Page 23 of Speak No Claim

“Then I’m changing the rules.”

“Hmm…” He placed his finger on his lips. “Who would that be for?”

“Careful, Caspian,” I warned, hanging on by a thread.

He raised his arms in the air. “Wrong target, Devereaux.”

He backed away, and as soon as he left, I grabbed my cell phone out of my jeans, hitting send as I walked out onto my balcony.

“Yes, Sir,” Jones picked up after one ring.

“We good?”

“Everything’s taken care of. The girl—” I hung up, cutting him off.

Right when I did, Caspian’s prediction came to fruition.

There in front of my eyes was Hennessey. Her bedroom suite really was near mine at my father’s estate, and I instantly wondered if they did that on purpose, knowing in the back of my mind they did.

All the curtains in her room were open, making it practically a fishbowl with how much I could see in. She stood in front of the floor-length mirror, staring at herself, studying the damage the night had done.

She was still wearing the dress, and it was the first time I realized how badly she’d ripped it up. Most of her body was exposed, her tan skin illuminated by the soft light spilling from the chandelier above her head. Her fingers hovered over the tear running from her hip to thigh. She was assessing it the same way I would a wound.

When she lifted her long, dark, wavy hair over her shoulder and reached for the zipper behind her dress, it didn’t move. She tried again but still nothing.

My pulse didn’t change. Neither did my expression as she reached up and drew the curtains shut as if she’d only noticed they were open. Her room disappeared, and I was left standing there.

She had no idea what awaited her. She didn’t belong in my world, and I was going to make sure she learned that the hard way. Tomorrow was a new day. This week we started classes, and this was only the beginning…

* * *

Of me destroying her.

Chapter

Seven

Hennessey: Welcome to the Graves Academy.

The days slipped by, and none of them brought me any peace. I hadn’t slept. I was going into the future completely blind, and that should’ve been the emotion keeping me awake, but it wasn’t. I hated that somehow, in less than a few days, Onyx Devereaux managed to occupy space in my mind that he didn’t deserve.

Rolling onto my back on my bed, I stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling above me. The heavy wooden beams had darkened with age, while the pale morning light spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the property.

Nothing about this room felt like mine. Not all the expensive furniture, not all the antique books lining the shelves. Not the over-the-top decor or the gaudy bedspread I was lying on.

Nothing.

Especially not the silence.

I was used to a home with a revolving door when it came to family and friends, and a sense of community, and this was far from that. At least it was to me. I hadn’t seen my uncle since the night of the party. The only people I came in contact with were his staff. He had servant upon servant in a home with only two people.

I didn’t see his fiancée either, which made me think she might not live here. I stayed in my room for the most part. I had yet to wander the estate, unsure of what I’d find.

I missed my plants the most. Our home was covered in them. I spent years collecting all kinds. My favorite was anything that trailed. All the greenery brought so much life into a room, and I loved the fact that if you took care of them correctly, they’d live forever.

The energy alone was good for your immune system, not to mention all the spiritual protection they offered by warding off any negativity.

Maybe I can find a plant shop?