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“Oh, and Mia… wear something pretty tonight. It’s going to be a very special dinner indeed.”
17
Bexley
"Are they for fucking real?" I bark, staring down at my cell and the summons from the fucking king.
"Sadly," Alex mutters from behind me.
"You're okay with this?" I snap, spinning away and drilling him with a look I'm sure most would cower away from. Not Alex, though. He's too laid-back for that shit.
He drags his head up from his own cell and meets my eyes.
"No, Bex. I'm not fucking okay with this." His lips thin in frustration. I know he's had a meeting with his mom and Harrison to find out the truth about everything, but he's keeping schtum about the details.
He's hurting, I get it. But I could use whatever he knows. We need all the ammunition we can get if we're to go up against that asshole.
"What choice do we have?"
"We fucking don't," I sulk, knowing that he's right.
We might not totally understand what we're suddenly involved in, but I know that we've gotta see it through.
Marcus has told me enough to know that Cade is a threat. To Gravestone, to Quinctus’ traditions and beliefs… to Mia. Kingsley is a loose cannon, one my uncle seems to think needs reining in.
"I don't fucking like it."
"I know. But we've got to do what we've got to do."
"Do we?"
"You have another option? We can't go up against them, we'll end up dead. We can't run, we'll end up—"
"Dead, yeah. I got it," I mutter, pulling my closet door open and rifling through my shirts to find a suitable one for tonight.
Thirty minutes later, we're pulling up to Cade Kingsley's mansion in my BMW. Alex is tense as fuck in my driver's seat, and I fucking get why.
The last time we were with the five of them, they damn near killed us. There's no way this is just a normal dinner to get to know us better, as the message said.
There is nothing friendly about this visit. We're initiates, after all. We've heard all about the tests we're expected to pass before we're officially welcomed into this fucked-up world.
"Ready?" I ask Alex, forcing some confidence into my voice. The reality is that my heart is racing and I'm about ten seconds from having sweat rolling down my spine. But equally, my muscles are ready for the impending fight.
My injuries have barely had a chance to heal, but there's no way I'll back away from a chance to plow my fists into that motherfucker’s face.
"I'd rather be heading to my own funeral."
"That could well be what's about to happen."
"That's it, fill me with hope."
"I'm not gonna fucking lie to you, man. This has ‘set-up’ written all over it."
Without waiting for his response, I push the door open and make my way to the front of the oppressive building.
It seems Quinctus has a thing for gothic architecture.
Alex catches up with me right as the door opens. A young woman smiles at us and pulls the door wider for us to enter before thrusting a tray I didn't notice she was holding toward us—I was too taken aback by her outfit. Watching Cade with Mia makes my skin crawl, and I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not that he seems to be just as demeaning to all women.
