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But the pain I want to inflict right now is nothing short of a beating, and the only thing stopping me from raising my hand is the fucking audience watching us.
Instead, I let go, shoving her away as I do. “Fine. Let’s play a game, initiate. Make it to sunrise without getting caught, and all you’ll have to do is serve every member of the Elite in the dining hall, for a week. Get caught, and you’re heading down into that crypt to service every member of the Elite every night for the week.”
She looks at me like she thinks I’m joking.
“Run.”
Fear flashes through her eyes before she turns and does exactly what I told her.
I have no intention of chasing after her. I don’t even watch to see what direction she goes as I march into the church.
The music is pulsing. Bodies grind up against each other, despite the beat of the song. Not caring if anyone is in my way, I take the shortest route to the bar and order a drink.
Without realizing what I’ve ordered until I taste the smokey liquid, the whiskey feels more like a thick sludge as it goes down my throat, choking me. With a roar, I launch the glass through the air, narrowly missing the asshole who served it to me.
It explodes as it hits the wall, sending glass and whiskey flying everywhere.
“Syn, what the fuck?” Royal appears at my side.
“Change of plans,” I say as I turn, seeing Gemini standing next to him. Good. “The members think they’re missing out? Then tonight, anyone who wants in, can.”
Royal’s eyes go wide. “I thought it was just going to be us?”
“Apparently, that little bitch is in heat, so fuck it. Let them have her.”
XXII
Tori
Unlike a lot of college campuses, James Keyingham is a closed one. A tall wall with decorative wrought ironwork on top circles the grounds. There’s a main entrance, a service entrance, and one near Denali House that used to be the private entrance for the dean when he lived there.
The wall has been standing for a long time, but it’s not to keep students in, so much as to keep others out. With so many students coming from influential and affluent families, however, at some point, someone probably realized this was a good way to protect them.
Despite the appearance of protection, there’s no curfew on campus. Students can come and go as they want and even though there’s always someone in the security office at the gate, no one needs to check out. If there hadn’t been a game this weekend, most people would have left campus last night. It’s an hour to New York, and if most people don’t have a home or second home in the city, they know someone who does.
When Syn told me to run, I did.
Earlier, when I dressed in this stupid cheerleader outfit, I noticed it was the first time he’d given me running shoes instead of a pair of heels, but I figured that was because cheerleaders wore them. Not because I’d be spending this evening running.
When I asked to take part in the initiation, I hadn’t done so completely blind—I knew sex was a part of it. Syn was anything but subtle about that aspect. I keep telling myself sex is just sex, and if I allow myself to enjoy it, I could do any depraved act asked of me.
Or so I’ve told myself.
But now with the threat of having to service every member, every night for a week, that argument wasn’t so convincing any more.
Not when Syn gave me an opportunity to avoid it.
There aren’t many places to hide on campus. Going back to my room, even to get my phone, feels like a trap. And there’s no way I’m going to Penny’s. The camera was still up outside my room when I’d been there earlier today, so a quick look on that will tell them I’m not there.
Hopefully, they’ll search the university before they think to look for me off campus. Assuming I can sneak out without security seeing me to buy me some time before they start checking their security system.
As I hide in the shadows of one of the blind spots I’d found when trying to work out how the hell my brother could supposedly kill someone without being seen, I try to keep my focus on the only two members of security at the gate.
When one of them gets up, walking in the opposite direction of the church, I creep towards the gate, ignoring the fact that the last thing I should be doing in a skirt this short is crawling, and get down on my hands and knees to stay below the view of the window.
Then I’m running down a country lane as fast as I can with the little bit of light the moon is offering as it ducks behind thick clouds. It’s not until I reach the main road into the local town of Keyingham that I slow.
I’m not sure what time it is, but it can’t be too long past ten. Even so, Keyingham seems more like a retirement village than a bustling college town, is dark and quiet.
