Page 38 of Merciless

“Then move. I can help you.”

My eyes flare open, and I shake my head. “I want to be the one to win it.”

“It’s okay to accept⁠—”

“Haven’t you ever wanted something so badly that you did everything you could to win it?” I spin toward him. “Without receiving help?”

His dark eyebrows scrunch together. “I never wanted anything because⁠—”

“It’s handed over to you on a silver spoon.” I let out a dry laugh. “You’re no different from the rest of them.”

Every single person at Astar Elite is a spoiled rich kid who grew up to be a successful and snobby young adult. They take everything for granted. Their parents’ legacies will be handed over to them, and the kids don’t have to lift a single finger for it.

Elijah’s gaze darkens as his mood shifts. The air thickens with tension, and he moves closer, crowding my space. I inch backward and bump against the machine. Elijah rests his palms on the plastic by my shoulders, boxing me in.

My heart races, and I gulp in shaky breaths as I look up at him. He towers above me, reminding me of our size difference.

He leans down until his face hovers an inch from mine. “I’d watch your tongue. I may not have come from rags and slept my way into riches, but I know what it’s like to be desperate for something. Desperate enough to do whatever it takes to get it.”

I lift my chin to show that he doesn’t scare me. It may be a lie, but he doesn’t know that.

Elijah bares his teeth in a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He cocks his head and gently tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. The gesture is soft compared to how he’s looking at me. I suck in a startled breath as he drags his fingers over the column of my throat before circling his fingers around my neck.

“What do you know about being desperate?” I whisper, hating how my voice comes out husky.

His grip around my throat tightens before loosening. Elijah’s hold on my neck is firm enough to tell me he’s in control while still allowing me to breathe.

This isn’t how stepsiblings are supposed to act. I brush aside the tiny voice in the back of my mind.

His gaze drops to my lips, lingers for a moment, then returns to my eyes. “There’s a lot about me you don’t know.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“I’m afraid my answer to that question would make you cry.” He gives another long look at my lips before pushing away and putting space between us. “So I’ll call a truce. For now.”

I fold my arms against my chest. “How kind of you.”

“I am kind.” Elijah turns his gaze to me, smirking. “And generous. Is that all, or do you need to keep playing these childish games for a plushie that means nothing?”

I grit my teeth. “It may be a plushie, but it’ll be my plushie. And that’s all I wanted here. But if Your Royal Highness is ready to leave, then take the lead.”

I wave him ahead. I don’t know why I put up such a big fight. He wants to help me, but the whole thing makes me uneasy.

A flash of annoyance crosses his features before he locks it away with a shake of his head.

On the drive back to campus, Elijah turns on music at a low volume. A few of the songs I recognize. He doesn’t fill the silence with conversation like he did at the restaurant or the arcade. I must have struck a nerve.

Good. I’m glad that I got to him, just as he’s getting to me.

I shouldn’t have these weird thoughts and feelings about him, dammit.

I peek at him from the corner of my eye, curious if he’s still annoyed. His left hand rests on the steering wheel, while his right grips the shift stick. His focus remains on the road. I can’t shake the feeling that he’s watching me from the corner of his eye.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and my heart sinks to my feet. I can’t stop myself as I grab my phone and open the message from the unknown number.

It’s as if he can sense me returning to campus to get caught in his web again.

Unknown Number