Chapter 19 Mackenzie
Not quite the reaction I was hoping for.
I’m basically tripping over these Godforsaken heels that Noir gave me, stumbling behind this damn man who has decided to take off faster than my little legs would take me. Okay, actually I’m more than average height for a woman but his seven foot ass makes it hard to keep up.
“Hey!” I shout, and he finally slows his jet-fuel-induced pace. “Dax…Thanatos, wait for me.”
He pauses then, and I almost run right into him—I almost go clattering to the ground, but he catches me, pulling me close. “Say it again.”
“Which part?”
“Don’t play with me right now, Mackenzie.” It doesn’t even seem like he broke a sweat while I’m panting like a fucking idiot. “Tell me what you just said again, ma belle ame.”
“I’m Mackenzie.” I say, swallowing the lump building in my throat.
“But some people call me Lady Death.” I didn’t mean to upset him, I just thought it would be a cute way of telling him—well, I don’t know exactly.
I want this? I want you? I understand now?
Fuck. What am I even saying? It was stupid.
His gaze darkens, something inside of them crazed. “No, it was not stupid—but now, I need you to understand the brutality of my dichotomy. The monster that lives within me must be fed.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, that should anyone touch you, they would meet the end of my scythe,” he says easily, as if it’s a no-brainer for him.
“But to hurt my lady—my majesty…what kind of man would I be if I didn’t deliver vengeance to your feet?
” His anger builds with every passing word, and sentences blur together with a rush of emotions.
“He was already dead, but tonight you will have your justice.” He holds up his open palm for me to take.
“Come, my lady, for tonight you will have retribution.”
Against every single bone in my body that screams run—I slide my hand into his and allow him to lead me into the night, no matter how much fear settles deep in my chest.
Just before midnight, we find ourselves outside of Omega Epsilon Rho. We walk up the front staircase hand in hand, and when I reach the front door, he tells me to ring the bell.
“When they come, tell them you are looking for Eric,” he whispers, his voice deadly.
“Wait, Why?”
I can feel the sweat beading at the back of my neck as I shift my weight from one foot to the other.
“Because you want to face this. I saw it in your memories,” Thanatos replies simply. “So, I’m going to help you get the justice you crave.”
He’s right, of course he’s right. It has been gnawing at me since that night. Justice. The word feels foreign, like a concept I once knew but have forgotten, hauled away with his unwanted touch.
I take a deep breath and ring.
A few seconds later, the door opens, and one of Gavin’s friends greets me with his salacious gaze. Even if I had forgotten what I was wearing, he sure as shit doesn’t let me. His eyes rake up my thighs and slither over my bare midriff before unapologetically settling on my cleavage.
“Looking good, Mackenzie.”
Rolling my eyes, I shove past the threshold. Thanatos, unbeknownst to them, strolls in after me. “Eric here?” I ask casually.
“Don’t you mean, Gavin? You know, your boyfriend?” He smirks, obviously amused and failing at the innocent facade he aims in my direction. My guess is all of these assholes knew what Gavin was doing, which is why they have all been blatantly throwing themselves at me.
“I know what I said, and I meant it. Seeing as how I’m sure you motherfuckers knew he was beating the brakes off of my beautiful bestie.” I throw a glare at the oaf in front of me, before fanning it out across the other idiots standing in the foyer. “How about you just give me what I want?”
“How are you so sure it’s Eric that you want?” He grins. “I could show you a thing or two.”
I step closer to him, and feel Thanatos bristle beside me as I look up at the loser through my lashes. “Oh, Matty,” I whisper, lifting my pinky and waving it at him with a smirk. “I heard you couldn’t even satisfy a virginal freshman. You would have no idea what to do with me.”
At that, Thanatos sputters a deep laugh that’s silent to everyone else but me; something about it liquefies my insides. “Is Eric in his room or not?”
The lot of his friends woop and crackle like a group of jackals behind him as his grin morphs into an expected scowl.
“Fuck you, Mackenzie,” he growls after me as I make my way up the stairs.
“That’s why he left with Tiffany. He’s probably fucking her on some private island right now,” Matt rages on.
“Yeah, you wish I’d let you fuck me.” I giggle before licking my middle finger and pressing it to my ass. “Tiny dick, motherfucker.”
‘Godsddammit, Kenz, you’re so fucking sexy,’ Thanatos growls into my mind, causing my heart to do a cartwheel in my chest.
“You better chill the fuck out too, Thane.”
“Oh, great, another hideous nickname,” he huffs out loud this time.
I still don’t know how, exactly, this is going to go down, but the thought of being close to Eric makes my whole body vibrate and not the good kind.
When we reach Eric’s door, I hesitate, my hand hovering inches from the wood. Thanatos moves silently behind me, his presence somehow both comforting and terrifying.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper.
Thanatos places his hand on the small of my back, his touch electric even through his leather jacket. “You can. I’ll be right here beside you. I won’t let you do it alone.”
“Will he be able to see you?” I ask, trying to steady my nerves.
“Not unless you want him to,” he reassures me. “I promise you, I won’t leave your side.”
“What do I say?”
“You say what feels right.” I watch him shrug out of the corner of my eye. “I won’t force you to do this, Mackenzie, but either way, Eric Carter is a dead man walking. I figured you would at least want to give him a piece of your mind before I end him.”
“You’ll kill him?”
He doesn’t hesitate for a moment. “Yes, scum like him don’t deserve to breathe the same as you do. And if you are to keep going to this school, I will at least make it more comfortable for you.”
It’s weird how that doesn’t make me feel a damn thing. Eric deserves exactly what’s coming to him. He worked diligently for his fate—I was not the only girl he did this to, not by a long shot.
I take a deep breath and knock. The sound seems to echo through the hallway, through my bones, through time itself. The music blasting through Eric’s door lowers.
“Who is it?” his voice groans from inside, and my stomach lurches.
“It’s Mackenzie,” I call through the thick wood, trying to keep my voice steady. “Can we talk?”
There's a pause, then shuffling, and the door swings open. Eric stands there, his hair disheveled, wearing only basketball shorts. His eyes widen in surprise, then quickly narrow with interest. His gaze travels over my body, lingering in all the same places Matt’s did, but there’s something darker in his. Something that makes me want to run.
“Well, this is unexpected,” he says, leaning against the doorframe. “Heard Gavin split with Tiffany. Guess that makes you fair game now, huh?”
I force a smile, channeling every ounce of acting ability I possess. “Something like that, I guess. Can I come in? I’d rather not have this conversation in the hallway.”
Eric steps aside, smirking. “Be my guest.”
I feel Thanatos follow me in, but Eric doesn’t react, like he promised—Eric can’t see him.
In theory, it’s terrifying that someone I can see as clear as day can cloak himself from my enemy, but at the same time, it empowers me to know that this trash can of a human will never be able to touch me again.
The room is exactly what you’d expect from a frat boy—clothes strewn across furniture, empty beer cans piled in a corner, and a bed that hasn’t seen clean sheets in who knows how long.
The air reeks of stale beer and body spray—at least the housekeepers have some agency, or maybe because it’s the weekend, but I wouldn’t want to clean this cesspool either.
“So, what’s this about?” Eric asks, dropping onto his unmade bed. “Finally realized what you’ve been missing?”
I force myself to stay calm, though I can feel Thane’s rage radiating from across the room like heat from a furnace. “You know, I’ve been thinking about what happened with us.”
His expression shifts slightly. “What about it? Look, Kenzie, baby, we both know you had a good time.” That cocky edge is back in his voice as he gets off the bed and slinks toward me.
The sound that rolls out of Thane scares me. I’ve always known the man had a couple of screws loose, but this—I’m not sure if I shouldn’t clear out so he can have a moment with his prey or be the prey those glowing white eyes are seeking.
‘Now who needs to chill the fuck out?’ he growls into my mind.
Fuck! Right, stay on task.
Eric is mere inches from me, his meaty finger tugging at the end of Thane’s leather jacket. “Why don’t you take this off and show me why you really came here tonight?”
I take a step back; the smell of beer and his cologne makes my stomach turn. “Actually, Eric, I came to talk about what really happened that night.” I keep my voice steady despite the trembling in my hands. “The night you drugged me.”
His expression shifts from cocky to guarded in an instant. “What are you talking about? You were into it.”
“Into being unconscious?” I spit the words at him, finding courage in Thane’s invisible presence. “Into waking up with bruises I don’t remember getting?”
Eric’s face hardens. “Don’t be fucking stupid, Mackenzie.” He steps closer, and I can feel Thane’s energy crackling in the air like electricity before a storm. He looks at me, and I nod. “Who’s gonna believe someone like you over me? Captain of the lacrosse team, Dean’s List—”