Apex Predator
984 Words
Gabriel's POV
The car ride was a nightmare. Derek drove with one hand on the wheel and the other shoved right between my thighs, his palm heavy and hot against my lap.
I tried to shift, to press my knees together and scoot toward the door, but he didn’t even flinch. He just kept his hand there, marking me like I was some piece of property he didn’t want sliding off the seat. I stared out the window, watching the campus buildings blur past, feeling sick.
When we got out, I tried to bolt. I just wanted to get to class, to disappear into a crowd of people who didn’t know anything about me. But I didn't even get five steps.
"Don't run away from your brother, Gabe," Derek called out.
It wasn't a request. It was a warning. I stopped, my shoulders hunching as he caught up and draped a heavy arm across my neck. I looked around maybe, waiting for someone anyone to see how weird this was. But the hallway was like a ghost town where the ghosts were all terrified.
People saw us coming and literally stepped aside, their eyes hitting the floor. They had probably seen what Derek did to Connor's family. They knew the Miller name meant you could break a guy’s ribs and walk away smiling. Nobody was coming to save me.
We reached the lecture hall and he sat right next to me, his thigh pressed against mine. The lecturer was up front, droning on about micro organisms or some other crap I usually cared about. But today? His voice was just white noise.
My brain was a mess. Every time I tried to take notes, my mind glitched. I wasn't seeing the whiteboard. I was seeing the wall in Derek’s room. I was hearing the wet, rhythmic slap of his skin hitting mine, the way my breath had hitched when he slammed into me. I could feel the ghost of that pounding in my bones. I hated it. I hated my head for replaying it and I hated my body for the way it tightened just thinking about it. It was disgusting. I was disgusting.
Just as the lecture ended, the doors swung open and two seniors walked in, Janet and Jude. Yes they were twins, children of the senior cadres here just like Derek but not up to his level though. They looked like they owned the place.
"Attention, everyone," Janet said, her voice cutting through the rustle of bags. "We are scouting for the Unity Gala fashion show. We need the best faces on campus."
Jude didn't say anything. He just started walking down the aisles, his eyes scanning the room like he was shopping. He stopped at our row. He looked at Derek and actually bowed his head a little. A show of respect for the apex predator.
"Derek Miller," Jude said, smiling. "Can you please be our model for this upcoming event? You have the face... the body card... and even the fans."
Derek leaned back, looking bored. "Yeah well, I will think about it."
"We need another three persons," Janet added, trailing behind him.
Then Jude’s eyes landed on me.
It felt like a physical weight. He didn't just look at me, he stared. It felt like his eyes were peeling off my clothes, layer by layer, inspecting the skin Derek had marked just hours ago. I felt raw and exposed.
"Perfect," Jude whispered. He stepped closer, making my skin crawl. "Stand up."
I did it without thinking. I felt like a deer in headlights.
"Perfect ginger hair, brows, pale skin, lean build," Jude said, circling me like I was a statue. "This is exactly what we want."
I felt the heat rising in my face. I wanted to sit back down. I wanted to hide behind Derek’s wide shoulders, which was the sickest thought I had all day. I hated Derek, but at least I knew what kind of monster he was. Jude was a stranger, and the way he was looking at me made me feel like uncomfortable.
They picked another girl and a guy named Donald.
"They will be a couple," Janet announced, pointing at me and the other guy. "A gay couple, representing the modern student body. Gabriel and Donald will be a pair. Derek, you will be with the girl."
The air in the room suddenly felt like it was made of lead. I could feel the anger radiating off Derek. It was like a cold wind.
"Do you really have to use my brother for this?" Derek cut in. His voice was low, that dangerous edge back.
"Yeah, your brother looks like the perfect angel for it," Jude said, still looking at me.
"But he can't model with his glasses," Derek snapped, reaching out and tapping the frame of my glasses. It was a possessive move, a reminder that he was the one who controlled my sight. Still found that really weird. Last night it was like Derek had some sort of supernatural abilities to control my sight.
"That's not an issue," Janet said, waving a hand.
"We will give him lenses for the show. He will be fine."
Derek didn't say anything else. He just looked at me with a bad eye, a dark simmering look that told me exactly what was going to happen when we got home. He looked at Jude, then at me and I knew right then.
Being an angel was going to get me killed. Or worse.
I looked at Donald, the guy I was supposed to be a couple with. He seemed nice enough, but I couldn't even look him in the eye. I could feel Derek’s stare burning a hole in the side of my head.
I recalled Derek's words. "You are mine now." Was he really going to let me do this with somebody else?
- Writer
