Mav grins that ruthless smile down at me, ignoring Raleigh entirely.
“You can’t do this,” I stammer, looking around for Raleigh, but I can’t see him. I hope to God he’s gone to get a teacher.
“Can’t do what, princess? Talk to you? Get in your space? Declare you off-limits?”
“Any of it!” The words fall from my lips in a rush, and I clench my fists, digging my nails into my palms in a desperate attempt to center myself. I hate how easily he can make me feel so small. He puts one hand on the wall just by my head, and reaches behind him with the other. When he brings it back, he has a knife in his hand.
A fucking knife.
He presses the blade against my throat, and I swear my heart stops. I can’t even breathe with the cold, sharp metal pressing into my skin.
“Your pupils dilate so pretty,” he murmurs as he pushes the blade harder, and I wince at the bite against my skin.
“You can’t do this,” I say again, my voice shaking despite my paralyzed state.
“Are you going to stop me? Are you going to fight me? Poor lost little princess. Sad little princess. Everyone would believe it was you if I slit your wrists and walked away, wouldn’t they? The apple never falls far from the tree.”
I look up into his eyes, and the delight in them as he stares down at me makes my blood run cold. “Please, Maverick.”
I hate that I’m begging him, but I don’t know just how far he’s willing to push this. I’ve only been this scared a few times before in my entire life, and each time, I froze.
“That’s it, beg me like the pathetic dog that you are.” He sneers at me as he drags the knife down from my neck to my chest, cutting the skin as he goes. I can’t help but hiss at the sting of the blade as it makes the shallow cut. “You sure make pretty sounds for me, little slut. Make some more.”
I cry out as he cuts through my shirt, drawing blood as he goes, until the blade is at my navel. He removes it, and I almost sigh in relief until he places it against my thigh and draws it higher until it’s at my panties. He breathes in deeply with his nose against my neck before rolling his tongue over the skin he cut.
“I bet you’re wet aren’t you, whore? I bet being fucked by my knife wouldn’t even be the most fucked up thing you’ve done. I’d put money on you enjoying it too. I bet I could get you off with just my knife, couldn’t I? Look at how hard your nipples are. Pebbling under my touch like a whore begging for more. I bet if I pushed my fingers past your panties you’d be wet, wouldn’t you? Fucking pathetic. You’re nothing but trash.”
“N…n…no.”
“You really think you get to tell me no?” He quirks his brow and pushes the cold metal harder against my skin, and I squeak again. I hate how small he makes me feel. I flinch as he brings his face close to mine, almost nose to nose. I turn my face to the side, closing my eyes, praying he got what he came here for because I’m not sure I can take much more.
“Off. Fucking. Limits, Octavia. You’ve been warned.”
He pushes off the wall and walks away without another word. My misery is burned away by my fiery fucking rage. My hands shake, and I feel warm from the flush on my face. How dare he do that shit, say that like he owns me? Shame, embarrassment, and anger flood my veins. He has no fucking right, and no reason either. I haven’t done anything to him.
The boy I once knew is definitely no more, in his place is a psychotic savage of a man. I already know there will be no reasoning with him. He’s become the honed weapon his father always seemed to want him to be.
I’ll give him fucking off-limits.
I clutch my shirt to my chest and send Indi a message with an SOS for yet another shirt. I need to clean up this blood too. Fucking Maverick Riley.
I curse myself for not finding this rage when he was here. Next time, I promise myself I’ll be stronger.
Next time… because I already know that this won’t be the end of it.
* * *
My rage stays with me all fucking day, like a close friend keeping me warm, with that cold, slimy shame lying just beneath it. Raleigh did eventually come back with a teacher but Maverick was long gone, and Indi had already saved the day with a new shirt, thankfully I managed to clean up the majority of the blood with the neckerchief.
I scurried off with Indi after reassuring them both I was okay. She didn’t ask questions, just helped me out, and I’m glad. Because reliving what happened isn’t something I want to do. The shame of enjoying what happened, having him pressed up against me, that his words sparked something primal in me, is still too raw.
Raleigh didn’t seem to put much stock in Maverick’s words, but I know that those three assholes hold more power here than people let on. They rule this fucking place with an iron fist.
That much has been drilled into me time and again.
It was more than apparent at lunch that Maverick’s decree had been heard when even Jackson refused to meet my eyes. Apparentlyoff-limitsmeans being my friend puts you on a hit list, and no one wants to be on the wrong side of Lincoln and his faithful followers.
Though considering what happened with Maverick, I don’t blame Jackson and the others. But if Lincoln and his two besties think they can actually control my life, they have another thing coming. I’ve had just about e-fucking-nough of that lately, thank you very much. I just need to find my rage sooner when they’re around. Thankfully this shirt covers all of the marks he left on my skin, and the cuts weren’t deep enough to scar.