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

I did wake up with my underwear soaked, though. Real or not, I shouldn’t be aroused at the prospect of being raped.

Just what the hell is wrong with me?

Maybe the Killian from the nightmare, as terrifying as he was, is right, and I’m secretly into that?

No, nope. I’m simply not going there.

“Can you believe it?”

I lift my head at Annika’s voice. It’s the middle of the day, and we’re sitting near the fountain with two sculpted angels pouring water into it. The plan was to soak in the sun, but it’s currently playing hide-and-seek behind the clouds, so every now and then, a shadow interrupts the warmth.

Students buzz around us, dressed in all sorts of styles with their hair as colorful as the rainbow. Annika and I are probably the only ones who haven’t dyed our hair.

I let my red marker draw absentmindedly on my pad and eat my sandwich with my free hand. I’m shit at having actual meals, and Mum will lecture me for a year if she finds out I’m surviving on sandwiches and burgers and anything where I don’t have to put in any effort.

Annika has a whole food container. It’s filled with salad and other healthy stuff, but it looks as aesthetic as her. Even her fork and knife are purple.

She finishes chewing on her bite of food and thrusts her phone in my face. It’s on IG’s search, Creighton King.

A few accounts appear, but none of them belong to my cousin.

“He really has no social media. Like none. It’s the same for all other platforms.”

“He’s not big on those.”

“Is he a caveman? I’m ready to believe that he time-traveled from the past over the fact that he has no social media.”

“Honestly? He might as well be.”

She inches closer. “What else can you tell me about him?”

“Why are you asking?” I give her a knowing look.

“Don’t give me that. I just think he’s awfully Ice Age in mentality and it’s my job to bring him to modern times.”

“Remi’s doing that just fine. He’s the extrovert who adopted him, so he’s like Creigh’s surrogate father.”

“He’s too hopeless and needs two extroverts adopting him. Why is he so…silent? No matter how many questions I asked him, he flat out ignored me.”

“He’s not really talkative. You see him but don’t hear him.”

“Aww, that’s just sad.”

“Being quiet isn’t sad, Anni. Some of us just…prefer silence.”

“Are you saying I’m being too loud?”

“No. Well, a little.” I sigh. “But I’m used to it from Ava, so you can talk all you want.”

“Wow. I’m honored. I can’t believe I’m being shamed for being energetic.”

“Well, you were just shaming Cray Cray for being quiet.”

“Aww, you guys call him Cray Cray? That’s so cute for someone so hot.”

I grin. “You think my cousin is hot?”

“Well, of course he is. Are you blind?”

“You’re so straightforward. Go for it, girl.”

She lets out a long sigh, then eats a bite of her salad. “I can only admire from afar. Unless I want the person I admire to be killed by my brother and father. Besides, my marriage is probably already decided. So I’m just living life for as long as I can.”

“I’m sorry, Anni.” Being a mafia princess must be a lot of pressure, too. Just different from the type our family names and our parents’ accomplishments put on us.

She throws up a dismissive hand. “I’ll think about that when the time comes. Now, I’ll just be a normal college student.”

“You should probably stay away from Creigh, though. He is really as you saw yesterday. There’s no hidden door or a secret path.”

A gleam of mischief passes through her eyes. “Or that’s what you think. There’s always something to discover.”

“What if you’re disappointed by what you discover? What if it’s way different from what you bargained for?” Not sure if I’m asking for her or someone else.

“That’s what makes it even more fun!”

“Suit yourself.”

“Can you invite them over later? Or wait, I can ask Remi.” She types a message in a conversation that seems so long. Wow. Did these two start talking only yesterday? That’s basically the length of my conversations with people I’ve known all my life.

Anni pauses mid-typing, her expression falling. “I forgot that I have to stay with Jer tonight.”

“Jeremy willingly invited you over? I thought he was actively keeping you away from his club.”

“He is, but this time is different. He needs to keep an eye on me within the mansion they live in because Papa’s guards have full access there.”

“What’s going to happen tonight?”

She searches her surroundings. “The Heathens’ initiation ceremony. It happens, like, twice a year. They did a mockup at the end of the previous semester and the attendance was huge. It’s brutal as hell, let me tell you.”

My fingers shake at the mention of Jeremy’s friends and I force them back into stillness.

Of course Killian will be the first in line for anything brutal.

“How brutal are we talking about?”