God of Malice (Legacy of Gods #1) by Rina Kent

It’s swollen, puffy, and feels so sore, as if I’ve been kissing for hours.

No, no. I’m not going to think about kissing while this prick is here.

“Seriously, what do you want from me? I don’t even know your name, and I have no clue how you know mine.”

“Maybe we have more in common than you think.”

“What…is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure it out.”

“Just like you’ll figure out what you want from me?” I can’t hide the sarcasm from my tone, and he smiles.

“Exactly. You’re a fast learner.”

“Not fast enough to find a way to get rid of you.”

“That won’t be possible from your end, so don’t fry those neurons for nothing. Just…be good.”

“Who the hell are you to tell me whether I should be good, bad, or anything in between?”

“I don’t need a label to get what I want. You already know that.”

A sudden shudder jolts through my system. He’s subtly reminding me of how he easily escalated from nothing to full-on violation and that if I provoke him, it wouldn’t be abnormal for him to do the same.

Over and over until I learn my lesson.

I can’t help the need to face him head-on. “What does that entail exactly? Forcing me again?”

“I’d rather not. Unlike the impression I gave on the cliff, violence is not my first method of choice. However, if I have to resort to disagreeable options, I will. So don’t make me, baby. I’d rather we start on a clean slate.”

“Fuck. You.”

He releases a low chuckle that sends chills down my spine. It doesn’t reach his eyes, not even close, but it’s the first time he’s shown any semblance of human emotion. And I don’t know why I find myself memorizing every second of it.

“Such a foul mouth for a pretty little face.” The sound disappears as soon as it appeared as his fingers grab the sides of my throat. Hard. So hard that he’s practically choking me.

“Cursing me isn’t the definition of a clean slate, Glyndon. We were just talking about you being good, so how about you stick with that, hmm?”

He releases me as fast as he grabbed me and I splutter for air, my lungs nearly giving out. “What the hell is wrong with you and choking me?”

“How else will I get your full attention? Besides…” He rubs his thumb against the rest of his fingers. “I like the feel of your quickening pulse.”

I swallow as if gut-punched. There are so many dark emotions hidden behind his words and I don’t know whether to scream or cry—or do both at the same time.

He steps back, returning the space he robbed so suddenly. “I’ll keep an eye on you. Be good, baby.”

And then he’s walking away, mingling with the crowd as if he wasn’t just stealing my air and existence.

I slump against the wall, holding my head between my hands.

What the hell just happened? How did I attract such a predator?

And most importantly, what can I do to keep him away from me?

“Kill!”

I lift my head to find Annika accompanied by Ava. Her brows dip as she watches where the stranger disappeared into the crowd.

“K-Kill?” I stammer despite myself, and Ava levels me with a stare.

She’s well aware I’m not the type to stammer or speak without weighing my every word. But the circumstances are different now. I thought the nightmare had ended two nights ago, but in hindsight, I should’ve known it had just begun.

I somehow attracted the attention of a boundless, soulless savage.

“Killian Carson,” Annika says. “Resident charming god of our high school and The King’s U, too. He's a fourth-year med student, despite being only nineteen. Obviously, he skipped a few grades, like me. Though I only skipped one and I’m seventeen. I’ll be eighteen soon, by the way, so don’t treat me like a kid.”

Wait.

He goes to The King’s U? Is that how he knows my name? But I’m not in contact with anyone from that university except for Devlin when we used to sneak out.

He found me on IG and after that, we talked, then met.

Other than that, I’m not that familiar with the ‘dangerous’ kids.

Though I have heard about the two notorious clubs at The King’s U. Heathens and Serpents. Both have mafia backgrounds, rule the university, and they’re rivals.

If that isn’t fun enough, they both hate our own power-filled club, Elites.

The three of them compete in underground fights, sports events, and creepy night activities that are only spoken about in hushed tones behind closed doors.

Oh, and remember my brother, Lan? He’s the current leader of the Elites.

Does this mean the stranger—Killian, very fitting damn name—recognizes me because of my brother?

But then again, Lan always kept the club’s activities separate from his personal life.

“How do you know him?” I ask Annika despite myself.

She taps her chin. “We…kind of run in the same crowd. Well, not really. We’re not friends or anything, God forbid. He’s, well, you could say acquaintances with my brother. Scratch that, they’re really close and I’ve been specifically told to stay away. By specifically, I mean that my brother would take away my socials if I go near his friends. Can you imagine that type of torture?” She wraps her arms around herself. “I just got chills.”