Vile Boys (Spine Ridge University)

“You made it!” Nathan hugs me tight, barely clutching his glass enough not to spill it over my pink dress.

“I didn’t even realize it was you,” I mutter. “These white masks make it so hard to recognize anyone.”

He pulls away and winks. “It adds a bit of flair, don’t you think?”

I smile. “I suppose it does. I should’ve guessed this would be your theme, considering the name of your frat house.”

He smirks. “Phantom kinda gives it away, don’t you think?”

He throws his arm over my shoulder and points at all the rooms. “That’s where the drinks are, and that’s the kitchen. You can get fabulous homemade sushi there, courtesy of our amazing in-house cook.”

Someone clears their throat behind me. “Milo. Just say Milo.” The guy with the lanky frame and red hair sticks his hands into his pockets, sporting a mischievous grin. “And if you want, I can even make them fresh on the spot for a beautiful lady like yourself.”

He attempts to grab my hand, but Nathan swiftly pulls it away so he can’t reach it.

“Not her.”

“What? I wasn’t doing anything.”

Nathan lifts his brow. “Of course, you weren’t.”

Milo shrugs and walks off, waving. “Have fun at the party, Crystal!”

“Thanks,” I tell him. “How does he know my name?”

“My boys know who I’m friends with,” Nathan replies. “We don’t keep secrets from each other.”

“Admirable.”

“Anyway, where was I? Right, the dance floor is right through that door in front of you. And upstairs are some bathrooms you can use if you need them. That’s about it.” He pats my back. “Anyhow, I gotta run. Text me if you need anything!”

I wave as he runs up the staircase, and I take a breath before I start looking around. The place is so crowded, I don’t even know where to start. I was still indecisive about whether I should even come tonight because of what happened the last time I went to a party. Plus, I still have a ton of studying to do. But Kayla practically begged me to come, and I can’t say no to her.

I pull out my phone and text her.

Me: Where are you?

It takes her a while to reply.

Kayla: Dance floor! Purple dress. Hard to miss.

Me: I’m wearing a pink dress. Wave if you see me.

My scarf slowly pulls off my shoulder, but I swiftly pull it back up so it stays put, and I walk toward the dance floor. The whole place teems with people, and the music booms through the speakers.

I look around to see if I can find Kayla, and when I see a raised hand waving at me, I grin and walk over.

“Crystal!” She hugs me. “I was already wondering where you were. I’m glad you came. It wouldn’t be a party without you.” She grabs my hand and pulls me back to the dance floor. “Now c’mon, let’s dance.”

Caleb

I sit on a chair in the back of the dance floor next to a masked guy wearing a suit, but I know exactly who it is.

Nathan Reed, Phantom and definitely one of the organizers of this party.

He immediately sighs out loud. “What are you doing?”

Apparently, I’m easy to recognize too. “Sitting down next to you. Is that a problem?”

He throws me a glance. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“We’re not friends anymore.”

“But we were. We could be.”

“Not interested.”

“What do I have to do to make it up to you?”

“Ask Ares,” he growls, taking a sip of his drink.

I sigh out loud too and look around the room until I finally spot her dancing with a friend. A cheerful smile adorns her sharp face, blond hair sweeping back and forth across her shoulders, her thighs almost in perfect ratio to her ample breasts hiding in that pink dress of hers, and for a moment, I’m struck in awe at her beauty.

I totally understand why Ares wants to play with her.

“Are you staring?” Nathan mutters, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“No,” I retort.

“Yeah, you are.” He snorts.

“I was just wondering who she was. That’s all.”

“Crystal Murphy. She’s a friend.” He leans forward and glares at me, flashing a knife in his pocket. “Stay away from her.”

My eyes narrow at his warning, which I intend to fully ignore. “Do you think a knife is gonna make me listen?”

A smirk slowly spreads on his lips as he retracts his knife again and pulls his hand from his pocket. “You never fuckin’ listen.”

“Nope,” I retort, smiling right back at him. “But I’ll leave her alone.”

For now.

“Good. She’s too innocent for you anyway,” he adds.

“Innocent?” My brow rises.

“Yeah. Doesn’t hurt a fly. Doesn’t deserve to get her heart crushed by the likes of you.” He tilts his head at me. “I know what you and those other Tartarus guys can do to people.”

I thrust an imaginary dagger into my own heart. “Wow.”

“I’m just saying … you hurt her, I’ll hurt you back.” He winks, then gets up and saunters off through the crowd.

But I keep my gaze fixated on the blond-haired girl with the bubbly smile. Because that smile hides a dirty, dark secret … and I will make sure she doesn’t tell anyone.

As she twirls, her beautiful green eyes briefly make contact with mine, and I suck in a breath, mesmerized by her beauty, until I remember she saw us murder two people.

And judging from the way she narrows her eyes at me, she hasn’t forgotten.

That’s right, Crystal.

We’ll be here, watching you, always listening, always waiting.

Waiting until you slip up.

Waiting until you part those pretty lips and spill our filthy secrets.

Waiting … so we can swallow you whole.

Crystal

For a moment, I’m taken aback by the stranger in the seat, staring at me like he wants to rip this dress right off my body, but then Kayla grabs my hand and drags me into the middle of the dance floor, and I’ve forgotten all about him.

We dance against each other, bumping asses, showing off, and sure enough, some guys start watching our moves. Kayla loves the attention. Me, not so much, but I’ll happily assist in making her shine. I’m not here for boys, though. I’m just here to take my mind off an upcoming test … and two dead bodies.

I gulp and spin around so we’re butt to butt, but when my eyes connect with two haunting gray eyes hiding behind a white mask near the door, I pause.

Streaks of black hair peek out from above the mask. With that casual white button-up with two loose buttons that barely cover his muscular pecs and a pair of tight black pants, he draws all the attention of the girls around him.

But he doesn’t seem to notice any of them looking except me.

My blood feels like it’s gone icy cold.

It’s him.

“C’mon, dance with me.” Kayla grabs me and twirls me around.

By the time I can finally look back, he’s already gone.

Shit, where did he go?

I unfurl myself from Kayla’s grip and stumble over my own dress, but she catches me before I slip and fall.

“Whoa, you okay?”

“Yeah, just got a little dizzy there,” I murmur, laughing it off like it’s no big deal. “I think I’m just gonna go get some fresh air.”

“All right, I’ll come with you.”

“No, no, you stay and dance. I’ll be fine,” I say, stepping away.

“You sure?” she asks, concerned.

“Yeah, yeah, go dance. I’ll be right back,” I reply before I disappear into the crowd.

The music blasts in my ear, but my senses feel numb.

Like I’ve just been confronted with saying the biggest lie.

But I couldn’t possibly tell her the truth about what really made me sweat. I don’t want to put her in danger if Ares comes after me. And those deep-set, devilish eyes told me enough with a single glance—he’s coming for me.

Ares

The moment I crossed the doorstep, I knew I’d found her.

That curly blond hair and those pinkish lips along with those stunning green eyes instantly gave it away.

She’s the girl I’ve been looking for, the one who saw me kill.

The second our eyes connected, her entire body tensed up, and my dick stirred into action at the thought of trapping her on that dance floor and forcing her to come with me.

God, the amount of fun I could have chasing an innocent girl like her … making her fear me and erase that wretched smile off her face.

Suddenly, someone grips my shoulders and pulls me back away from the dance floor and into a wall. By the time I process what’s happened, I’m about ready to gut them like a fish until I realize who it is.

“Kai?” I growl, throwing his hands off my shoulders.

“So it is you. Thought I’d recognized that awful stench of your ego,” he says, smirking.

“Fuck you,” I spit back, jerking my shoulders free. “Don’t touch me.”

He holds up his hands. “Relax. I’m just trying to talk.”

“About what?” I bark back.

“You haven’t been replying to any of my messages.”

“Intentionally,” I reply.

“Figured,” he retorts, snorting. “Look, I don’t know what the hell your deal is, but I’m gonna need you to stop. Too much is at stake here. Put whatever shit you’re holding against me behind you, please.”

“Not even thinking about it,” I say, leaning back against the wall so I can keep an eye on the door in case she walks out.

“What is your fucking problem?” Kai growls. “You know I need your help, and you’re blatantly ignoring it.”

“Deal with your own shit,” I say, glaring over his shoulder. “I have better things to do than help you and these Phantoms fight some imaginary enemy.”

“Look at me. Is this how you’re going to treat me?” he says, tilting his head. “You can’t even look at me when we’re talking.”

“Not if I can avoid it.”

“Fine. Fucking hate me, whatever, but I’m not the one who’ll suffer if you don’t help,” he says, pointing his finger at my chest as if I’m the problem here. “You came here into my fucking territory to enjoy my fucking party. The least you can do is return the favor when I ask for help.”

“Fine. You want me to leave?” I raise a brow as I push myself off the wall to get up in his face. “Because I’m fucking fine with that. Don’t worry.”

“No, I’m not saying that,” he says. “I’m just saying, I help you out, you help me out.”

“Since when have you ever helped me?”

His lips part, but he doesn’t respond as quickly as before, which means he doesn’t know the answer.

Checkmate.

“Thought so,” I quip, and I move past him.

“Nathan’s going to be destroyed if you don’t help,” he says, his voice all serious.

I pause and think about it for a moment. “Your guy … not mine.”

“So you’d let a fellow student die?” he adds.

I swallow. “If that’s the lesson, then so be it.”

And I walk off, leaving him seething with rage.

But I don’t care. His emotions do nothing to me. They haven’t for a long while.

Brushing it off, I walk back to the dance floor, but to my surprise, her friend is alone, and she’s nowhere in sight.

Where did she run off to?

I look around at the couples in the hallways smooching, but none of them are her. I’m obsessed with finding this girl.

“Ares.” Caleb’s voice makes me stop in my tracks as he whispers into my ear from the side. “Her name is Crystal Murphy.”

A devilish grin spreads on my face.

Of course, it is.

Crystal Murphy.

Such an innocent name for such an innocent girl …

It’s a pity I’ll have to destroy her.

“Thank you,” I reply.

“She’s out on the terrace beyond the kitchen,” he adds.

My tongue darts out to wet my lips. “I’ll deal with her.”

I walk through the crowd toward the kitchen. Another door at the other end is wide open, so I head out. There’s a small fenced-up stone terrace with seats, and the music is still audible out here, albeit far less loud.

But the one thing that makes me pause is the girl in the pink dress, staring off into the distance like she’s waiting for a certain someone to come and whisk her away.

A wicked smile forms on my lips.

There she is.