaning closer to her, I move some of the hair away from her neck. Her scent hits a nerve, it’s messing with my head in a way I can’t explain.

“If you want to pay off your debt, you need to look at the list I gave you.”

I press my lips to the soft spot under her ear. I want a taste of her. To see if her scent is really getting to me.

On my birthday, I get the inheritance which my mom left me for college. It’s not the full amount, but you can have it.

“Then how will you pay for college?” Now I don’t mind taking her money. It took a lot to fix my car. But I’m going to find out as much as I can about this quite, dark little fairy.

I’ll get a job.

Closing the gap between us, I slide my hand up her dress. Her skin is soft as hell. My palm moves up the inside of her thigh, and I feel her body tense.

This isn’t how I planned lunch going.

Far from it.

But my body has a mind of its own at the moment.

“You can work for me. I’m sure you’ll pay your debt off quicker,” I murmur against her ear.

I nip at her earlobe, a soft bite, making her flinch. I press my hand hard firmly against her thigh so she can’t pull away.

Beth sets our food down, and I slide my hand to the edge of her panties. She tries to pull away from me. I know I should let her.

But for some fucked up reason, I can’t.

“Feed me.”

Trixie snaps her head to face me.

“You heard me. Feed me.”

Her expression shifts—from not caring what I’m doing to caring when I tug at the edge of her panties.

She picks up the pizza and lifts it to my mouth. I take a slow bite, letting my finger slide along the side of her pussy lips, before pulling away completely.

Grabbing my slice, I bring the same finger to my lips and suck it clean.

A small taste.

But enough for me to want more.

“Look at the list. You’ll see you’ve already started knocking the amount off your debt.”

I take another bite of my slice and turn to face her.

“This is going to be fun, isn’t it?” I study her lips, red, full, and fucking perfect.

Why do they look so damn good right now?

Maybe because I want them wrapped around my dick.

There are a lot of things I want from her.

And I am going to enjoy every second of this.