Excerpt Hate Me by Ashley Jade

Hate Me by Ashley Jade (Black Mountain Academy)
I’m the whispers in the dark you can’t ignore.
The bully you can’t run away from.
I’m the tormentor who makes your life a living hell.
The villain you love to hate.
I’m the vicious stepbrother sleeping in the next room.
The one who knows all your secrets.
And I’ll stop at nothing to make you pay.
WARNING: This book is recommended for mature readers due to graphic language, sexual content, and dark elements.
Expected publication: January 2021
Excerpt Hate Me by Ashley Jade
Tightening his grip, he escorts me to what appears to be a coat room.
βWhat the hell?β
βLetβs get one thing straight,β he snarls, cornering me until my spine meets a row of coats. βYour whore mother marrying my father changes nothing between us.β
I almost want to laugh, because I donβt like this new arrangement any more than he does.
However, itβs comical just how much itβs ruffling his feathers.
βAwe, whatβs the matter, Trenton?β I taunt. βAfraid Iβllββ
Words die in my throat when one hand slams across my mouth and the other one hovers over my throat, threatening to squeeze. βIβm not afraid of anything, Stray.β
He utters the last word with so much venom I nearly wince. Out of all the cruel nicknames Knox has given me over the years, this one hurts the most.
Because itβs the truth.
Ever since my dad died, Iβve felt lost and abandoned.
Like a kitten who lost its way and will never find home because they donβt belong anywhere.
He leans in close, his ruthless stare burning a hole right through me. βBut you should be.β
A shiver runs down my spine, not only because of his threatening words and the hostility theyβre laced withβ¦but the lethal way heβs looking at me.
As if heβs contemplating the best method to kill me and dispose of my body afterward.
Iβve heard all the rumors going around school.
His mom was murdered when he was thirteenβ¦
And his dad sent him to a mental institution for a year while he covered it up.
Because Knox was the one who did it.
People werenβt terrified of him just because he was a bully who got off on terrorizing others.
They were terrified because he was a legitimate psychopath who was capable of homicide.
Until now, I wasnβt sure I believed any of the gossip.
At six foot three he towers over my five-four frame, but I force myself to peer up and look him right in the eyes. βGo to hell.β
Deep down Iβm petrified of the lunatic, but I refuse to let him see that.
My breath hitches when he presses his body against mine and the hand looming over my throat constricts. βI live there.β
Live? More like ruled because as far as Iβm concerned, heβs the devil.
My retort falls by the wayside, though, when he leans in and his mouth brushes mine.
Iβm about to ask what the fuck heβs doing, but a sharp sting shoots through my flesh when his teeth clamp down on my bottom lip and I taste a hint of copper.
I try to pull away, but that only makes the pain worse.
Thinking quick, I knee him in the balls.
With an aggravated grunt, he finally releases his hold.
I expect him to be pissed so I brace myself, preparing for another attack, but to my surprise thereβs a trace of amusement in his expression.
His tongue darts out and I see the glint of metal from his piercing as he swipes the blood gathered on his lip. βWelcome to the family, sis.β