The Pretty Psycho (St. Vasili’s Academy #2)

1. Vega

1

VEGA

Dreams woven of gold often saved those whose reality was wrapped in barbed wire, cutting into the very essence of who they truly were. And the gold might have been hiding only the ugly truth people wanted to hide, but it was the saving grace in those moments when that line between wanting to live and wanting to die was at its thinnest.

I wished I could wrap my dreams in gold, because maybe then the darkness I was surrounded with wouldn't have such a hold on me. But living in the darkness for so long meant I no longer knew what the difference was between the dark and the light, especially because not every bright thing was good.

I was living proof of what could happen to those of us who started believing in the light, only for it to turn out to be the worst possible choice.

I had no idea what I expected to see, but as my consciousness slowly came back, lifting me up from the dreamless state I was in, I realized that I was no longer in the dorm. I had no idea if I was anywhere else at the Academy either.

The dimly illuminated cave seemed to go on and on until my eyes could no longer track it, while glinting bright water hummed as it touched the stone it was surrounded with. Sunrays slowly trickled in from an opening where the water entered, but it wasn't enough to light up the entire cave.

My mind held tightly on to the memories that kept pushing in and in and in, reminding me all over again who the real traitor was— my Tyler.

That familiar ache seemed to spread from the center of my chest through my limbs, reaching the very tips of my cold fingers, hovering above my head. I tilted my head, my eyes locking on the chains holding me hostage, while every single muscle in my body rebelled, wanting to break free. My old injuries flared to life with every new move, and I knew there was no getting out of this, not when the chains keeping me in this unnatural pose could only be released with a key I didn't have.

"Motherfucker," I bit out, scrambling to think, to figure this out, because I refused to believe there was nothing I could do to get myself out of this situation.

Bits and pieces flickered through my brain of Tyler carrying me here, mumbling incoherently, constantly repeating he was winning this time, and I had no idea what it was that he had to win. I wanted to get him back a thousand times over. I wished he had never gone to the Academy, but I didn't want this.

The person that chained me and left me here looked like my Tyler, but he behaved nothing like the person I knew. Granted, it’d been years since we last saw each other, but the fury glaring at me when I tried to push him away from me was nothing like the person that held me during those nights when the nightmares were too much and when the reality of my life was nowhere near close to what I wanted to have when I was younger.

But when his fist connected with my temple, almost knocking me out momentarily, I knew this person wasn't the Tyler that had left. Or maybe I never truly knew who he was and just like many other people, I loved the version of Tyler that suited me without actually seeing the true monster hiding behind the mask.

The chains clanked, echoing around the cave as I moved, while my eyes tried finding something, anything that could help me to get out of here, but there was nothing, and worst of all—Tyler was nowhere to be seen.

I hated this helplessness, but I would've been happier if he were here. Seeing my enemy always gave me an opportunity to learn things from them, because like it or not, people talked, and people like Tyler who were obviously missing a couple of screws in their head, talked more than others. I had to know where we were.

It was impossible for me to calculate the distance between the dorm and here, especially because I was unconscious for most of that trip. But it couldn't have been too far away. Tyler carried me, that much I knew.

We were obviously in a cave, and the area where he had me chained was elevated above the water coming inside. I was high enough to stay dry, but was I safe with Tyler?

I just hoped we were still close to the Academy. Maybe they would look for me. Someone had to report me missing. Yolanda knew I wanted to leave, but she also knew I was going to stay until the road cleared. Now look at what staying got me.

I was in a situation I never would have foreseen, and this one actually had nothing to do with the Academy.

I thought I would get killed by Adrian and his men. I thought I would meet the same destiny Tyler had met all those years ago. I'd spent years mourning him, crying over the smiling boy who was like a brother to me, and this was what I got. This was the reality I was slapped with, because I've spent years fighting for those who lied to me, who used me and abused me in their own fucked-up ways.

I gave my trust to undeserving people more times than I could count, and instead of learning something from all of that, from my fucked-up life, I still fell into the trap. As if I hadn't known Heinrich would send me to the one place that could destroy me, just to show me that he still had control.

Master.

The fucking murderer.

Those documents at Adrian's desk were proof there wasn't a single person in this world that I could trust. That emblem of The Schatten on the documents giving him all the information about me and my history was a slap in the face, but it was the wake-up call I needed.

My heart clenched painfully, reminding me of my own foolishness, of my own desire to be loved. I acted like a desperate, mindless little fuck instead of the warrior I was raised to be. I allowed him to slither inside, to see the broken parts of me, to hold me, to lie to me, to fucking use me. I allowed myself to fall for the one man I was supposed to destroy, and instead of doing what I was trained for, I allowed him to destroy me.

But I could patch the broken shards of my heart, sewing them back together, and I would do it by myself. I didn't need a man. I didn't need Adrian, no matter how much it hurt even thinking of him. There was a permanent ache in the left chamber of my heart where his name resided, where all of those emotions I had for him were shoved. And they would stay there, hidden, and just like with every other person in my life that had betrayed me, he would be forgotten even if it was the last thing I would do.

I had more pressing issues right now, and none of them involved thinking of that motherfucker.

The Schatten wanted me dead, that much was obvious. My best friend, the person I thought of as my savior, was the one behind all those murders. He didn't need to say it out loud, I could connect the dots myself.

I just needed to know why.

Why would he kill all those girls? Why target me when I never did anything to deserve Tyler's wrath?

"Oh, good." The voice I knew all too well came from my left, pulling me back from all the thoughts attacking my mind. "You're awake."

I turned slowly, coming face to face with the bright smile and shining dark, golden eyes of the man who kidnapped me.

He was older, rugged, his face covered in a shabby beard that did nothing to hide the dark circles underneath his eyes. But it was the death of the kindness those dark orbs used to hold that drove home what I already knew—everything we shared was a lie.

He carried a paper bag in his right hand, lowering it down on the ground before he straightened up and looked straight at me. "Don't look at me like that, Vega." He grinned as if what he did was as normal as walking in the park. "It's nothing personal, really. It's just life."

"Life?" I bit out, feeling my anger stirring to life in the pit of my stomach. "Forgive me for having a hard time believing that this right here isn't anything personal. You killed all those girls, didn't you?" I wanted him to say no even though I already knew. I wanted him to tell me that it was all one big misunderstanding and that me being here was for my own good.

I wanted him to smile how he used to smile and show me at least a glimpse of the man I knew.

"I did," he answered, proudly even, while coming closer to me. "I had to get your attention somehow."

"Well, you've got it. You got everyone's attention."

"Good," he chuckled. "I wanted you all to see what I am capable of. I needed you to see."

"But why? Why would you do this, Tyler? Why am I even here?"

He crouched in front of me, his eyes dragging over my face as if he was seeing me for the first time. As if he was looking at a stranger.

"You really don't know?" My eyebrow arched, waiting for an answer I hoped would come. "Come on, Vega. I thought you were smarter than that. You already know why. Deep down, you know why you're here. Deep down, you know why I took you."

"No." I shook my head. "As much as I would like to say that I do, I actually don't. So why don't you fucking enlighten me and tell me the reason behind this kidnapping, the fire, and all those murders, Tyler?" I was fighting with myself to keep my voice steady, to keep it low, because deep down I wanted to scream and shout. I wanted to shake him and make him tell me all the secrets he was keeping.

If I hadn't been looking at him, I would've missed the sudden change in his expression. The darkening in his eyes and the sneer coming over his lips as his hand shot out, grabbing my chin and squeezing until it became too painful to stay quiet.

"Why?" He laughed darkly. "You really want to know why?" His thumb slid down to my pulse point, pressing until nausea started swirling in my stomach while his maniacal laughter filled my ears, making me dread his next steps. "Because you betrayed us, my little Vega." He brought my face up, closer to his until I could see the yellow spots in his eyes. "Because you were supposed to destroy him, but instead, you let him fuck you, touch you, use you like a little slut. Because you fell for the one person I hate more than anything else in my life. And because he fell for you."

His grip on me eased a bit, but he never let me go.

"Because Adrian Zylla does not deserve everything he has. He doesn't deserve his empire and he doesn't deserve you. But you just had to be like all those other girls. You just fucking had to spread your legs for him, instead of doing the one thing that was asked of you!" His voice thundered, echoing around us as it bounced off of the stone walls surrounding us. "But I guess I should thank you, huh?" He chuckled, finally releasing me. "I've spent years looking for his weaknesses, trying to figure out the way to bring him down, and I never thought it would be you. Had I known, I would've pushed you in his direction a long time ago."

"W-What are you talking about?" How did he even know Adrian? Why did he hate him this much?

Tyler stood up, looking down at me as if I were nothing more than a stain on his shoe. "I'm talking about taking what's mine, Vega. I'm talking about destroying your little boyfriend and everything he holds dear, and you, my darling, sweet Vega, will help me."

No. He could kill me, for all I cared, but I would never help him destroy Adrian.

Adrian broke me, betrayed me, but there was not a life in which I could help kill him, and that's exactly what Tyler wanted.

"No." I shook my head. "I'm not gonna do anything like that. You're fucking insane!"

"Maybe." The psycho shrugged. "But it's not like you have a choice. After all," he leaned down, brushing my hair back from my face, "you are my little bait, Vega, and knowing him," he smiled widely, "he's going to bite. I just have to wait."

"He's not," I said. "Whatever little game you think you're playing is not going to work, because Adrian doesn't care, Tyler. Trust me."

"Oh, he doesn't care?" The idiot had the audacity to grin. "Is that why he's been tearing the Academy upside down for the last couple of hours? Is that why an entire fleet of his soldiers is on their way, because he doesn't care?"

Fuck.

I hated the sliver of hope blooming in my chest, and before I could latch on to it, I extinguished it, because I knew there was no way someone like Adrian would ever care for me. I was just a task, a pawn in this game, brought on this path just to be used in the wars they were waging.

Neither one of these men cared about me. Neither one of them cared for my heart or the fact that it felt like a thousand knives were sticking into the organ in the center of my very being. I should've disappeared when I had the chance.

I should've killed Heinrich even when Alena told me to wait.

I should've forgotten this life and everyone in it.

But I allowed them to brainwash me, to use me, to send me here to this one place that would obviously be the end of me.

"No one is coming for me, Tyler," I murmured, resigned to my destiny. "You should know by now that people like me never have anyone in their corner. So whatever it is that you have planned, go for it. I have nothing to lose and nothing to gain, but I can tell you right now—Adrian is not coming." Even if it broke something inside of me to say it out loud.

A part of me had hoped that maybe he would. But the rational part of my mind knew that no one was coming. And as much as I wanted him to come, to hold me, to tell me the truth, I also didn't want him to get hurt, and Tyler seemed all too confident in his little plan.

And I didn't like it.

"We will see about that, Vega," he mumbled. "But until then…" He pulled out a knife from his boot, twisting it and turning it in front of me. "You're gonna tell me every little secret Adrian Zylla has."

"And if I don't?" I bit out.

A vicious glint passed through his eyes, telling me without so many words what was going to happen. "If you don't, I'd say you're a fool, but it would definitely make all of this a lot more interesting. Don't you think?"

And as he lowered my arms, hooking them to another chain that was positioned lower on the ground, I understood what he meant when the first scream erupted from my throat as his knife dug straight through my hand, because I refused to betray the man I shouldn't love.