By
Drea Denae

Betrayed. Again.

By the one person who promised they were Team Nix. I’m not letting it all go this time though, I’ve felt the fire of revenge and I’m ready to embrace it.

Except these guys aren’t getting the message. They’re everywhere.

In the halls. In my head. And even though I hate to admit it, in my heart. Jude, Charlie, Gunner, and Sawyer have decided what they want and whether I like it or not- they want me.

Boy trouble should be the last thing on my mind. With finals coming up and the Winter Gala approaching, I’ve got enough on my plate.

New threats, old foes, unsuspecting allies. This battle is shaping up to be more than I bargained for.

One thing I’m sure of? I can handle it.

I’ll do whatever it takes to survive this year, even if all my plans go up in flames. A Phoenix can dance in the fire. And if I have to, I’ll burn it all down myself.

NOTE:
Please review the first few pages of the book for a full list of content warnings.

Phoenix “Nix” is angry, hurt and confused. Once again she feels betrayed by the guys, more specifically Gunner and Sawyer. As always music is her outlet for the pain and she dives into it to sort out her feelings.

As for the guys, Charlie feels confident he’s made progress in his relationship with Nix. However, he doesn’t know what happened with Gunner and Sawyer. Jake does know and he’s not happy things just went backwards instead of forward with Nix.

Nix is subtly planning her revenge on several people including the guys. The guys of course are her first targets as she starts flirting with a few of the football team. One in particular, Kingston, is the target to help with her plan. Mostly because he really isn’t interested in her.

Jane helps out with the plans for Molly and her crew, that will be interesting to see to fruition. The Halloween dance is part one of the plans.

This is a favorite scene.

Who knew that black lipstick could make me feel powerful? It’s a different power than I’m used to with the various shades of red that line my bathroom drawer. The color is dark and almost sinister, lining my mouth in danger. Or the punch Jane has been serving is getting to my head and all the makeup is really doing is making my eyes pop and teeth look a little whiter. Luckily, the dress I’m wearing has pockets and the tube of color fits in one perfectly.

I’m dressed in a deep purple lace contraption. Bell sleeves adorn my arms while a corset pushes up my minimal cleavage. The length stops at my knees, but the bottom hem is met with lace-up boots with a four inch heel.

Will I regret the heel later? Probably.

Do I feel badass enough that I would have risked burning at the stake during a witch trial? Abso-fucking-lutely.

I turn around to see Jasmine and Jane tucked up and snuggling on the couch, both in similar outfits to mine, just different shades. Jane has spent most of her free time with me, trying not to leave me alone for long. I’m glad her girlfriend has been understanding, but I’m fine and I hope tonight they can see that.

Luckily, I’m distracted from the impending make out session on my couch by a knock on the door. I wasn’t sure if he would really show, but when the door opens and Kingston is standing there in the perfect costume, I can’t help but throw my arms around him.

His arm comes up to awkwardly pat my back and I back away to let him into the room.

I’m not sure what his deal is, but tonight he seems… almost angry. “Are you good?”

I watch as he seems to think over the question before nodding at me and attempting to relax.

“Alright then.” I lead him over to the drink station while pretending not to notice Jasmine and Jane going at it on the couch. Good thing we all invested in smudge proof lipstick.

Turning to Kingston, I ask, “Want a drink?”

“Not too much. If you want to drink tonight, I’ll watch over you.” His words are thoughtful, but they remind me of the last time I went to a party. When Gunner played my protector.

Tonight I feel reckless. I’m not sure where it will take me, but the need to act carelessly overwhelms me. So I do.

Jane and Jasmine get up and join us.

The redhead must be feeling extra spicy tonight as she mixes up shots for the ladies. “A preacher man, huh? Nix loves a good opposites attract book, or did you already know that?”

Kingston chuckles. “Coincidence, actually. Besides, I thought it might be fun to remind everyone that God is always watching.” He says it sarcastically, thank goodness.

I do not need to be thinking about Jesus when I’m getting shit faced and twerking tonight.

Jane snorts. “You sound like my Nana in Texas. Judgy bitch, that one. Anyways, don’t let the booze get you going too hard tonight, Nix. I’m taken and can’t piss the guys off by tongue fucking your face again.”

Looking at Jasmine, I see her smiling. Good. Clearly, she can see the relationship I have with Jane is just friendship and she hasn’t seemed put off by me yet. I’m glad Jane has been honest with her too.

It’s not long before we are walking to the party. The location has changed in order to keep the faculty from catching on to one spot. This time we’re headed to a small barn that used to hold horses for the equestrian team.

A barn bigger than my house with crown molding and fancy bathrooms. As much as I want to scoff at that, I know I’ll be thankful for the facilities later.

Like a moth to a dangerous flame, Jane finds the bar quickly and gets us a round of drinks. “To ending dry spells and avoiding jail cells.”

I raise my drink to clink our cups together. “Why did that feel like a jinx?”

Kingston moves behind me and puts his hands on my shoulders, gently applying pressure. I look up at him over my shoulder and give him a flirty smile. The guys might already be here and I guess the show is on.

With my free hand, I squeeze his fingers and nod my head to a corner. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, Kingston steers me in that direction. It’s oddly quiet given the party around us and perfect for me to get some answers.

“Regretting your decision, yet?” I say it with humor, but I can’t deny that I’ve been worried about him bailing on me since he agreed to go along with this.

The corner of his mouth lifts just the smallest bit. “Not a chance.”

I take a sip then look down at my cup, too vulnerable to make eye contact for my next question. “Why did you say yes?”

Kingston stares for what seems like several minutes. “I remember you.”

Fuck. He’s helping me because he pities me? This sucks. It’s embarrassing.

“Stop, Nix.” His voice is stern, yet still soft. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. Let me finish talking.”

Nodding, I shift my weight from one foot to the other.

“Those guys? What they did? It’s fucked up. What you did after suffering their terror for a year? Shit.” His hands curl into fists at his side. “Plus, after their bullshit trying to put a claim on you in the locker room, I was happy I agreed. That’s not why I said yes, though. And it’s not because your pestering suddenly became endearing either.”

A short laugh breaks free from my lips.

“It’s because it wouldn’t be fair to whatever guy fell for your charms when you clearly still want them.” He lifts an eyebrow at me and I feel like shit.

I was willing to do whatever it took to make these guys out of their minds with jealousy that I didn’t consider anyone else’s feelings.

I was willing to hurt someone just like they hurt me.

“Fuck. I’m awful.” The thought has me chugging what is left of my drink.

Kingston shrugs. Of course he’s not going to spare my feelings. I’m an asshole.

Wait a minute. “You’re that confident you wouldn’t have caught feelings for me?”

He smiles. “Yeah. Pretty fucking confident, Cub.”

“Cub?” What the fuck does that mean?

Kingston grabs my arm and lifts my sleeve. He runs his hand up my arm gently, his fingers tracing my scars. “You’ve got stripes, like a tiger. But you’re tiny as hell.”
Drea Denae. Burn It Down- ARC Edition (Kindle Locations 580-588).

Kingston becomes another type of protector for Nix another friend to depend on just like Jane and Jasmine.

The guys are once again working to regain her trust, Molly and her friends get theirs, and an interesting dinner with her father are some of the best scenes in this book.

I laughed and I cried, and the heat of course heads off the charts with the sizzle.

After the OMG ending, I really can’t wait for the next book!

5 Contented Purrs for Drea!

Drea Denae lives in Texas with her small family. She hates the heat, lives off iced coffee and loves to rock red lipstick. She also collects book boyfriends and enjoys reading anything and everything.