Page 222 of The Villain We Tempt

Miles chuckles warmly. “Oh, I ain’t hittin’ on you, darlin’. I was going to say go easy on the drinks and keep your wits about you.”

My hackles raise as I glare at him. “Meaning?”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Put the claws away, Ms. Galina. I’m just watching out for you and your friends over there. I’ve got a daughter about your age at Boston College, and I'd hope if she were out at a place like this, there’d be someone like me keeping an eye on her, too.”

I exhale some of my defenses and smile at him. “Sorry. I'm just…”

“A bit out of your depth?”

I smile wryly. “Something like that.”

Loretta comes back over with my drinks and another sour look. I thank Miles for the advice and rejoin my friends. As we start to rock out to the music again, though, the vibe starts to change. It’s like there aremoreeyes on us, and the guys bobbing their heads near us crowd a little closer.

“Hey!” I yell to my friends. “Do you think it’s getting a little creepy in here?”

Yelena and Lucia both look relieved when I say it, and agree it’s time to go.

…Which is when we realize all three of our phones are dead.

Fuck.

I’m eyeing the bar and deciding if I want to deal with Loretta to ask if she’s got a phone charger so we can order an Uber when a newcomer joins our group.

He’s tall, blond,gorgeous, and similarly out of place here with his preppy collegiate look. He introduces himself as Travis and says he’s pre-med at Yale.

He also has eyesonlyfor Yelena.

I check out all of that warily and tell Lucia about my plan to try to charge my phone. She agrees to keep an eye on Yelena, who's pretty tipsy at this point, as Travis keeps lavishing her with charming smiles and smooth lines.

Loretta begrudgingly tugs an iPhone cord out from under the bar-top and lets me charge my phone there. Across the dance floor, Travis is gettingverycomfortable with Yelena as Lucia watches them like a hawk.

I don’t know Achilles that well, and I don’t know the details of the fight he and Yelena are having. But I can’t imagineanything goodhappening if her six-foot-four, muscular boyfriend—or whatever he is to her—were to walk in right now and see her with this Travis guy.

I mean, Achilles is a total Golden Boy on campus, but there’sdefinitelysomething dark and sinister under the surface.

Call it a fellow mask-wearer’s intuition.

When my phone restarts, it dings with a few notifications. My eyes drop to the screen to see a couple of texts sent over an hour ago that just came through, and my chest tightens when I see who they’re from.

Lochlan

Where are you.

Lochlan

I’ve apologized, and I will keep apologizing. But don’t confuse me giving you space with me giving up. You’re still mine, little villain.

Lochlan

You always will be.

Okay, on the one hand,hot. “You’re still mine. You always will be.” Like…sploosh.That said, the “overly possessive boyfriend” schtick doesn’t hit the same when I’m still mad at him for that fucking tracker.

I mean, yes, he probablydidforget about it. But I haven’t spent the last couple of days furious because I think he continued to stalk me after I told him not to.

I’m furious because the whole incident has introduced the toxic question of whether or not I can ask myself if I trust him and definitively answer “yes”.

Me