Page 25 of Mutual Prey

“Oh yeah?” he sniggers. “Whaddaya want me to call you?”

“How about… the girl who’s about to chop your dick off?”

Before the words have time to sink in, I’ve taken out a knife from my pocket, and hacked his cock clean off.

He stares at me, then at it, for a fraction of a second. And then I hear the highest, most window-shattering scream, leave his parted lips. Two more screams mingle with it, those of his friends, as they turn disbelieving eyes to the pile of bloody flesh lying on the floor. While the psychopath-looking guy with the phone arches a brow in mild surprise.

“That was fun,” I say. “Come on.”

I grab Billie’s hand and tug her away from the scene of the crime, running through the halls and not stopping until we’ve left the building by the back door and gone into the forest that borders it.

Then I double over, laughing so hard it makes my stomach ache.

“Damn, that was fun! I haven’t had so much fun since… since…”

Well, I guess since earlier today, when Finn spanked me in front of an entire lecture hall, then made me come outside.

It’s a bit weird to realize it, and I pause. Then I turn and watch Billie as she retches on the forest floor.

“What… the hell… is wrong with you?” she gasps.

“Here.” I toss napkin I took from the refreshment table earlier on. “Clean yourself up, you look disgusting. No offense, of course.”

She looks like she’s far past taking offense. She glares up at me. “You just… chopped… his penis off! Ew!”

“I mean, better off than down your throat, right?”

She removes her mask, wiping at the sweat and tears that inundate her face, and I’m taken aback by how much she looks like Piper.

“Piper also liked to use anatomically correct words,” I observe, crouching at her level.

“I don’t care.” She chokes out a sob. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Don’t you mean… you’re welcome? Pretty sure I just saved you from being violated. And what was that guy planning to do with his phone? Distribute it to the rest of the college? Why are they bullying you anyway?”

“Yeah, sorry…” She sighs, leaning back against a tree trunk, hugging her knees to her chest. “Thanks, I guess. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Cass.” I remove my own mask. “Why are they bullying you?”

“I’m used to it.” She shuts her eyes, wiping away a tear. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Itdoesmatter.” No, it shouldn’t matter. But it does. I don’t think I’ve lifted a single finger in my life to help anyone other than myself… except, maybe, Daddy. And Piper.

And she looks so much like Piper…

“Tell me,” I insist.

“It’s my brother and his friends.”

“What the hell?” Out of all the things I’d expected,thatwasn’t one of them.

“Yeah. He’s not most people’s idea of a brother, is he? He’snot my real brother, anyway. I’m an orphan. At least, I think I am. I was sent here, to a new family, in high school. I guess you could say I’ve been having a hard time.”

“I guess you could say that, alright,” I agree.

She bites her lip. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m talking so much. You probably don’t care.”

“Well, no, I don’t,” I admit. “But you remind me a whole lot of my… well, my person that I used to know.”