~8 Years Ago
"Kaden, where are we going?" My voice cracks, more annoyed than worried. I glare at the road ahead, it feels endless, deserted, eerily silent. I should be glaring at Kaden instead, but I don't. It's been twenty minutes since we left school, and the only thing he's said to me is, "You'll find out soon, Luna. Be patient, alright?" Since then, he hasn't so much as glanced at me. The car purrs under his steady control, speeding just enough to twist my stomach, but not enough to make me barf.
"Are you ready to tell me why you've been ignoring me?" His voice is calm, too calm, like he's asking about the time.
I scowl, crossing my arms. "You dragged me to the middle of nowhere for that? Kaden, are you crazy?" The question leaves my lips before I can stop it, and I instantly regret it. Kaden isn't crazy. Kaden is insane. He always has been.
He smirks. He fucking smirks. He enjoys the irritation he's caused me. He glances at me briefly, then back at the road. I want to smack him.
"Pull over," I snap, sitting up straighter, my heart racing as the trees blur past us, leaving only the road and a few hills.
He doesn't.
Instead, he presses the accelerator, and the car lunches forward.
"Kaden!" I call his name, my voice rising, but he doesn't flinch. His grip on the wheel shifts slightly not tight, not loose. His expression is unreadable, and I can't tell if he's pissed off. If he is, good. He caused this.
Finally, he speaks, his tone low and deliberate. "Sit back."
"And what if I don't?" My response comes too quick, too sharp.
His eye twitches. He's pissed.
He turns his head to look at me, his voice calm but laced with warning. "If you don't, I'll stop this car, bend you over, and spank you fifteen times."
I freeze, caught between disbelief and resentment. He can't be serious can he?
"You're bluffing," I say, trying to hide the way his words affect me. My voice wavers, betraying me.
He looks at me with those awfully seductive eyes, a hint of taunt in his tone. "I'll stop the car when you're ready to tell me why you've been ignoring me. And you should know, Luna I don't bluff."
Why does he want to know? I won't tell him. He'll laugh. Staying with Kaden always turns chaotic, and this feels no different.
"I'm ready to talk." The tension in the car shifts instantly. His foot eases off the pedal, the car slowing down. Triumph sparks in my chest. I cross my arms, pretending to be nonchalant as he finally pulls to the side of the empty road.
The moment we stop, I unbuckle my seatbelt, already planning my escape. If I'm fast enough, I can lose him in the trees. But then again can anyone outrun Kaden?
I know the answer.
I run as fast as I can without looking back. I don't know why I'm running, but I am.
I hear the car door slam shut behind me. He's coming. No, no, no.
I'm not even close to the trees not even halfway. He'll catch up in no time. I won't stop. I can't stop.
My foot lands in a pothole, and I fall hard onto my knees. Pain shoots through me. Might be a sprain. My ill fate catches up to me and so does Kaden. I feel his presence behind me, steady and unbothered. He isn't panting like I am.
He walks around to face me, squatting low. I refuse to look up.
"Luna, look at me." That stupid name. Luna. I still don't know why he calls me that.
I raise my head but focus above his, avoiding his gaze. I know I'm getting on his nerves. He stands, blocking my line of sight. "What is wrong with you? You've been pissing me off lately, and honestly, I'm tempted to punish you. Unless you want to be punished, I suggest you drop the attitude and tell me what the fuck is wrong."
"You need to stop acting like you care and go pack your bags for England. Leave me the fuck alone." I try to stand, but my left leg gives out, pushing me back down. The pain is sharp, relentless.
Kaden stares at me, his face blank. He doesn't move to help, not that I expect him to.
I muster enough strength to stand, limping but upright. I head toward the car, realizing I don't own it, can't drive it, and I am stranded in the middle of nowhere with him.
I glare at his blank face. "Take me home."
He starts walking toward the car, and I follow, limping behind. I doubt he'll take me home, but a hospital will do.
Kaden walks past me at his own pace, his long legs making it easy for him to stretch the distance between us. Show off. I curse under my breath, calling him a bastard as I limp toward the pretty car.
Five minutes. It takes me five long minutes to reach the car.
When I finally get in, he doesn't glance at me. The silence is suffocating, broken only by the sound of his fingers tapping against his phone.
I clear my throat, breaking the silence. "Take me to a hospital first. I'll go home myself from there."
Kaden drops his phone without a word and reaches into the bag in the backseat. I watch as he pulls out an ice pack from the duffel and grabs a shirt. Without glancing at me, he takes my left foot and places it on his lap. I shift awkwardly, turning my body to face him so I don't twist or break or sprain anything further. His attention stays fixed on my swollen ankle, his expression unreadable.
He wraps the shirt around my ankle, securing the ice pack in place with a preciseness that feels almost clinical. Then, he moves to my left knee and cleans the scratch with alcohol. The sting makes me flinch, and I pull back slightly. He blows on the wound, but it doesn't help. It never does. I've never understood why people think blowing on a wound makes it sting less it's a myth, at least for me.
I don't say anything, though. I just watch him silently, my mind drifting. Why does he even have a first aid kit in his car? And why isn't he saying anything? Is he angry? I have this strange urge to just pinch his cheeks and then ask him. He looks nothing like a reaper right now. If anything, he is more attractive he makes my chest hurt.
What was that? My chest hurt?
That can't be. Why isn't he saying anything though?
"Rhea," His voice low and steady. "I hate it when you try to run away from me. You know that, right?"
Spoke too soon.
"I wasn't running away from you," I reply, my gaze everywhere but at him. "I was… escaping from being kidnapped."
"Yeah, right." His tone is laced with sarcasm as he starts stroking the scratched knee that now has a band aid on it. "And why were you trying to escape?"
His voice is too soft. Way too soft. It's unnerving.
I meet his eyes, hesitating before asking, "Are you and the other guys really moving to Oxford?"
His brows furrow slightly, confusion flickering across his face. "Yes, we're moving to Oxford. Why?"
I was hoping he'd say no, that it was a prank, or that they'd changed their minds. But no. He's still leaving.
The silence stretches, and I know it's becoming suspicious. Forcing a light smile, I say, "It's nothing. I just… won't get to wear your clothes anymore. Sorry, I was being dramatic."
He places my leg on the dashboard, his gaze unwavering. "You were being dramatic yes…" he says as he fastens my seatbelt, "but I get it. I'd leave my clothes behind, but what's the point if they don't have my scent?"
"I know. Now take me home." My voice is calm, mirroring his.
I remind myself to stay composed. He's leaving in a month, and I don't want to ruin the time we have left. 'Just happy memories. Just fun. No fighting.' I chant in my head like a mantra so i don't yell 'I don't want you to go' instead.
"I know you have a sprained ankle," he says, starting the car, "but you're not going home yet. You're coming with me to a party."
Confusion slaps me in the face.
"A party? Is it a birthday party? Because you've never let me come to any of your parties before." Kaden has never allowed me to any of his parties. When I ask nicely he says no. When I threaten him he says, "you are begging to be locked up then". When I beg him some more, he says, "The party or my clothes". I always pick his clothes. What?
I like me a good masculine scent.
He chuckles lightly. "Luna, since I'm leaving soon, I'll take you to one but just this one."
I don't know why, but a small part of me feels scared. Kaden will be there with me but if it's a party and Kaden is going. It means the other reapers will be there.
I nod, and he starts the car.
It takes ten minutes to reach the 'party.' I say "party" because it isn't a party not in that sense. I don't even know what to call it. A gathering of evil maybe?
Students from every school in Meadowbrook are here. Some girls are running into the building, their skirts swaying and revealing a portion of their underwear. I've always wondered how people feel so comfortable wearing those short, skimpy, revealing clothes. I don't judge them though.
I spot some students at the corner of the building, not far from where Kaden parked his car, and oh sweet Lord. The boy has his hands under her skirt. I would've thought he was just rubbing her through her underwear, but then seeing the underwear pooled between her legs and the expression on her face, is enough evidence that he actually has his fingers in her. Maybe his whole fist even.
I was so fixated on the couple in front of the car that I didn't notice how close Kaden was right now. I feel his hand on my head, it makes me face him and I realize he has been staring at me. "Why are you looking at them and not me".
"I wasn't looking at anyone". I look at my fingers as I fiddle with the hem of his shirt. I am lying. He knows I am lying. I know he knows I am lying. Luckily he doesn't push further. "Okay"
I see him take out his phone to text someone through my peripheral. Since his attention wasn't on me anymore I look at the couple again. Now she has her mouth around his baby making wand. That's what I call it when I find it unattractive. Don't judge.
I watch as she gags due to his wand. I could barely hear them but I heard when he praised her, "that's it. Good girl…". There's a funny feeling I get in my stomach after hearing him say that. I don't know what it is but it makes me rub my thighs together.
I don't get the chance to watch some more when Kaden turns my head so looking at him. "Did you just rub your thighs together while staring at another boy's dick?" He emphasized the 'another boy's dick'.
"I don't know what your talking about". I lie blatantly. How did he see my rub my thighs together. He was watching me again?
Before I could think of anything or say anything else, I see three figures approach us.
The Reapers.
Xavier Ermias, Adrian Quinn, and Reid Donovan. And, of course, Kaden.
It doesn't take long to figure out what kind of 'party' this is, judging by the many students, the masks the other reapers had on and the reapers themselves.
It's one of those nights where they gather kids and adults, encouraging them to do bad things while they do worse. By they I mean the reapers.
"Oh wow, who do we have here?" Adrian smirks, his dimple showing as he rests an arm on Reid's shoulder. Adrian is the flirt, the narcissist. Worse than Reid, who flirts openly and unapologetically. Adrian does it low-key, but I wouldn't be surprised if his body count was the highest. "Hey, Xavier, isn't she your sister's best friend?"
"And your brother's best friend too," Xavier replies with a chuckle. Xavier is the craziest of them all. He thrives on violence. I wouldn't be surprised if his motto was 'no violence, no life.' He's an underground wrestler and an MMA fighter in Meadowbrook.
Before I can respond, Kaden cuts in. "You have a male best friend?"
Why does he look surprised. I thought he knew about Landon.
"Yes. Landon's my second best friend ."
A vein pops in his neck.
"I thought he was just a classmate. I didn't think he was your friend, let alone your best friend." He scoffs and walks toward the entrance.
"What's up with him? Did you kick his balls?" Xavier and Adrian joke, but I don't respond. I can feel Reid's eyes on me, but I don't meet his gaze.
As I limp after Xavier and Adrian, someone grabs my arm, pulling me back. I nearly fall.
It's Reid.
Reid doesn't talk much, but he's always watching. Quiet, but deadly. Like Kaden. But while Kaden is cunning and calculated, Reid is unpredictable.
"What happened to your leg?" he asks, bending so we're at eye level.
I can't tell him I fell into a pothole while running from Kaden. That would raise too many questions. "I sprained it at basketball practice," I lie.
"Mmm. Does it hurt?" He glances at my bandaged ankle, then back at me, waiting for an answer.
"It's better, but it still hurts a bit."
Without a word, he turns and crouches. "Hop on. I'll carry you."
I hesitate, waiting for him to laugh or say he's joking. But he doesn't move. Slowly, I climb onto his back.
"Why are you so light? It's like your weight has ascended to heaven. Don't you eat?"
My cheeks flush. "I do eat."
"No, you don't. You look and feel like a chipmunk."
Before I can stop myself, I kick him lightly with my good leg. "You're a donkey."
My eyes widen as I realize what I've just said. I called a Reaper a donkey.
But instead of getting angry, Reid laughs. Reid Donovan laughs.
The smile stays on his face as we walk through the door Kaden and the others passed through.
Inside, the first thing I see is a girl clinging to Kaden. My stomach twists. I don't realize I'm squeezing Reid's neck until he teases me. "I wouldn't have carried you if I knew you wanted to kill me."
"Oh my, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Kill me?" he interrupts.
"No, I—"
"So you *did* want to kill me."
"What? No! What the fuck?"
His laugh echoes, drawing everyone's attention.