Godsdamn these fucking hallways.
A short walk that should have taken me all of ten seconds is now taking me five minutes. It doesn’t help that the hallways on every floor in every building look exactly the same. I’m not even sure I’m on my own floor right now.
I pause, glancing around. The marble hallway glistens beneath a veil of sunlight, casting an iridescent sheen throughout the long corridor. I peer through the magnificent arched windows. The campus lawn is a flurry of activity with the influx of freshmen arriving today, and I attempt to catch a glimpse of my sister and her girlfriend, Astrid. Scarlett had told me she was showing a new student around, and I have to admit, my curiosity piqued at Talbot taking special interest in this particular freshman. Although, I have to believe it’s because this girl grew up completely ignorant of our world and the fact that she has a vicious monster beneath her skin. I’ve never heard of that happening - a monster growing up with human parents, and I can’t imagine what that must have been like for her.
When I don’t see Scar or Astrid, I pull my phone from my pocket. Fuck. It’s now ten minutes past the time I was supposed to meet Sasha. A whiny, pain in my ass on a normal day, the Sphinx is now going to be absolutely insufferable. The only reason I continue to put up with her is because she has a certain…oral fixation that works in my favor.
I take one more cursory look around. The hallways are empty. Odd. Given the amount of students that Alystair currently houses coupled with the incoming freshmen, I shouldn’t be the only person standing here right now.
“What game are you playing?” I ask aloud, knowing I won’t receive any response. I sigh and lean back against the wall. Pocketing my phone, I use the same hand to conjure a book from thin air.
Perks of having a god for a father, even if he’s a malicious prick.
I settle into my required reading: Titanochamy: The Great Ten-Year War. Why my aunt insists on giving me these archaic texts and demands that I read them, I’ll never know. The gist of it all is: the Titans are imprisoned, the gods are all assholes, and us monsters bear the unfortunate weight of having been vilified throughout history for being what we are simply because we were cursed for refusing to fuck said gods.
No one said life was fair.
“Ah, Nicholas Cervallos, interesting that I should find you here.”
Fucking Talbot. He knows better than to call me Nicholas.
I draw my gaze upward, my attention immediately stolen by the girl that stands slightly behind him. For her part, she appears enraptured by me, but it would be completely unfair if I didn’t say the same about her.
Stunning, sea green eyes speckled with blue drink me in, dusted by long lashes. Dark brown hair threaded with gold is pulled away from her face, accentuating luscious full lips and high cheekbones, flushed with heat. Her tanned olive skin glistens with sweat, no doubt from the oppressive August humidity, but something else lingers there. I tap into my monster - just a bit - to garner a scent from this stranger and…
Ah. The corner of my mouth quirks up. She’s nervous.
“Come on, Professor Talbot. You know I like to be called Nick,” I say, still keeping my back against the wall. Despite the undeniably attractive girl standing before me, I can’t fathom what the fuck Talbot wants.
Talbot shoots me one of his fox grins that leads me to believe he’s up to something. “What a coincidence, our new student here also prefers her nickname.” He moves to the side and beckons her forward with a tilt of his head. “Nicholas, this is Rhi.”
Rhi. The name immediately hooks into me like it has claws of its own. I shake it off by glaring at Talbot for ignoring my wishes, then close the book and push off the wall, extending my hand out to her. “Nice to meet you.”
She tilts her chin to look at me, and those startling eyes almost distract me from the unsettling feeling of her hand in mine. I’d chalk it up to the fact that her claws are extended and blood paints her fingers, but it’s more than that. She doesn’t find me threatening - at least, not in a dangerous sense. Yet, that’s the way I feel about her - that she’s somehow dangerous and alluring all at once. A fucking lethal combination.
“You too,” she says, keeping her hand in mine. And though I don’t exactly hate it, I also don’t like how I feel utterly ensnared by her.
“You have blood on your hands,” I say casually, and that does the trick. She pulls her hand from mine, and I ignore the strange ache in my fingers from the absence of her touch.
“Oh.” She clenches her fists, a beautiful blush painting her cheeks.
Guilt slithers along my insides. My intention wasn't to embarrass her. I try to offer her a comforting smile, but instead the monster in me surfaces, its intrigue spiking with the effect this girl has on me.
“There’s no need to hide them.” I’m aware my smile is a bit sinister, but I don’t care. This girl - Rhi - has thrown me for a loop, when usually, it’s the opposite.
I finally decide to address Talbot, who has been uncharacteristically quiet. “What can I do for you, Professor?”
“If you wouldn’t mind showing Ms. Owens to her room, I’m sure she’d rather you accompany her, than myself.”
Oh, fuck no. I’m already late to meet Sasha, and now I have to spend more time with this strange girl who elicits all sorts of unwelcome, irrational feelings in me? Yes, she’s absolutely stunning, but I don’t need another headache. I don’t need another girl who will eventually find out what I can do, and then say, mockingly sweet, “it’s not you, it’s me” when I know for a fucking fact it’s me.
I skewer Talbot with a vicious glare. “Actually, I was just about to-”
“And that’s why I thank you in advance for being so accommodating.”
Dick. Talbot makes a show of searching in his pocket for a piece of paper, which my keen eyesight saw he’d been holding all along, and hands it to me.
“Have fun. Rhi, if you need anything, my office is in the Eastbourne building, first floor, first door on your left.” I hear the humor in his tone but don’t bother to protest, letting him disappear and go back to whatever he’d been doing before he and the hallways decided fuck with my day. I take note of Rhi’s room number, hiding the surprise on my face. I know exactly where it is, which means the hallways dumped me on the second floor, obviously so I would have this meeting with her.
Frustration trumps my curiosity. I crumple the paper and toss it over my shoulder. I shove the book in the back of my jeans, making it disappear out of sight from Rhi. That’s not a conversation I’m ready to have with her, seeing how I don’t know her and the whole interaction with her thus far has been jarring on my end.
“Come on.” I take off, anticipating that she’ll follow.
“Thank you,” she says.
“Don’t mention it.” It comes out sharper than I intended, but it’s probably for the best. Besides the constant “it’s not you, it’s me” speech I get, there’s also the chance I finally fall in love with a girl that’s literally going to kill me. Not that I expect that to happen any time soon.
Rhi rushes to keep up. “Is something bothering you?”
There’s a bite to her tone, and the fact that she’s even asking when no one else would has me further intrigued. I face her and raise my brows. “Why would something be bothering me?”
“You have a bit of an attitude.”
I can’t help but grin. Oh, I like this one. Most girls initially fall all over themselves and don’t bother to question me, never mind calling me out. But not her.
I walk even faster.
There’s a tug at the back of my shirt. I whirl on her, my exasperation and curiosity on an even playing field at this point. But again, it’s better Rhi thinks I’m a dick, for her sake and mine.
“What?”
“Don’t bother showing me to my room,” she snaps and walks past me. I use that as an opportunity to admire her perfect round ass, which the denim cut-off shorts she’s wearing do wonders for. They give way to long, toned legs that I immediately imagine wrapped around my waist -
“I’ll figure it out,” she spits.
I release a hearty laugh. This poor girl is absolutely clueless. The hallways probably can’t wait to fuck with her. I catch up to her in two quick strides.
“Didn’t Professor Talbot tell you that these hallways move? We should have been at your room already. Why do you think I’m so annoyed that I had to be the one to take you there? We could be here for hours, and I have somewhere to be.”
“Well, that’s no reason to be rude to me. I didn’t do anything. Blame these stupid hallways.”
Rhi throws her hands up just as I involuntarily place a hand over her mouth and push her against the wall with my other. It settles perfectly into the curve of her waist, and I resist the urge to tighten my grip. Her eyes are wide with fear, and a muffled scream hums against the palm of my hand. The monster in me stirs, loving the submissive position I have her in, her fear feeding my already unsavory thoughts.
For fuck’s sake, Nick, pull yourself together.
“Don’t piss them off! You want to wander around these hallways forever?” Her head shakes beneath my hand. I remove it from her mouth, my skin tingling where her lips met my palm.
Rhi remains quiet, her chest rising and falling against mine. “No more insulting them, ok?” I say gently. She still doesn’t answer, so I straighten, assuming my body flush against hers is making her uncomfortable.
For me, it’s causing an uncomfortable situation in my jeans.
“I’m sorry for being rude. Let’s just walk and see what happens.”
Rhi nods and peels her back from the wall. I keep my stride at an even pace for her to follow. Her silence is unnerving, and the smallest twinge of remorse settles in my chest. Maybe I was too harsh. Too abrasive. Shit, I barely know the girl and just had my hands all over her.
Another reason I need to stay away from her - the behavior I just exhibited is uncharacteristic of my nature. But for some reason, Rhi seems to bring out something intrinsically primal. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’ve been holed up with my aunt all summer, training these ungodly powers and strengthening the control of the monster beneath my skin. So, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten laid, and Rhi is the first girl I’ve set eyes on that isn’t my sister or one of her friends, who are also like sisters to me.
Or perhaps it’s the kind of monster she is, which I’m oddly having a hard time figuring out. Her claws were sharp, long, and black, attributes typically indicative of one of the more deadlier monsters, like Charybdis. I think of Scar’s friend Liv, a girl so savagely gorgeous you would never know how ruthless she actually is. Rhi can certainly match her in beauty, so Charybdis isn’t out of the question. It would be helpful if I could see her fangs, though I’d never ask. In our world, that would be like asking to see her naked.
Speaking of which…I sneak a glance at Rhi, finding her already looking at me peripherally.
I press my lips against a smile at her clear embarrassment of being caught, though she tries to play it off. “What’s Rhi short for?”
“Rhiannon.”
Interesting. “Oh, like the witch.” My aunt would be beside herself with morbidity if she found out a monster was named after an enigmatic witch.
“No, like the song.”
“The song is about a witch.” How does she not know this?
“I didn’t know that,” she confirms, releasing a weary sigh.
“You never wondered what your name means?”
“Not really.”
The lyrics come unbidden. “Dreams unwind. Love’s a state of mind.”
She looks at me like I actually did ask to see her naked.
“It’s from the song, Rhiannon,” I offer.
Rhi falls silent again, clearly dismissing our conversation. The song continues to play in my head:
Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn’t you love to love her?
Maybe. Except, that’s a ridiculous notion. Whoever I fall in love with is destined to destroy me.
And it’s definitely not this girl, who doesn’t even want to speak to me.
As if my thoughts prompted her, Rhi finally says, “What does your name mean?”
I can’t help the wide smile that splits my mouth. I’m not used to anyone asking questions about me. “For that, you’d have to know my real name.”
“It’s not Nicholas?”
“No.” I have no idea why I’m telling her this. Not only does she not have a right to know, but revealing my true name puts me at great risk.
“Well, then what is it?” Her voice drips with curiosity.
I pause in front of a dark gray door, idiotically pleased with how interested Rhi is. Only the smallest kernel of sadness takes route at the thought that my real name is something I’ll never hear from her lips.
“That,” I say as I knock, then place my hand on the doorknob, “is information you have to earn, Rhi.”
My sister yells “come in,” and I swing open the door, but I don’t miss the strange expression on Rhi’s face, like I’m the answer to a curse she’d been desperate to break.
And that makes all the blood in my body rush to the wrong damn place again.
I step inside and try to focus on my sister as a distraction. “Hey, Scar, I’ve brought you your new roommate.”
“You’re my roommate?” Rhi asks as she joins us.
“You know her?” I ask my sister.
Scarlett jumps off her bed, her tiny frame barely making a creak as her feet hit the floor. She throws her arms around Rhi. “We’re old friends.” Scar releases her and winks as realization dawns on me.
“Ohhhh,” I cross my arms and lean against a tall, dark dresser at the foot of my sister’s bed. “This is the girl you showed around earlier.” My prior curiosity returns ten-fold, and I don’t conceal it as I allow my gaze to rove over Rhi’s body. This is the girl that grew up not knowing what she was. The blood on her hands makes a lot more sense now. She’d probably been fighting to keep them from emerging, which gods, that had to have been painful. What must have that been like, to think you were human, only to find out you are anything but?
I want to ask her. I want to tell her that I know how it feels. I know what it’s like to be ashamed of the monster beneath your skin. To exert every fucking thought and ounce of control into keeping it hidden.
But the idea that if she gets to know me, really gets to know me, and rejects me, just like everyone else, isn’t something I want to deal with. For some reason I can’t explain, her rejection will hurt more than the others. I can feel it.
“Sasha came by looking for you,” Scarlett says.
Shit. I completely forgot about her. I groan. “What did you tell her?”
Scar flashes me a mocking smile. “I said I’m not your keeper.”
Little shit. “Can’t you be nice?”
“No.”
It’s no secret that my sister doesn't like any of the girls I hook up with, mostly because of the fact she knows how they end up treating me. Scar may be five foot nothing, but she has the heart and balls of a fucking Hydra.
I sigh. “She’s gonna be a monster to deal with.”
“Figuratively or literally?” Rhi asks.
I laugh. Clever. “Both.” I run my fingers through my hair, contemplating the turn this day took. “Those damn hallways.”
“I wondered what took you so long,” Scar mutters, stealing a glance at Rhi.
Rhi reaches into her back pocket to pull out her phone. “We couldn’t have been that long.” She inhales sharply once she notices the time. “But…that’s impossible. It didn’t feel like more than five minutes!” She sits down on a bare mattress across from Scar’s bed, looking utterly bewildered.
“Yeah…that’s another thing. Time moves differently in the hallways, as well. Sometimes it stays the same, but sometimes it speeds up,” I explain.
“Or slows down,” Scar chimes in. “But the real question is…why did the hallways spit you out an hour later?”
I roll my eyes. Here she goes, about to play matchmaker. Under any other circumstance, I’d welcome her intrusion, but in this case, I need to leave Rhi alone.
“Knock it off, Scar. I gotta try and smooth things over with Samantha.”
“You mean Sasha,” Rhi says, pure disgust in her voice and written all over her beautiful face.
Fuck. Well, if she didn’t think I was a total asshole already, that definitely sealed the deal.
“Right. I’m seeing Samantha tonight.” I turn my back to the girls and head for the door. I consider just walking out and saving myself further embarrassment, but something gives me pause.
I’d say that it would be rude of me to leave without saying goodbye, but later, I’ll admit I just wanted to see her face one more time. “It was nice annoying you, Rhi.” I turn to my sister. “Catch ya later, Scar.”
“Good luck in the hallways, Nicky Boy.”
I scowl at the annoying pet name my sister coined for me when we were kids, but exit swiftly and shut the door behind me. Rhi’s voice travels into the corridor, “Nicky Boy?”
Fucking great.
I head toward the archway at the end of the hall that leads toward the winding staircase to the third floor. My thoughts are consumed by Rhi, by her striking eyes - bits of blue and green clashing like rogue waves; by her mouth and the sharp tongue lying within it. They take a dark plunge as I imagine that tongue stroking mine, those eyes staring up at me while Rhi is on her knees; those sharp claws raking down my back while she screams my name -
A door swings open violently, and I blink in surprise. I hadn't even realized I made it to Sasha’s room.
Her dark brown eyes are narrowed into slits as she glares at me, tapping her foot furiously on the floor.
“Took you long enough.”
“Yeah. Sorry. Hallways.” Fantastic. Now I sound like fucking Frankenstein’s creation - another misunderstood monster. At least we have that in common.
Sasha flips black hair from her shoulders and wrinkles her nose. I can tell she’s contemplating slamming the door in my face, which I wouldn’t mind. But then her eyes sink lower, taking in the bulging outline of my erection.
Her lips curl.
“I see you’re ready for me,” she says in a sultry tone.
I want to laugh, seeing as how the situation in my pants has nothing to do with her. But Sasha grabs me by my shirt and hauls me into her room. The door slams closed behind me, and she shoves me against it. Her mouth comes down on mine, hard and reckless. Sasha’s tongue sweeps into my mouth with fervor, and I hiss at the feel of her hand stroking my cock inside my jeans.
“Fuck,” I moan against her mouth. Sasha takes that as her cue to immediately sink to her knees, and she all but rips the button and zipper off.
“I’ve been thinking about your cock all day,” she says, yanking my pants down and boxers with them. “I love the way it feels in my mouth.”
Thank gods for that oral fixation.
Sasha wraps long fingers around my shaft and pumps up and down a few times before she takes me in her mouth. My head falls back against the door, and I steady myself by grabbing onto the dresser next to me, using my right hand to grab a fistful of Sasha’s hair. She hums in approval, the sound vibrating against my cock. I release a guttural moan and glance down, relishing the sight of my length sliding in and out of her mouth, of the fact that she is on her knees enjoying me as much as I’m enjoying her.
Sasha looks up at me beneath her lashes, but where I expect to see dark eyes, striking blue-green ones stare back at me instead.
Shit. Am I really thinking of another girl right now?
I look down again, and Sasha has been entirely replaced by a girl with dark brown hair and tanned olive skin.
I close my eyes, once again resting my head against the door, and try to shake the image of Rhi on her knees before me. But my brain lassos it, and I allow myself to get carried away by this fantasy, imagining it’s Rhi’s mouth taking me deep. Rhi moaning in satisfaction. Rhi’s tongue licking and swirling along my cock. Tendrils of Rhi’s hair tightly wound around my fingers.
My abdomen tenses, and release builds quickly after that. Rhi places her hands on my thighs for leverage as I roughly tug at her hair. That action only causes her to moan deeply, and I groan as I spill down her throat.
My eyes still shut, I loosen my grip on her hair and gently stroke the back of her head.
“Gods, Rhi,” I pant. “That was -”
“WHO THE FUCK IS RHI?”
The thunderous voice brings me back to reality, and I wrench my eyes open to find Sasha standing before me, heated fury radiating off her in waves.
Oh. my. fucking. gods. I’m so fucked.
I’m a pretty bad liar to begin with, and right now, I’m caught with my pants down - literally. I might as well tell her the truth.
“No one, Sash. Just a girl I showed to her dorm room earlier. She’s friends with my sister-”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Her dark eyes blaze with anger. “One of your sister’s friends?”
Yeah, that sounded bad. I hold my palms up in defense. “That’s not what I meant-”
“Get the fuck out of my room, Nick.”
I hastily pull up my pants, simultaneously reaching behind me for the door knob. I barely make it out of the room before the door slams shut behind me with a menacing boom! I didn’t even have a chance to zip up my jeans.
Sighing, I adjust myself, then press the heel of my hand in between my eyes. What the fuck is wrong with me? I chuckle at the outrageous turn of events as I head toward my room. Rhi, whoever and whatever she is, has usurped my thoughts to an almost debilitating level. But the real question is why?
She’s attractive, sure, but a beautiful woman never unraveled me so completely before. Sasha is beautiful, and someone I’ve known for years, yet has never captivated me in the way Rhi did in a matter of minutes.
Maybe it’s the prophecy, a vicious voice taunts, one that I immediately shut down because I swore I wouldn’t let the prophecy Kassi gave me dictate my life. Besides, there are two things that need to happen in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled: One: Rhi would need to be a Scylla, a monster that no one has seen since the original Scylla perished thousands of years ago, so the chances of that happening are slim to none.
Two, and the more unlikely scenario, Rhi would have to love me back. And as time has proven over and over again, there’s absolutely no chance of that happening.
But there’s one thing I know for certain: Rhi may not be the girl destined to destroy me, but she’s the girl that’s destroyed me for anyone else.