Nash throws a T-shirt over his head and steps in front of me, his damp hair still dripping water down his chest. “We need to talk.”

“Not today.”

“Party at my house!” Astor calls, abandoning his conversation with the goalkeeper. “It’s our off week. Let’s party until the morning!”

I meet their gazes and tilt my head to the side. “Get out of my way.”

Nash’s shoulders tense, but he doesn’t move.

I’m a few inches taller so I glare down at him with my best ‘Back the fuck off’ look. If he wants payback for what happened with Queens, I’ll give him that.

Just not today.

Knight claps Nash’s shoulder and pulls him back. He’s smarter sometimes.

I sidestep them and stride out of the door.

“Later, King!” Astor calls after me. “Try not to commit a crime.”

Hmm. Maybe that’s exactly what I’ll do.

 

 

13

 

 

Elsa

 

 

My head hangs against the wall as the water beats down on me.

I let it rinse me, cleanse me, but it can’t reach the itch beneath my skin.

It’s slowly but surely ripping me apart.

Yesterday was my second session with Dr Khan. I found myself in the same vision from last time. However, my younger self’s screaming was much louder to the point my ears popped.

When I asked Dr Khan why I ended up in the same vision, he said that I could be blocking my subconscious.

The cause is probably stress.

A heavy sigh rips from me as I stare at the white tiles.

I need to get myself together. If I don’t, then I’ll be trapped as I’ve been for ten whole years.

Problem is, whenever I close my eyes, all I could think about is Aiden and Silver.

Or more accurately, Aiden fucking Silver.

My temper flares at the thought.

I want to hit something.

Scream at someone.

Because deep down? I’m bleeding.

It doesn’t help that Aiden’s been ignoring my existence for the past few days. When he walks by me, he doesn’t even spare me a glance as if I don’t exist.

Since the first day we met, I’ve always been visible to him. Even from afar, Aiden always had his attention on me. His metallic eyes followed me everywhere.

Being invisible hurts more than I’d like to admit.

Nope. I’m not going there.

This is for the best.

It’s the weekend so I’ll go home and do some homework. I was supposed to sleepover at Kim’s but they’re having a family dinner, so my weekend plans changed to me and my empty home.

Yay.

I’m about to shut off the water when a rustle comes from outside the door.

Coach Nessrine is out for the day and asked me to close up after I’m done. Maybe one of the girls forgot something.

I remain in the stall, biding my time until whoever they are leaves.

The handle to the stall’s door moves.

I gasp, my eyes widening. “W-Who is it? Tara? Coach?”

No answer.

I gulp, my heartbeat escalating.

The handle doesn’t move anymore. It’s locked. No one can come in here.

I remain rooted in place for long seconds even when no other sound comes out.

Pounding water is the only thing that cuts through the silence.

Ten seconds pass.

Twenty.

I release a breath. It’s nothing after all.

Something jams against the handle and the door flies open, hitting the wall.

I shriek, but a strong hand wraps around my mouth, muffling the sound.

My eyes widen as I stare up into Aiden’s dark metallic gaze.

It’s bottomless.

It’s a void.

Tremors jolt through my limbs and goosebumps cover my skin despite the warm water.

“You can run but you can never escape me, sweetheart.”

“Mmm,” I mumble against his hand.

That’s when I take the rest of him.

He’s naked.

The water soaks him in a second. Like an exotic model, his jet black hair sticks to his forehead.

The droplets of water travel down the ridges of his muscled chest and his abs.

His strong thigh barges between mine and that’s when I recall that I’m also naked.

My hands fly up, clawing at his arms so he’ll release me. Aiden pushes me with ease. My back hits the tiled wall.

I gasp at the violent impact.

It’s like that night in my room all over again.

This is the scary side of Aiden. The side that takes without boundaries.

The side that only leaves havoc in his wake.

“Did you mistake my silence for approval, Frozen?” His chilling tone tickles my skin like a dark promise.

If he’s calling me Frozen, then I should be scared.

This isn’t the Aiden who sometimes tries to restrain himself.

No. This is Aiden at his worst unhinged self.

The bully. The devil.

My spine jerks upright against the cold tiles and my lips tremble under his hand.

“Is it fun to defy me, hmm?” He thrusts his hips forward. An unmistakable erection slides between my legs and against my folds.

I whimper, shaking my head.

He doesn’t stop.

I’m starting to think that Aiden doesn’t know how to stop.

His chest crushes my breasts as if he can’t get close enough or torment me hard enough.

“Being mine isn’t a choice,” he says in that scarily calm tone. “It’s a fucking reality.”

He reaches his free hand between us and wraps two fingers around my throbbing nipple. He squeezes so hard, I nearly topple over with pain.

I cry out, but the sound is muffled by his hand.

He presses his fingers harder as if engraving his words into my body.

My body isn’t the only thing he’s interested in.

He’s also trying to reach into my soul and write those words in black, permanent ink.

Tears barge into my eyes, but I swallow them inside.

“You can fight me on anything, but you don’t get to fight me on the fact that you’re mine.” He runs his tongue along the shell of my ear and bites down. “Is that clear?”

A whimper claws its way out, but I gather the strength to glare up at him.

“You think you have a choice, but you don’t. Not this time.” He meets my glare with his stormy eyes. “I won’t stop. Not now. Not fucking ever. Your fate has already been sealed, sweetheart.”

Those words draw a shudder from deep inside me. The need to fight pumps through my blood, but his steel hold shackles me in place.

The pad of his forefinger runs up and down my assaulted nipple. It takes all my self-restraint to hold in a moan.

What is he doing to me?

A voice in my head screams at me to run, hide and never return.

Aiden is batshit crazy. And apparently, I’m crazier if I feel this way in his arms.

My reaction to him scares the living bejesus out of me.

I’m not this girl. I won’t be a stop in his endless stops.

I try to push him away. He pinches my nipple again. A mixture of a whimper-moan leaves my lips.

Oh. God.

I mumble against his hand and fight.

I fight everything.

The tears.

The overwhelming sensations.

The tightening at the bottom of my stomach.