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A world I want no part of.
Sliding open the small jewelry box Mom gave me earlier, I flip the lid and stare at the diamond encrusted hair brooch. It has been passed down our family for generations. A wedding gift from mother to daughter.
This isn’t my official wedding, but the sentiment is the same.
I slide it into my hair, clipping it in on my crown. The diamonds glint in the light but do little to lift my mood.
It shouldn’t be like this.
Grabbing my lace clutch purse, I reluctantly leave my room and head downstairs. Every step in my overly expensive shoes is like another step toward my doom. The pit in my stomach churns deeper and deeper until I’m sure I’ll pass out. But somehow, I make it into the living room in one piece.
“Oh my… Mia… you look… doesn’t she look beautiful, Garth?”
My father gives me a stiff nod. He’s quiet. Too quiet.
“The car is outside,” he says thickly, and I don’t miss the hitch in his voice.
“Daddy?” I croak, the sudden weight of everything crashing down on me.
“It’s all going to be okay, sweetheart,” he says, gently taking my elbow and steering me toward the door.
As he opens the front door and ushers me outside, I’m sure I hear him whisper, “You can do this, Mia. You have to.”
Gravestone Hall is as beautiful as I remember from the night of my Eligere. However, if I’d have known then what I know now about that night, I might not have been so seduced by its beauty and charm.
My father keeps his hand on the small of my back and we enter the room. Blood hums in my ears as everyone stands to welcome me. The girl of the moment.
Cade Kingsley’s prosapia.
They think it’s so sacred, such a coveted title. But it’s all lies. A smokescreen for what really transpires in the name of tradition.
I keep my eyes low, unable to meet any of the heavy stares I feel as we walk to our table.
Once seated, I finally lift my gaze and search for the only eyes that I know will ground me to this moment. Bexley looks as handsome as ever in his black dinner jacket and dress shirt. His eyes betray his cool appearance, though, pain flickering across his expression. I offer him a weak smile before moving on to find Sasha. She looks as miserable as I feel, seated between Brandon and Channing. Tim and Fawn are with them, and Alex. But Ashton and Brook are seated at another table, and I take small satisfaction in the fact that they don’t get to sit with the Electi tonight.
The other tables are filled with men and women—some I recognize, some I don’t. I spot the Rexfords, Bexley’s grandfather, Tim’s father, and Phillip Cargill. And I spot District Attorney Bailey, and Police Commissioner Walters.
Everyone here is directly linked to Quinctus and the Electi in some way. They know what tonight means… they know, and yet they do nothing.
I accept a glass of champagne from an immaculately dressed server just as Mom touches my arm. “Isn’t this lovely?” she whispers, her spellbound smile enough to make me want to gouge my eyes out.
Phillip steps up to the podium and ushers the room into silence. “Friends and family, I welcome you all here, on the birth of the new moon, for this celebration. Tonight, we shall witness two of our young enter one of our most respected traditions.” His eyes find mine and a chill runs through me. “The Coglio.”
29
Bexley
Sitting on the end of my bed, I drop my head into my hands.
This can't be happening.
But it is. In only a few short hours, Mia is going to be officially Cade's. Okay, so it may not be as official as an actual wedding ceremony, but in Q's eyes, it's as important.
She's meant to be mine.
It's meant to be us.
"ARGH," I growl, falling back on the bed and pulling at my hair until I fear I might be about to rip it out.
