FORTY
Milan
PRESENT
Damian’s party, like every year, takes place in the sprawling basement of the extravagant Reynolds family summer estate.
The basement is dimly lit, with black lights casting an eerie glow. The dance floor is packed with bodies moving to the beat, and the air is thick with smoke, smelling of alcohol and sex. The music thunders from the speakers, the bass so loud that the walls vibrate.
“Who are we choosing tonight?” Damian asks as he scans the crowd. “There are a lot of new girls here. Many of them are probably first years.”
Damian and his fondness for younger girls.
“What about her?” Shin points at an easy target.
Adena Easton – Aliya’s fake-slut friend.
She weaves through the crowd, her brown hair falling in loose waves over her shoulders. Adena dances with a guy, grinding against him pathetically.
She always acts so haughty and proud, but we all know how desperately she craves attention and dick. When Aliya’s reputation was ruined, she turned her back on her. But now that Aliya is back in my orbit, this lying bitch suddenly plays her best friend.
I wanted to get back at her anyway, maybe this game is just the right thing.
Damian lets out a whistle as he eyes her up and down, his gaze lingering briefly on her cleavage. “What’s her name again? Something with C. Candace? Cassandra?”
“Adena,” Shin corrects him.
“Right. She’s friends with Servant, isn’t she?” Damian looks at me. “Speaking of Servant, why isn’t she here? I’m sure she’d be the perfect target for tonight.”
I clench my jaw.
Just the thought of her playing such a sick game gets my blood boiling.
Hell no.
She’s mine.
There’s no way I’m going to let anyone lay a hand on her. If she’s going to be chased by anyone, it’s going to be me and me alone.
“She doesn’t need to be here.”
Damian’s eyes twinkle lewdly before he bursts into laughter. “Come on, Shane. Since when are you such a prude? We’ve always shared girls.”
This. Fucking. Bastard.
Does he have a death wish? Does this turn him on?
But before I can smash his face in, Shin breaks the tense atmosphere. “Are we starting now?”
Damian stares at me for a moment longer, a smile playing on his lips as if he can read me, before turning to Shin. “Yeah, Adena will do it too.”
The chatter and music fade as all eyes turn to Damian. He climbs onto one of the tables and calls out to the crowd. “Attention, everyone! Are you ready for our annual tradition?”
A mixture of curiosity, thrill and fear hangs in the air as the students shout and cheer in agreement.
“The rules are simple. The hunters have thirty minutes to find the prey. Once the thirty minutes are up, the chase is over. The winner is the one who catches the prey first.”
Excited murmurs go through the crowd. The attendees begin to whisper among themselves, guessing who might be chosen as the prey this year.
“And now comes the best part.” Damian grins. “The hunters have no limits. Once you catch the prey, she belongs to you. You can do whatever you want with her.”
A box of various Halloween masks is passed around for the hunters to wear.
“And now it’s time to choose the lucky one.” His gaze sweeps over the many guests before landing on Adena. “Congratulations, gorgeous. Adena, you’ve been chosen as this year’s prey.”
Her eyes widen as all the attention turns to her.
“Run, little prey. You don’t want to be caught, do you?” Damian calls in her direction as the crowd begins to count down from sixty.
Her face pales as she realizes what’s happening.
She looks almost scared. Well, shit happens.
But at the same time, it’s clear she’s excited by this kind of adrenaline.
What did I say? Cock-craving.
She looks at Damian, searching for a sign of mercy, but finds none. He’s enjoying this, the sadistic bastard.
But so am I.
Finally, Adena snaps out of her trance and starts to run.
“I bet fifteen minutes until she gets caught,” Shin says casually.
Damian leans back in his chair. “Fifteen minutes, my ass. She won’t last more than twelve minutes before she’s on the ground.”
“I doubt that. Ten minutes and she’s done.”
“Looks like you don’t think much of her, Shane. I’ll take that bet. Losers owe the winner something, deal?”
Shin and I nod in agreement.
Last year, I won Damian’s fancy Rolex and Shin’s signed jersey from famous football player Caleb Hayes with our little bet.
The atmosphere in the room relaxes as those not participating return to dancing and drinking. Some still talk about Adena being chased through the basement halls, but the excitement of the chase has faded.
I light a cigarette and take a deep drag.
A blonde girl leans against a column, trying to catch my eye while sipping her drink. It’s a shame that my lack of interest doesn’t deter her in the slightest. Instead, she starts dancing like a cheap slut in the middle of the dance floor, showing off her moves.
Last year, I would’ve probably taken her into one of the empty basement rooms and hooked up with her without a second thought. But all my thoughts are now consumed by one person.
I’m obsessed, completely captivated by her.
I wonder what my Little Curse is doing right now.
She’s probably at home, curled up on the couch with a book in her lap. Or maybe she’s in bed wearing her short pajama shorts.
I can picture it perfectly.
How she looks when she’s lost in a book, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Or the way her pale, smooth skin contrasts with the dark fabric of her shorts.
How easy it would be for me to pull her shorts down and bury myself between her legs and-
Fuck.
Just the fantasy of her makes me hard.
I take another drag from my cigarette, and the smoke swirls around me as I exhale.
Unlike me, Damian seems to be enjoying the party.
His eyes sparkle with delight as the two girls in front of him kiss hungrily, their hands roaming over each other’s bodies as they vie for his attention. Their mouths collide and part with a loud moan. Their bodies writhe and rub against each other in a display of wanton submission.
This sort of thing used to excite me, but now it just seems pointless.
I crush out my cigarette and take a sip from the drink in my hand. The taste is harsh, a mix of cheap liquor and artificial flavors.
I need something to distract me from my thoughts. Distract me from her.
Damian turns his head and looks at me. “Not enjoying the show, Shane? You used to be into this kind of shit.
“Things change.”
She changes me, reaching deep inside and making me doubt myself.
One more cigarette, one more sip of my drink.
The party is in full swing when a guy emerges from the shadows about eight minutes later, dragging Adena behind him.
“Looks like she didn’t last long. Congrats, Shane. The win is yours.”
Damian gestures for the girls to stop their display. They immediately comply, breaking apart. The arousal between their legs is unmistakable after they’ve dry-fucked.
He stands up and walks over to the guy who brought Adena back. He stands out immediately, with his slicked-back blonde hair and tight black V-neck shirt hugging his body.
I watch the guy as he talks to Damian. His face seems oddly familiar. I could swear I know him. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t remember where I’ve seen him before.
Shin seems to notice my confusion and chimes in. “Who’s that? I’ve never seen him before.”
“I don’t know.”
Damian pats him on the shoulder, a sinister smile on his face. “So, what are you gonna do with our little prey now?”
The guy grins, tightening his grip on Adena’s wrist. “I’ve got a few ideas.”
Who the fuck is this and why does he seem so familiar?
“Oh, let’s hear it."
A dangerous glint appears in his eyes as he leans in to whisper something in Damian’s ear.
Damian laughs out loud. “You’re a sick bastard, you know that? I like it.”
And suddenly everything falls into place.
Back then, when I first had my sights set on Aliya, I watched her at school. Every day, how she took the bus home, how she met up with my brother and even how she left the light on in her room every night.
I knew everything about her.
I know everything about her.
Of course, I also know she has a stepbrother.
Daniel Wilson.
But until just now, I was sure he lived in Chicago and not Detroit. Since when is he back here?
My sources described him as a guy who hangs around eccentric circles. If I remember correctly, he also has some ties to the Tyrrells.
On top of that, he’s a bit older than all of us – somewhere in his late twenties. So, what’s he doing at a high school party? It doesn’t make sense.
“Looks like they know each other.” Shin’s gaze flits back and forth between the two of them.
And I don’t understand the connection between Daniel and Damian either. But my gut tells me it can’t be anything good.
I know Damian well enough to understand that he wouldn’t associate with someone unless he stood to gain something from it. Shin and I are the only ones he doesn’t put on a show for.
He’s definitely up to something.
Damian sends Daniel and Adena off in a certain direction before swaggering back to us with a smug expression.
“This is going to be interesting.”
Shin raises an eyebrow. “What did he whisper to you?”
“You’re too young for this, ShinShin, but I’ll tell you anyway. He wants to pleasure our little prey in the GlowCellar.”
In other words: He’s going to fuck her in front of other people.
GlowCellar – The only well-lit room in the basement of the summer villa. It’s usually used when horny people decide to amuse others with a live porn show by fucking on the counter.
“How do you know him?” I ask instead.
Damian shrugs, a look of false nonchalance on his face. “You know me. I have connections everywhere.”
“Yeah, yeah. We know you’re a social butterfly.”
Damian throws a playful glance at Shin before turning his attention back to me. “Why do you want to know that? Are you jealous, Shane? Aww.”
“Hardly.”
“Who the hell is this guy anyway?” Shin jumps back in.
“Daniel Wilson. Likes motorcycles, whiskey, and trouble. You know, my kind of guy.”
I narrow my eyes. He doesn’t know he’s Aliya’s stepbrother, does he?
“Sounds like a walking cliché.”
Damian shrugs, unfazed by Shin’s criticism. “He might be a cliché, but he’s useful. And believe me, he knows how to have a good time.”
Shin rolls his eyes. “Then he’s probably just as much of a psycho as you are.”
“I’m not a psycho. I just prefer the term morally flexible .”
Shin scoffs, but Damian turns to me. “You’re so quiet. Everything okay?”
I force myself to maintain a neutral expression, so Damian doesn’t get the satisfaction of knowing he’s rattled me.
I take a sip of my drink, the sharp taste burning my throat. The party rages on around us, oblivious to the dark undercurrents bubbling beneath the surface.
But one thing is clear. Damian’s intentions are anything but innocent, and Daniel Wilson is someone I didn’t see coming.