Page 4 of Merciless

He gives me an amused look. “You realize that you’re talking to a man, right?”

“Yeah, but you’re the only man who’s never treated me like I’m shit on the bottom of your shoe. So I made an exception for you.”

He lets out a low laugh. “Gee, thanks. I’m glad I made the cut.”

I turn my focus to the claw as it descends on the bat plushie. Holding my breath, I wait for the device to grab it. It misses by a centimeter, closes around nothing, then rises and moves to the side, where it opens to drop the non-existent prize.

“Damn,” Shane sighs. He turns to me. “I’ll give it a go if you want.”

I scowl. “No. I want to win it on my own.”

“You really don’t like men, do you?”

“I don’t like people.” I glance at him. “But I especially don’t like men.”

“But you have a crush on that aviary guy.”

I dart past Shane. “I think he’s good-looking, but that doesn’t mean I want to be with him or anyone else. The thought of a relationship makes my skin crawl.”

“We shall see if that’s the case. Who knows, maybe this guy likes you too.”

I roll my eyes. Yeah, I don’t see that ever happening.

Shane and I met here a few months ago and have kept our friendship within the arcade so that nothing happens to him. Because of that, he doesn’t understand how I’m the target at my school. He doesn’t know that people there would rather eat nails than ever look at me like a potential girlfriend.

And I’m okay with that. I prefer what I’m doing over putting up with a man playing pretend with me while entertaining some other woman. I’m fine with being single and happy with my pet snake, Lavender, and concentrating on my studies.

If I ever date anyone, it’s a sure sign that I’ve lost my mind and need help.

Shane and I play for another hour. The entire time, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand. I feel the weight of someone staring at me, and no matter how many times I check my surroundings, I don’t see anyone.

I call it a night after a while. I don’t want Shane to be dragged into something, even if it’s all in my imagination. The person who’s responsible for hurting my past friends is likely watching. I can only hope they thought Shane was a stranger playing a game with me one time.

But as I walk back to campus, the feeling only intensifies. I scan the area, but like in the arcade, I don’t spot anyone. It’s the same intensity as all the other times I’ve felt watched. My head is calm, but my heart hammers against my chest in the echo of panic I once felt.

A thought floats to the front of my mind, starting soft and barely believable. But the more I linger on it, the more freaked out I get.

Maybe seeing the dead crow earlier today wasn’t an omen of change. Maybe it was a warning of what’s coming.

CHAPTER 2

ASHER

Rolling the blue-raspberry sucker in my mouth, I grin as Eden’s door slams shut. Not once did she look to see who was watching her. I’m always right behind her, in plain sight, and she never looks.

My smile fades, and I scowl.

She never fucking looks. Eden is the only person I want to be noticed by.

She’s wiggled herself beneath my skin when nothing ever bothers me.

The evening all those years ago when she snooped on me while I played the piano was enough to light a fire inside me to return the favor. Ever since, I’ve been watching. Learning. Needing more from her.

Over the years, I’ve discovered surface-level things about her. The useless information I gather provides enough for Elijah to use against her. And yet, everything about her has intrigued me. I’ve kept some of her secrets to myself, such as her sounding like a whore that time I used my tongue and fingers to make her come.

I suck the candy into my mouth and walk past her dorm to the exit. The door slams shut behind me, and I breathe in the fresh garden air fragranced with the light flowery smell from the plants.

Eden is a mystery that I want to take apart and study. I want to understand why she is the way she is.