Kades brooding nature seems to be a dark cloud hanging over us as he takes his seat at the table, ignoring my presence once again.

The man is nothing if not stubborn.

Yet his attitude seems to be more today.

Killian roles his eyes, noticing my attention on his cousin, "He's obsessed with a new girl at the fights and she hasn't shown up for days, leaving him moody."

I raise a brow, feeling my heart pound beneath the cage of my ribs, almost begging to be let free.

"Oh?" I mumble, trying not to show too much interest, "Who is she?"

Killian shrugs but it's Malac who answers, "No-one knows, not for lack of trying. Kade almost asked every single person last night if they knew who she was," he chuckles then, "she just turned up one night and left after getting her money, disappeared into thin air."

Kat takes a seat beside me, silent as a mouse as she starts eating. If it wasn't for the fact that I see her sitting here every day I would think she was invisible, always here but never making herself known.

I'd gotten used to her presence after weeks of her incorporating herself into my life in every classroom we shared together and every lunch.

A lithe body slips into the unoccupied space beside Kat, and she tenses, ready to scurry away and I bump my knee against hers, not looking at her but instead staring at the body beside hers.

Aubrey still doesn't say anything to me, the occasional eye roll and glance but other than that I think she's content to pretend I'm not sitting with her friends.

She looks around the table, "What are we talking about?"

Malac grins at her, seeming to draw the attention of half the school before they look away just as quickly. "Kades little girlfriend, I was telling babygirl that maybe he won't be such a stick in the mud if he actually finds something to stick it in."

Aubrey laughs, the noise rough and throaty, the sound so at odds with her lithe pixie like features. "Doubtful."

Disgust rolls over me and I shove my elbow into Malac side, "I'm eating."

"Ouch, baby girl, that hurt."

I ignore his slight pout, finding Kades gaze on me but he looks away, back to Malac. "She's not my girlfriend; she's just a girl."

"Who you know nothing about." Killian adds in from the side.

Kade grunts but doesn't say anything else, continuing to eat his food in silence before finally mumbling, "you didn't see her fight."

Malac snorts, "and now you think you're in love with her?"

Kade flashes him a glare, "Shut your mouth before I shut it for you."

"Well, maybe we'll see her fight tonight." Killian murmurs, pulling Kade's attention his way.

Kade only grunts, going back to his meal.

I glance around the cafeteria but can't stop the words as they leave my mouth, "how do you even know she'll be back there tonight?"

Malac speaks, the grin prominent in his tone. "He doesn't but he'll turn up every night until she does. Just like he has been."

Killian chuckles himself, and I find myself smiling at the two brothers as they share a conspirators grin but the smile on my face fades when I notice Kade's stare.

He narrows his eyes before pinning that lethal gaze on Malachi and Killian, the both of them raising their hands in surrender.

Aubrey seems to be in her own little world, ignoring her three friends but every now and then I see her duck her head to say something quietly to Kat.

I narrow my eyes, trying to figure her out when movement from the corner of my eye catches my attention, the perpetrators hand flicking back out of my vision with one of my chips clutched in his fingers.

Twisting the fork between my fingers, I lay it down slowly, fingers skimming over the knife beside it. I flash my gaze to Malachi, snaring his attention and slam the butter knife down in front of him, the point spearing into the wooden table, millimeters from his splayed hand.

"Don't touch my food." I mutter, staring directly into those vivid blue eyes of his.

Malachi only taps his fingers on the table like he's playing the piano, yet I know the only music this man listens to is the screams of the dying and dead.

He grins at me, flashing his teeth in a predator's smile. "Feisty, baby girl, I didn't know you had it in you."

I roll my eyes at him. I should've known he would only get the hots for the flicker of violence in the air and judging by those vivid blues of his darkening to an ebony hue, he very much enjoys the danger.

"Lovely weapon of choice." He murmurs lowly and I ignore him, flashing my gaze around the table, narrowing on Killian when he talks.

"Theres something about a girl that can improvise-" he gives a pointed look to the butter knife still standing up between Malachi's hand then to me.

I try not to flush under the gaze, turning my attention back to the shiny knife to avoid looking at any of them.

Malachi wraps his fingers around it slowly, one by one until he's got a firm grip on the metal and pulls it out.

Then he pockets it.

I lift a brow, but he only looks at me as if I'm the one acting weird here.

"Souvenir." Is all he says before he reaches for my food again, and this time I don't have a utensil to stab him with.

"Why are you still here?" Kades voice penetrates the moment, and I turn my attention to him, blinking back at him. He seems angrier, glaring at his cousins like they've done something wrong before glaring at me with a ferociousness I dint expect from the privileged rich boy.

"I go to school here." I remind him as if he's slow.

His jaw ticks at the answer and a thrill goes through me. "Surely you can find another school to -" he looks me up and down in his usually fashion, "give you a handout."

Anger courses through me at the words. If anyone has just been given a handout in this life, it's him, them. All of them.

"Just drop out, no one would fault a girl-" he looks me up a down, "of your worth, quitting." He continues, seeming to know exactly what to say to twist my arm.

I smile then, leaning forward as if I have a secret to share. "Jealous, Kinkade?" I say, his eyes narrowing at his full name, "Daddy not give you enough attention so you need to get your kicks elsewhere? Afraid you won't be able to cut it in the real world without his money to float you by?" His eyes are like a wildfire on mine, scorching. "I'm not going anywhere, so you can take your self-righteous attitude and shove it so far up your ass you choke on it, okay?"

"You have no idea what game you're playing here, Newbie. Find somewhere else to call home."

"No." I tilt my head at him, making sure he sees the determination in my gaze. "In fact, I quite like this city, even if it does have a pest problem." I look at him then, letting the darkness of my past seep into my face. "But that can be easily exterminated."

Kade doesn't say anything, narrowing those grey eyes on me and yet the hue seems to get colder and colder with every second that passes until it looks like I'm looking into liquid mercury.

I settle back in my seat even as my heart pounds with the challenge I just placed down.

Why the fuck did I just do that?

Malachi brushes his shoulder against mine and leans closer, the heat of his skin almost scorching mine with its closeness before he murmurs, "Next time you want to stab me, baby girl, don't go for the fingers that could treat you so well." He lays his palm flat on the table again and my gaze goes to those same fingers I could have stabbed if I'd wanted to.

If I'd wanted to.

I flick my gaze back up to him and ignore his words.

"I have impeccable aim, if I wanted you deformed-" I whisper back, "you would be."

The bell rings then, putting an end to our conversation even as my heart still beats double time and push myself from the seat, turning my back on all three of them as I saunter out.

A hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me into the closet between classes, the door shutting with a resounding click before my back is against it.

I look up at Malachi, narrowing my eyes at the smile he shoots my way.

"What are you doing?" I utter, ignoring the way it feels to have his body so close to mine, remembering what it was like last time we were in a closet together.

He pulls the knife from the cafeteria out, letting it dance between skilful fingers.

"I believe this is yours?" He muses; eyes riveted on the way the blade slips between his fingers like second nature. He moves the blade closer, the metal so close to my face before he pulls back. Reaching for my hand, he lifts it and places the knife in it, folding my fingers over the object.

"You could've just left it at the table," I say, shaking my head at him.

"Where would the fun be in that?" He whispers, stepping forward again.

"Did you just want an excuse to pull me into a dark corner?"

He grins, "and what if I did?"

I roll my eyes, reaching past him, arm brushing the warmth of his skin to put the knife on the bench behind him.

"What do you say, baby girl, you going to let me kiss you or what?"

"What will your precious owner have to say about that?" I hum, tilting my head. "Kade has you on such a tight leash-"

Malachi grins, "Tell me to bark and I will, baby girl." He steps closer again, "Kade doesn't dictate who I kiss."

"Doesn't he?" I counter but my heart is in my throat, eyes dragging to his lips.

Why am I entertaining this?

"Tell me, baby girl."

I glance into his eyes, feeling out of my depth.

The only person I'd ever kissed had been Ethan and even then, it had been awkward, curiosity rather than carnal need.

I wasn't sure what I was feeling was carnal need, but it definitely wasn't just curiosity.

For a moment, I debate running, finding my way to my classroom and forgetting this entire encounter but then I remember what I promised myself.

I was going to take back myself, going to give away the one thing Charles held in such high regard.

My virginity.

And here was a boy, willing to play the game I'd already started in my head.

So, when I look back into his eyes, I let my body rest against the door, and I open my mouth.

"Bark."

He grins wider and moves forward, my eyes drop to his lips like some force compels them to and I watch as his lips form the words, "I'll take that as a please."

And then he kisses me.