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Which is precisely why he didn’t do it.
But it leaves me in a terrible mood. And that’s not improved by Cayde grabbing me by the elbow the minute I walk in the door, his eyes raking over my cleavage and stomach and thighs as he pulls me into the living room before I can even get upstairs and shower.
“I just got done working out, if you’ve got ideas,” I snap at him. “I could use a shower. I’m pretty gross.”
“I don’t have ideas.” Cayde rolls his eyes. “I want you to stop, Athena.”
“Stop what?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“I don’t know—everything!” Cayde’s voice rises, and I can hear the frustration in it. “Walking around this fucking house like you own it, like you’re not our pet—Dean’s pet—like you’re in charge of literally anything.” He moves towards me, his face hard and angry, and I feel my heart thump in my chest as he backs me up to the sofa so quickly that I topple backward onto it.
He looms over me. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Athena? Continuing to push this—this plot of yours to insist Dean didn’t win, that the game’s still going. Everyone here, everyone who matters, knows you were in Dean’s bed. They know he took your virginity. And even if I fuck you, even if I get it on fucking camera, they’ll say it’s doctored somehow, that it’s faked, that Dean still won. All you’re doing is making things harder on both of us.” He waves at my face, where the bandage is still on my cheek. “Someone wants to hurt you, and you could have Dean’s protection easy. Just give in. Be his pet. Give up whatever harebrained scheme you’re plotting, and let him do what he wants. There was always going to be a winner. Might as well be him.”
But I can tell from the tone of his voice that he doesn’t really mean it. He doesn’t want Dean to win any more than I do.
The difference is, I don’t want any of them to win.
“So what? You’re giving up?” I glare up at him. “I wouldn’t have thought Cayde St. Vincent would give up.”
“There’s nothing to fight!” Cayde slams his fist into the back of the couch in frustration. “Halloween is in a month, Athena. Samhain, the solstice, all of that.”
“And what about it?” I raise an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Cayde sighs. “There will be a meeting of the society. Dean will show the evidence, and he’ll be named the next heir to the town. You’ll be his and his alone, officially. He can move you into his room or tell you to stay in yours, whatever he prefers. And when we graduate, he’ll marry, and you’ll be his mistress or his housekeeper or whatever he decides. I’ll be his left hand and Jaxon his right, and the Devil’s Sons will enforce for him, and the town will keep on as it has for hundreds of years until our firstborn sons are of age, and then they start it all over again.” He shakes his head. “Things will be set in motion on Halloween for the Blackmoor family to rule again. And there’s nothing to do but accept it.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I have a plan, Cayde. A way that there will be absolutely no doubt that Dean isn’t the only one who’s had me.” I smile sweetly up at him, letting him see just how insincere it is in my eyes. “I’ll even beg you for it when it’s time.”
“What’s the plan?” Cayde raises an eyebrow, and I can see interest dawning on his face.
“Come here.” I grin at him. “And I’ll tell you.”
* * *
“Don’t cometo Cayde’s party on Friday.”
I look across the table at Mia at our little coffee shop, picking at the piece of pumpkin banana bread in front of me. It’s chilly in the coffee shop and cold outside, so I have a jacket on, which makes me feel safer somehow, snuggling down into the silky lining of my favorite black leather jacket.
“Why?” Mia looks at me suspiciously. “Athena, what are you going to do?”
“Just don’t.” I shift uncomfortably in my seat. “I just don’t want you to see what’s going to happen.”
Mia frowns, taking a bite of her own treat, some kind of frosted fall muffin that looks like it would give me a cavity if I just got close to it. “You’re not going to hurt anyone, are you?”
I try to look offended. “Who do you take me for, exactly? Of course, I’m not going to hurt anyone.”
Mia shrugs. “Look, I’ve heard all the stories about what went down at your old high school. You told me some of them yourself. So I’m not going to be even a little bit surprised if part of your plan involves kicking someone’s ass. And all the training you’ve been doing lately? Hell, if I need someone’s ass kicked, I’ll definitely be calling you.”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “Well, I’m glad to hear it’s actually paying off.”
“I mean, you look ripped as fuck.” Mia eyes my arms, despite the fact that they’re covered by my jacket sleeves. “But that fight with the girl that’s stalking you? That’s scary shit, Athena. You need to be careful. Maybe continuing to play this game isn’t such a good idea.”
“I know what I’m doing,” I promise her.
“So, what are you doing? At Cayde’s party, I mean. What could be so bad that you don’t want me to see it?”
“I’m just going to make sure that there’s no clear winner of the game.” I grin at her, taking another sip of my latte. “
Mia lets out a sigh. “Just don’t get hurt, Athena, okay? I’m worried about you. The enemies you’re making—I’m not sure if they’re in your league. I’m not trying to be mean. I’m just—worried.”
