In Peace Lies Havoc (Midnight Mayhem #1)(9)

I pop back up, brushing the hot water away from my face. Scrubbing away the excess from my eyes, I jerk up when I see Kingston at the end of my bath, glaring at me.

I should scream.

I want to scream.

I can’t scream. Instead, I sink farther into the water in hopes that the purple dye from the bath bomb hides all of the parts I would rather he didn’t see right now.

“Ah…” I clear my throat, trying to find another word for what the fuck are you doing in here that won’t get me killed.

His jaw tenses. I can see the muscles on either side flexing with every clench. His eyes are dark, moody and brooding, and I’m every bit intimidated by this man. “Can I help you?”

Can I help you… The first words I speak to him, and they’re can I help you.

His top lip curls slightly, his eyes dropping to my lower body. “Undecided.”

“What are you doing in here?” I clench my thighs closed further, in pure paranoia that he can see beneath the dyed water.

He stares at me, dropping all of the dead expressions that he had on his face just seconds earlier. “What’s your name?”

“What?” I exhale, puzzled by his question.

“What’s your name?” He repeats, his expression remaining the same.

“Dove?”

There’s a long stretch of silence before he kicks up from the tub. Everything slows as he passes by me, his smell drowning the sweet scent of my bath.

“I’m confused.”

He pauses right beside me, and I look up at him from my position. He’s studying me, but I can’t understand the method in which he’s learning. “Good. Oh, and Dove, lock your fucking bathroom door.”

Then he disappears, and I sink farther into the warm water, watching as it caves over my skin.

I don’t know if I’m reading too far into things, or if I’m right in the way I feel about Kingston. I don’t know if it’s from my past terrors that are threatening to rise to the surface. You see, when I was a little girl, a shadow chased me. An entity. Instead of stepping out from behind it to feel the sun against my skin, this shadow ruined every expectation I had of seeing the light.





After a long day shopping with Rose on the “advance” Delila gave us and exploring the mall that’s nearest to her mansion, we’ve found ourselves in the tent, stretching out our bodies and warming up. I’ve noticed we’ve had a guard beside us today, guiding us where we are to be without telling us where we need to be. Every now and then, he’ll speak into a little headpiece and then direct us to where we are going next. It works for me because, otherwise, we would both be wandering around aimlessly, but hopefully, it’s not going to be a forever thing.

After Delila said that I wouldn’t have to perform yet and that I’d sit out for a bit, I thought that meant training, too. Judging by the grey sports bra and grey sweats that I’m now wearing, I was clearly wrong.

“You good?” Rose asks, lathering her body with scented coconut oil, one eyebrow quirked.

I lick my lips and brush my long red hair into a high ponytail. “Yes.”

The door slams open behind us, and I turn quickly to see who’s entering. Three girls waltz in, and I don’t even get a chance to inspect any of the others because the blonde ringleader snatches my attention first. Her long, wavy blonde hair hangs to her tiny waist, and her tattoos float up the side of her ribs, up her left breast, and come down her left arm. She has tight, tanned skin and a bitch face that makes you want to either punch it or sit on it.

She stares me up and down. “Ew.”

Punch it.

My eyebrows immediately shoot up, surprised by her obvious hostility. Just as I open my mouth, Rose steps in front of me, her arms pushing me back. “We got a problem, princess?”

I tap Rose’s arm to move her. I can fight my own battles. I don’t need her to do that for me, but blonde one and her minions slide past us and make their way behind the makeshift curtain. From my understanding, Delila has something set up in the back of her mansion. A tent dipped in black with the softest lilac trimmings. No signage on this one. I got the feeling that this was purely for practice or training.

“Hey.” Rose’s hand comes to my chin, tilting my face up to hers. I like Rose’s eyes. They’re gentle, soft. Just like her soul. She has a small heart-shaped face and a petite body to match. Over the past twenty-four hours, I’ve been asking myself how I would have lasted these past couple days if it weren’t for her. “You okay?” Resilience is absolute when you’ve had your life ripped away from you at such a young age, but finding a person who takes some of the tension that the world has given you and slaps on some armor, ready to square up against your enemies, is an irreplaceable friend.

“Yes.” I nod, smiling. “I’m fine.”

“I will beat that bitch straight in the mouth if she becomes an issue, and I don’t give a shit who she is…”

I stretch my neck, letting Rose’s ranting drift into white noise, as I try to focus on the task at hand: getting through tonight alive. And not messing up my steps.

I roll out my shoulders, inhaling and exhaling through each stretch. “What do you think they’ll have us dance?”

Rose shrugs, brushing the wand of her lip gloss over her lips. “Not sure. Anything they give us, I’m sure we can do.”