Soulless Devil (Sons of Valentino #3)(35)

Then I hear it. His voice. Romeo. I can’t let him see me like this…





Chapter Nineteen





Where is she? Livvy’s never late. Her Monday sessions just happened to open up, so of course I booked those too. And in the four weeks she’s been my tutor, she always arrives before me. Or at least that’s what I let her think. I’ve been standing here, in the dark corner of the library where I usually watch her, for the last thirty minutes. My knee bounces. Something isn’t right. My gut is twisting, my mind racing with a thousand scenarios of what could have happened. None of them fucking good. Call it an occupational hazard, always expecting the worst. I can’t sit here and wait any longer. I need to go find her.

Pushing off the wall, I exit the library and pull my pack of smokes out of my pocket. I could really use something stronger than this to settle my nerves. Lighting my cigarette, I take the five-minute walk towards her dorm building.

I wonder if she’s pissed about my no-show yesterday. I should have sent her a message or something to let her know I couldn’t make it. It was a bit difficult when I had to bail my twin out of his latest fucking mess.

The closer I get to her building, the more the dread sets in. I’m not used to this feeling, this need to protect a girl. I’d protect my family, take a bullet for them. But with Livvy, it’s different. It’s like I want to lock her away in a house guarded by a thousand men, so nothing can get to her. Except she thinks I’m some dumbass, spoiled playboy—especially with that cheerleader continuing to spew those lies.

Livvy doesn’t know the real me. I can’t let her know the real me. If she did, she’d never want to speak to me again. And I need her. Her lightness seeps into the darkest parts of my soul, igniting a flame inside me that’s never been lit before. I never believed in soul mates or past lives prior to Livvy. But now I’m convinced we must have been lovers in some distant time.

When I see two girls exiting the building, I run up the steps. “Hold the door,” I yell out to them.

Their eyes widen but they comply. “Sure thing, Romeo. Anything else I can do for you?” a tall blonde asks.

“Nope, thanks.” I give them a wink as I pass and take the stairs two at a time. Why the fuck does she have to be on the fourth floor?

By the time I get to her room, my blood is pumping and I’m ramped up from fucking nerves. My fist bangs on the thin wooden door.

“Livvy?” I yell through the barrier. A few students peek their heads out and stare across the hall, but I don’t care. I pound my fist down again, in rapid succession. “Livvy, it’s me—Romeo. Open up,” I call out and knock again.

“Romeo, I’m… not well right now.” Her voice is quiet, hoarse. Is she sick?

“Livvy, either open the fucking door or I’ll break it down,” I tell her.

“I can’t. Just go, please,” she says, and I hear her footsteps shuffle farther into her dorm room.

I don’t need to break the door down. I pull out the small pick from my back pocket. It takes less than a minute to unlock it. Pushing the door open, I close it behind me. The room is pitch-black. “Livvy?” I call more softly this time. My hand slides along the wall, flicking the light on when I find the switch.

“No, turn it off,” Livvy rushes out. She’s sitting on her bed, against the corner, with her legs folded up under her chin. Her head is down with her hair hanging loose and curtaining her face. Ignoring her request, I slowly approach the bed and take a seat. I bring my hand up to brush her hair away. “No! don’t touch me!” she hisses at the top of her lungs. Her head lifts abruptly and her hand swats at mine.

I have never felt so fucking broken before. It takes everything in me not to throw up right now. Raw, primal rage runs through my veins. The need to hunt, to kill, has never been so strong. “Wh… what happened? Who the fuck did this to you?” I ask her, and my voice breaks. It’s barely a whisper.

Livvy stares at me, shaking her head. Her face is… it’s almost unrecognizable. Her eye’s swollen, her lip split open. And there’s dried blood in her hair.

“I need to know who did this?” I ask again.

“I don’t know… there was two of them.” Her body is racked by sobs.

“I’m going to pick you up, Livvy. I’m going to carry you out of here and take you to my place. You need a doctor. I can get a doctor to come to the house,” I tell her. I’m not letting her argue with me. I reach over and scoop her up bridal style as carefully as I can. Which isn’t easy when she’s fighting me.

“No, put me down! Stop, please, no! I can’t.” She cries as her fists slam against my body, making contact wherever she can.

Holding her firmly against my chest, I wait. She can hit me as much as she needs to. “Shh, I’m not going to hurt you, Liv. I’d never fucking hurt you,” I whisper.

“I just, please, just leave me here,” she pleads.

“I can’t do that. You need a doctor, Liv. Let me help you.” My hand gently brushes over the top of her head. Shifting, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call my brother.

“What’s up?” he answers.

“Luc... I…” Shit, I can’t even form a sentence—my voice is so fucking choked up.