Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
No one.
“Get her up.”
They hauled me to my knees—a hand fisting my hair, wrenching my neck back to face the one guy who didn’t move or join in.
Owen’s sneer was terrible on his red, splotchy face. Welts covered every bit of exposed flesh. At his feet was a single black duffel bag. Between the fading red paint and the bruises, he looked like one massive, bleeding sore. To even sit on my bed, he perched on the end of it—his arms held out to avoid touching anything or himself.
And I smiled.
Fury twisted his features unrecognizable. “Think this is funny, bitch?”
Taking my eyes off him, I twisted as far as the vise on my scalp would allow me, scanning the faces of my captors.
Darren Johnson. Caleb Madden. Silas Brown. Emmett Jones. Levi Thompkins.
My skin burned looking into his hate-filled eyes. The worst part was I wasn’t surprised to feel Levi’s nails pierce my scalp. I wasn’t shocked that he was Owen’s first call when he decided to break into another girl’s dorm and assault her. Soulless bastards stick together.
“Yes,” I hissed, looking Owen right in the eyes. “I think this is hilarious.”
Owen didn’t react the way I expected. He didn’t react at all.
The silence spread down my back, stiffening my spine.
Moving gingerly, Owen picked himself up off my bed. Slight winces shattered the cool mask he clung to. “Luna... Bowden... Sinclair.”
“Just Luna Sinclair.” I was proud of my voice for holding steady. “I didn’t take my stepfather’s last name.”
“And I bet you thought that would hide who you were? Stupid,” he spat. “Your brain-dead sister tried to do the same thing, going around calling herself Winter Bowden, so everyone would think she was the tire king’s daughter. A potential Royal.” He barked a laugh, and cut it short—grimacing.
“As if she could be one of us,” he forced. “In Regalia, we can find out a person’s lineage faster than that slut could find a dick looking for a free blow.”
I lunged. “Don’t talk about her that—!”
Levi hauled me back, muffling my shouts.
Owen continued on like I hadn’t spoken. “She had no right to come in our town, in our school, and pretend like she was one of us. She got exactly what she fucking deserved. Which is why I won’t bother to ask why you did what you did to me this morning. We both know why we’re here.”
Grim understanding dawned. Owen thought I turned him into a human piñata, and why wouldn’t he? No one on this campus could possibly hate him more than Winter’s sister.
“I could tell you that you’re in way over your head.” Owen paced the length of my rug, so desperate to act the cool, powerful menace even though he was a walking Rorschach test. “You’re playing a game where you don’t know the rules, the players, or how to make it end.”
My chest heaved, breathing hard against the clamp stemming my curses.
“I could tell you that whole thing with your sister wasn’t personal,” he mused. “The bitch had to be put in her place, and if we didn’t do it, someone else would’ve. Bowden could’ve made it stop at any time, but as we both know, she was stupid.”
Mentally screaming, I ordered my heart to slow and racing mind to halt. Stop and think, Luna. You can get out of this. You can make Owen eat those insults!
“It could’ve ended, Sinclair, but then you had to come to this school.” He shook his head like he was disappointed in me. “You had to come for me and start this shit all over again, like I don’t have better things to do than waste my time on another worthless Dreg. I wish I could say we were even. I showed the world the truth about your sister, and you got me back.”
Owen stuck his face in mine, swallowing me in hostile depths. “But it doesn’t work that way, bitch.” He headbutted me, making us both cry out. “The Royals do what they fucking like and you Dregs don’t get to do shit about it! Your sister had to learn that lesson the hard way, and looks like you will too. Strip her!”
I thrashed—bucking and wrenching my limbs from their grip. Darren, Levi, and Emmett held me fast, crowing and laughing as Silas tore off my shirt in one vicious move.
“Hmmm!”
The door flew open. “Lu-Lu, I told you to—”
Katie stood in the entrance, jaw dropping faster than her phone hit the floor. She took in the scene, eyes huge.
Katie was right. She said the day was coming quick that I’d be happy to see her. Relieved tears coated Levi and my cheeks. I screamed for her, shaking over the tatters of my shirt.
“Owen? Levi?” she rasped. “What the fuck are you doing?!”
“Get out of here, Katie.” Owen slashed a hand at her. “This has got nothing to do with you.”