Chapter 4 #2
The small girl raised a brow, collecting and counting the bills. Afterwards, she tucked two dollars beneath her blanket and put the rest in the register.
Little thief.
Winter shook off her irritation when the bandit dangled a room key. “First floor, third room on the right.”
Slivers of moonlight lit up room 3C. Winter sat upright with her back against the wooden headboard. Her drunken ex-lover was lying face up between her legs while she played with his silky black hair. In this position, he drifted in and out of sleep.
There was only one thing on her mind: revenge.
Before settling into this four-poster bed, she’d collected the small container of ink left for guests, along with Kaden’s micro knife, and hidden both beneath her pillow.
She trailed her fingers to his shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “You’re so strong, baby. Aren’t you going to take your shirt off for me?”
Kaden grinned. One lazy snap later, it was gone.
She roamed his bare chest with flat hands. A place she used to rest her cheek on so carelessly. “Mm. You look so hot, baby. Do you want to play tonight?”
He tugged on the tightening seam of his pants. “Desperately.”
She cleared her throat. “Then I’ll need my suitcase, please.” Magical ropes wouldn’t do—they dissolved after a couple of hours. This occasion called for real restraints.
His snap was louder this time, her things appearing as if an invisible bellhop retrieved them.
“Thanks. Stay here.”
She left him on the bed, swaggered to her suitcase, and kicked it over.
A loud clunk sounded. “Oops.” She crouched down, unzipped it, and tore through her belongings.
“There you are …” She held up four leather straps adorned with rose gold hardware.
A black furry cuff was linked to each one.
These were sturdy and held without magic.
She grinned, sauntering back to Kaden. “Ready, babe?”
He splayed his arms and legs apart. “Yes, hurry.”
“Shh.” She cuffed one extremity at a time and fastened each to their respective bedposts.
Once he was secured, she pulled off her sweater. A crucial part of phase three was reminding him exactly what he’d lost.
“Don’t you want to watch me undress?”
He lolled his head her way, mumbling wicked nothings.
Removing her blouse revealed the red slip she was wearing underneath—a few patches of lace connected by some thin strings. After all, breaking up with him properly would require lingerie, blood, and ink.
When she bent down to pull her boots off, Kaden groaned, “Get innn this bed.”
Winter snapped upright. “Almost done, baby.”
She tugged on the waistband of her leggings, shimmied her hips, and slid them off slowly. He slid his tongue across his bottom lip—her invitation to come sit.
Something like thunder drummed through her veins.
Boom, boom, boom.
There was no turning back now. She climbed in, straddling his chest. This view was familiar and painful at the same time; nothing was the same between them.
She freed her knitting needle and whispered, “Mutatio Rosa,” morphing her wand into a fresh rose.
“We’re going to play a new game, baby, so follow along.
” She admired the bright red flower then plucked off a petal, folding it between her fingertips.
“Do you love me?” She dropped it and yanked another one out. “Or do you love me not?”
“I love you, Winn.”
Liar.
After a sweeping inhale, she flicked the petal on him and tore off another. “Do you love me?” she asked, voice breaking, then let the petal fall and ripped out one more. “Or do you love me not?”
He frowned. “Of course I love you.”
If she squinted, she’d believe him.
Since the rose was actually her wand, and only an illusion, the petals re-sprouted.
This frustrated her, so she ripped off three more and threw them at him.
“Do. You. Love. Me?” She punctuated her question by seizing the entire bud and yanking it off.
“Or do you love me not?” With a flourish, she tossed every single petal into the air.
“So much, Winn. I love you so much.”
Stop.
Her chest heaved. Hearing him lie again and again was supposed to make phase three easier. Instead, she was losing this game. The rose kept growing back, beckoning her to keep playing.
No. She needed to regroup instead.
“Enough to be very quiet tonight?” she asked, placing the blooming end atop Kaden’s evil heart.
He nodded.
She trailed the rose along his collarbones. “Magically?”
“Yes, baby, anything.”
Winter pointed her wand towards him. “Silentium os.” This spell would enable him to move his mouth, but no sound would come out. It was one of her favorite tricks. She tucked the rose behind her ear and reached under the pillow for his puny knife.
“Well, I don’t think there should be any more secrets between us. Baby.” She switched her tone. It wasn’t sassy or domineering; it was cold and cruel.
Moonlight reflected off the small blade, revealing her reflection. Red flower, red lips, red slip. She looked hot. And there was only one thing that would make it hotter. She sliced her forearm.
“There’s something I’ve never told you about me, Kaden. It’s not just the color red I love. It’s blood.”
He leaned away, fear flooding his eyes. Was the thief who stole her heart, scared of what dripped from it?
Winter grinned. “It’s just a little blood.” She held the knife against his throat. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to cut you. That would make me as horrible as you, wouldn’t it? You didn’t need a knife to leave permanent scars, Kaden. I loved you.”
She licked her blood off the pathetic blade before tossing it. “Ink is your liquid of choice, correct?”
He was expressionless.
“It’s similar to blood, when you think about it.” She slid a finger through her new cut, collecting a generous amount. “It’s thick and paints much the same.” Writing in reverse was harder than she’d thought it’d be, but she managed to spell out NTA on her chest.
Next, she reached for the hidden bottle of ink. “It’s such a shame you never truly loved me, baby.” She sat tall, wiggling the container. “Black and red look so sharp next to each other.”
Kaden’s nostrils flared as wide as his eyes. With his limbs tied and voice taken, he was at her mercy.
Winter opened the bottle with her sharp teeth and spit out the cork.
“This is what you threw away our relationship for? Ink?” Without a care for her cuticle bed, she dipped her finger in and spelled out YTA on his chest. The letters were big and bold.
“You’re the asshole, Kaden. Not me. I hope these ink marks stain your memory the same way you’ve stained mine. ”
She emptied the rest of the bottle all over him and the sheets, then slid off the filthy bed. “And just in case I didn’t make myself clear, we are done. Forever. There never will be an us.”
He yanked on his restraints uselessly.
Winter found her clothes, got dressed, and zipped up her suitcase.
“You can snap yourself into your void, but you know that bed and those straps are going with you.” She headed to the door.
“You’ll be able to scream for help in about six hours when the spell wears off, so I suggest you get some rest.”
She was finally leaving Kaden and there was no looking back.