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“Fine, but I swear to fuck, Tillie, she is your responsibility.” He looks to the new boys who entered, the younger ones. Brantley grins, and it’s the kind of smirk that would disarm the devil.
A couple of the guys share a worried looks between each other, and I could have sworn I saw an Adam’s apple bob every now and then.
“Guess what, boys?” They all look at Brantley. “Looks like you’ll have the honor of having the first Elite King girl in your year group once you actually drop your nuts and get initiated in December.”
“How old is she? How old are they?” If those little shits lied to me…
Brantley laughs, pulling the keys to the padlock out of his pocket. “Sixteen. They have done the first initiation, but they don’t take the second ceremony until December thirty-first, which is when they become official Kings. Since Madison broke history, family had come out to say that they had a daughter and are moving her to Riverside.”
I shake my head, information spilling at the seams, but I drink it up like a thirsty hooker greedy for those tips. “This world is mental.”
“Her name is Bailey, but she’s also called The Raven…”
Interesting. Madison’s ‘gross’ comment makes sense now. “I mean, they look older…”
Brantley rolls his eyes. “You almost fucked a sixteen-year-old. So what.” I’m going to ignore that because it’s Brantley.
“What’s with this Raven chick? Is she going to be a King with them? Or queen, or whatever.”
Brantley turns to face me, his fingers wrapping around my chin. “How have you not figured all this shit out yet, Tillie. You’re fucking smart. Smarter than any girl I’ve ever met.”
“That’s not exactly a compliment, Brantley. You don’t fuck very smart girls.”
“Oh really?” His eyebrow raises, but his half grin is visible.
I ignore it. He continues. “There’s only one queen in this world.”
“Madison.” I nod, already knowing the answer.
Brantley growls in frustration and then presses his index finger to my forehead. “No, not Madison. She’s Bishop’s queen, but that’s all. You are the queen in this world. By right, and by blood.”
What the fuck is he talking about?
He opens the cage door, but the girl is quiet, subdued. He turns to me and gestures to her. “Well, take her back to my house. We’ve still got to do the meet.”
“How? I didn’t drive here. I came with you.”
He shrugs his shoulders, throwing his keys to me. “We’ve got other rides.” I instinctively seek out Nate. Craving his comfort. My insides yearn for him like a bad habit, one that’s worth overdosing on. “He’s gone, Tillie. Stop with the thirsty face.”
I growl, turning around to the girl before spinning back around to Brantley. “Wait!”
He stops, just before he’s about to disappear into the forest. “What?”
“How do I get back?”
He points to the clearing that I came out of. “Just walk straight. It’s not far, obviously.”
I wave him off and then drop down onto my knees to help the girl.
“Sorry. This might hurt.”
I take off the blindfold from her eyes, slowly unraveling it. I toss it across the ground, ignoring the smell of old urine and feces, my attention comes back to her. “Let’s get—” I pause, her eyes. Her eyes are captivating but familiar. “Do I know you?”
She watches me carefully, her bright turquoise eyes searching mine. She sighs and then shakes her head. “No.”
She is downright perfection. I can see why Madison was insecure about her now. Even in this cage, muddy and stinking of piss, she looks like she’s walked straight off a Victoria Secret runway.
“But before, you said my name?”
She seems to be looking for something on my face. Or tossing up whether she should be honest with me right now or lie. “I heard The Kings talk about you, that’s all…”
I get the feeling that she’s lying, but right now isn’t the time to press for truths. I take her hand after untying the binds around her ankles. “Let’s get you home.”
“Oh, I can’t. My mom and dad, they…”
I shake my head. “Your—whoever Brantley is to you— is taking you.”
“Brantley is my first cousin, and why would he do that? He gives me the creeps.”
I hook my arm around hers and start leading us in the direction of where Brantley said. “You and me both, sister. You and me both.”
We’re trekking through the fallen branches when I hear something rustle to the side.
“Shh,” I say, stopping Bailey’s movements. She wasn’t talking, but at least she’s smart enough not to make more noise by pointing that out. “Huh.” I shrug as we start moving through the trees again. The wind picks up, kicking my hair all over my face and chills spit through me. “If we could hurry up, that’d be great.”
A loud banging claps through the air, causing me to jump. I swear, my head is so dramatic. Bailey doesn’t move as if nothing frightens her. The loud bang sounds out again, and I look to the right in the direction it’s coming from.
