“What happened, Nicole?”
“I did the same thing she did. I got swept up in their beauty and their false niceties. It was Dillon for me, and the moment I opened my mouth and told him how I felt, he made it more than clear what he thought of it. Mark my words, none of these guys want your love, and if they ever say those words to you, then you better believe it’s just another one of their games. I may not be one of the nice girls here, but I’m not a cold hearted bitch like One either. Don’t be an idiot, Luna. The same goes for you too, Daria. Don’t trick yourself into thinking that you love them. Something like that could never flourish in a place like this. It would only ever be tainted. A twisted version that no one should ever have to feel.” She shrugs out of D’s grip before walking away and we’re left to stew in our own thoughts.
“Do you think she’s right? That if they ever say it…” I really don’t want to finish that train of thought.
“I think it depends on the guy, but, Homegirl…” She breathes out harshly as she places her hands on my shoulders and looks at me square in the eyes. “Maybe you should be more careful who you give your heart to. You have so much love to give, and I worry that you give it away too freely.”
“I’m not even sure I want to be in love, D. How can you fall in love when your heart's already broken?”
It’s not until the sixteenth of November that Aeron returns. His eyes meet mine across the mess hall, but he turns away and I can feel as brick by brick, a wall starts to form around my heart.
I can’t stop myself from loving Emmet, he’s already in my system, but I will do whatever I can to prevent it from happening with anyone else.
I walk down to my class and like an invisible chord is pulling me, I end up right in front of Emmet.
“My Star.” His eyes trail over me. He pauses at what I’m wearing, a blush, see through, pink blouse, with a pale cami underneath, with a black leather skirt attached at the waist. I have on a pair of black buckled, ankle boots, and the leather jacket that D gave me last year. His eyes scorch me, and I would give anything to be able to speak to him.
“I haven’t forgotten about you. Mark my words, Thallon will be releasing you soon. Things will be back to normal in no time.” His fingers graze my arm as my head dips down but I don’t speak. Because I’m not allowed to.
“Fuck the rules, Luna. Just say something.” He grips my hand and electricity travels up my arm. I shake my head and he growls, before he lets go and sends his fist into the wall.
“Emmet, please, don’t. You’re making this too hard.” My voice breaks and he… well, he walks away.
I walk into my business class and claim my seat beside Maddox. The tutor starts speaking and I jot down as many notes as I can until my mind starts to drift. I turn the page and write something else, I just hope Maddox can fill me in on what I’ve missed.
Em,
I hate being owned by Thallon, but I’m starting to think that right now, maybe it’s for the best.
You said things will go back to normal, but what is normal now? Tom betrayed us all, and I don’t know how things will be without him now. I know you don’t want to hear this but, crap, even writing this is hard. I loved him, Em. I don’t know if it’s because he was my first, or that he was always niceish to me, but I did. I do. Love doesn’t just disappear, even though I wish it would. My heart is broken, and being around you all just reminds me of him and how he fooled us all. I’m still yours, I think I will always be your Star, but I can’t do this right now. I know where I stand with Thallon, but when it comes to you and Aeron, I don’t know. I don’t know anything. What makes you tick, why being a legacy was so damn important to you. All these feelings I have, I just don’t know if I can trust them.
Please, Emmet, give me time to figure everything out, if you do care about me then just give me time. I can’t ask you not to screw other girls, I have no right, but I need you to know that despite all of this, I do care about you. More than I can say, the way I feel scares me and I just thought I should end it there.
Your Star
I tune back in to the lesson and wait for the tutor to wrap things up. The moment she dismisses us with our assignments, I slip the piece of paper into Maddox’s hand. He's the only one I trust to deliver my message.
27
The Different Faces of Evil
Thallon
“You wanted to see me, Sir,” I say as I open the door to his office and he beckons me in with his hand.
I take a seat opposite his desk, and he narrows his eyes at me. Probably because I didn’t wait for permission, the chauvinistic asshole.
“You’ve been doing a good job, Thallon. I heard about the way you made her kneel at your feet in the mess hall. Why did you stop?” His eyes are cold, but I’m not scared of him. At the moment he needs me, so I feel pretty damn untouchable.
“It was getting boring, but I’m trying to think of some new things to do. How much longer do I have to stay tied to her, Sir? It’s rather tedious.” I cross my arms over my chest as I lean back in the chair.
“Thanksgiving is coming up, you’ll be coming to spend it with me and Maria. That includes Luna. As for being tied to her, it shouldn’t be much longer. We just need her to feel isolated. Maybe you should play on that, you’re keeping her away from Emmet and Aeron, I want you to use that to your advantage. That way when she is eventually claimed by my son, it won’t be a pleasant experience for her.” A smile spreads across his face.
“How am I supposed to do that? She’s already lost Tucker and Tom. What can I possibly do to turn her away from them?”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something, that is if you don’t want me to liquidate the Australian branch.” His tone turns more menacing, but it still isn’t reaching me. I wonder how that makes him feel.
“I took her to the fighting ring.” I slouch down even more and his eyes turn to slits.
“How did that make her feel?”
“She hated every minute of it. Especially when I forced her into the ring, we had to pull the girl off her.” I laugh darkly. I’m just not sure why I’m lying to him.
“Good, keep taking her there. Anything to keep her spirits down. I think she’s had it too easy in this place, it’s time she realized that she isn’t above the rest.” He steeples his fingers and I get to my feet.
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow, don’t forget Thanksgiving. We’ll be expecting you,” he says as I turn my back on him and leave the office.
I see Emmet up ahead and my carefree smile falls into place. Oooh, he looks mad, this should be fun.
“Hey, Prince, how’s it going?”
“Don’t ‘Prince’ me, you jumped up little shit. It’s time for you to release Luna. I’m done with your bullshit and treating her like she’s some second class citizen.” He clenched his fists but he isn’t striking me. Ahh, seems like he’s trying to hold himself back. Let’s see how long that lasts.
“I’m not done with her yet. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get your go eventually.” I pat him on the cheek and watch as his jaw ticks.