When devastating circumstances caused Scarlett Hudson to leave her home town she never imagined that another tragedy would force her to return three years later and the past she had tried so desperately to bury would start clawing its way out. If all that wasn't enough, her former bestfriend Hunter Adams, the person whose betrayal had cut her the deepest three years ago, seems hell bent on doing everything in his power to win her trust again. As secrets from the past begin to unravel Scarlett is forced to question everything she once believed in.

Her pulse thrummed at the speed of a frightened rabbit, blue veins interlocking like branches on an old tree. Her face was fading to an ice blue and I suddenly found myself liking the colour. My hand felt huge in comparison to her small neck, if I applied too much pressure it would snap like a twig. Despite the dangerous position she was in, she was smiling up at me, milky eyes full of tears that broke free and carved translucent lines in her pale cheeks. "Why are you still here," I snarled, my eyes a breath away from hers. "Because I love you," the answer was expected and a pleasing feeling of control flooded my body. "No matter how many times I hurt her she would look at me with those blank eyes that showed the most emotion I had ever seen, I would never admit it to her but I was quite fond of her. Releasing her throat, I gave her a moment to cough and splutter. Growing impatient, I trailed my fingers down the marks the tears had left. I don't know what love feels like, I don't think I'll ever know, but right now I think I love her the most I ever could love anything. It was a confusing feeling, a feeling that made me want to protect her instead of do her harm, it was my own brand of love. "Go fetch my knife xim," a giddy smile lit up her face, she didn't hesitate in walking he familiar path to my draw of toys. "This one," she asked, a freshly sharpened butcher knife in her hand. "Yes, that one," I smirked, striding over to her. Casimir, a young serial killer discovers that there's more to life than slaughtering young girls at bars.

❝The more you care, the more you have to lose.❞ What happens when the person you love holds a gun to your head? You tell them to pull the trigger.

"He's staring at you," my sister whispered, wide-eyed. Now that I realised, I could feel someone's eyes burning the back of my head and as I turned around to see what my sister was talking about and my jaw immediately dropped whilst a cold shiver ran up my spine at the sight of the school's dangerous, certified bad boy. I shrugged nervously and turned around to face my sister. "Maybe he's just looking at what I'm wearing." The outfit was pretty cute, hands down. "But he never stares at anyone. He has only given them a cold stare that lasts for at least two-seconds." Oh hell no.

I squeezed my eyes shut waiting for pain but nothing happen. He froze smelling me. He pulled away with his eyes wide. He looked my over in shock and I looked at him confused. What was going on? "It's you" he stated. "You're the one"