Filed To Story: Pretty Poisoned Novel by Elle Mitchell
I killed someone.
The grey hoodie is nothing but a tattered, shredded mess, saturated in blood. I must have stabbed herI don’t knowthirty times.
I didn’t have to. I could have gone for help after I got the gun away from her, but I didn’t. I liked the way it felt when the knife cut through her flesh, I liked the sound it made.
I liked the way it made me feel. So, I didn’t stop.
I didn’t mean to.
“I’m not a bad person,” I say aloud. “I’m not a bad person. I’m not a bad person. I’m not bad.”
“Of course you’re not, sweetheart,” Declan says. He kneels beside me and takes the knife from my hand. “You’re perfect, Teagan. You’re an angelyou saved him. You did so good.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” He kisses me on my forehead. “I’m so proud of you. You look so pretty like this.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and finally let out a sob. “You’re not going to hurt me?”
“No, kitten. Why would I hurt you?”
“I caused a problem. I made a mess.”
Someone bangs on the bathroom door with their fist, and I jump, panicking.
“It’s just River,” he says. “I called her; it’s okay. Riv?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” she says through the door.
He turns the bolt and opens the door just enough for her to step inside.
“Oh, fuck,” she says. “Teagan ”
I see fear in her blue eyes. She’s fucking terrified; it hurts.
“I didn’t mean to,” I tell her through tears. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about her,” Declan says. “He’s been shotlook at him.”
She turns her attention away from me and to Luca instead. Declan holds out a hand to me and pulls me to my feet as River kneels on the ground beside Luca.
He holds his shirt against the wound, blood pours down his now-bare chest. River moves the shirt to the side to get a look at the bullet hole.
“I mean it went straight through,” she says. “It doesn’t look like it hit a major artery or anything, or we’d know. But Declan, I’m not a doctor. I can’t treat gunshot wounds like this. He needs a real doctor.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Declan says. “I’m going to make a few calls and get rid of all these fucking assholes. Lock the door behind me, Teagan, and stay put.”
“Am I going to go to jail?” I ask him.
“Of course not,” he says. “Do you really think I would let anything like that happen to you? I’m going to take care of it, Teaganeverything will be okay. Trust me.”
He leaves, and I bolt the door behind him as promised. I sit on the other side of Luca, and he takes my hand in his.
“Luca, you really need to lie down,” River tells him.
“Fuck that,” he says. “This is a fucking dirty ass men’s restroom.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re going to faint if you don’t. I’m surprised you haven’t already.”
“I did a lot of cocaine.”
“Yeah, that’s not helping you. Lie down.”
“Fuuuuuck,” he groans as he slides down onto the floor. “This is the worst part of the whole night.”
I can’t help but laugh. I try not toI know River doesn’t think any of this is funny. I know none of this is funny, but I’m in shock, I’m high, and I’m shaking everywhere.
“This is the worst part? You got shot,” River snaps.
“Yeah, but now I have to lay in a bunch of dudes’ fucking piss and shit and cum. It’s going to get in the fucking hole! It’s going to become a part of me. Teagan, it’s going to change my DNA.”
I’m hysterical now; I can’t stop laughing, I can’t stop crying. I slide down the wall and rest my head on his chest, shaking with silent laughter.
“It doesn’t fucking work like that,” River sneers. “It probably will get infected, though, so maybe you should both stop laughing. It isn’t fucking funny. You murdered someone, Teagan.”
Now, I do stop.
“Bro, you did,” Luca says. “You stabbed her like a million timesit was crazy. You look like Carrie on prom night right now. I think I’m getting hard.”
“Lucastop fucking talking!” River shouts.
“River?” I wait for her to look at me before I continue. “I’m sorry. Ishe was going to kill him. She shot him, and I already had the knife in my hand. Please don’t hate me. I love you. You you said death was beautiful.”
“This is murder, Teagan. Look at herwe don’t even know her. This is this is different.”
“That’s Heidi’s sister, Riv,” Luca says. “She was going to kill me. Teagan saved me.”
“What did I tell you about talking, Luca?” she says. “I don’t hate you, Teagan. This is just a lot. I know you’re both fucking coked out or whatever, but I need it to be quiet for a minute. I need you two to muster whatever fucking sense you have right now and be quiet because I’m fucking scared; I really don’t see how we’re getting out of this one.”
“All rightsorry for getting shot.”
“God damn it, Luca!” she shouts before punching the stall door with her hand. “Fuck!”
“Luca ” I look at him and shake my head.
Once we’re quiet, I realize it’s quiet outside the bathroom, too. Declan must have gotten rid of everyone like he said he would. I’m not sure how much time passes while we’re waitinghalf an hour, maybe an hour? However long it is, I know Luca stays awake for all of it, and eventually, River asks us questions about what happened. She listens, taking it in with minimal reaction until we’re done.
Then, she says, solemnly, “I guess we should have just killed Heidi. We’re all fucked now.”
“This is what I get for trying to be the good guy,” Luca says.
“The good guy? Luca, I love you, but you’re still not the good guy here,” she says.
“He’s not a bad person,” I snap.
I’m not a bad person.
“Teagan, open the door,” Declan says.
I look at them both and then move toward the door. After I turn the bolt, he pulls it open.
The first thing I notice is that all the lights are off outside, including those typically illuminating the pool.
The second thing I notice is the three men behind him, dressed in all black and wearing those gold masks like the ones at the house in the mountains.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.