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Pushing open the heavy side door into the large meeting room, I pray I’m able to enter without making much noise. Unfortunately, the door is really heavy, and my hand slips as I go to close it. As it bangs, everyone turns and I cringe. Shit.
The Dragon glares at me from under his hood, his eyes the only thing visible due to his mask, and he’s fucking scary. He holds my future in his hands. So when the Elder asks me why I’m late, I lie in a panic, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I think of the Pillars upon which the Society stands, and know that preserving the secrecy of our institution is the only thing that will save me.
Striding towards Levi and my best friends, I try to quieten the thundering of my heart. God, that could have been so bad.
Levi leans in closely as The Dragon begins to tell us why we’re here. “Your Eve is here, and it’s important for you to do everything in your power to claim her. There are other girls lined up, who volunteered as back ups, but you must be the true Adams,” Levi insists.
I nod, showing I understand, and meet the gazes of my best friends. We will do what is necessary to claim her. There is too much on the line here. Jonas needs the Locked Souls to save his family. I just want to be a part of something, and Bast is doing all of this for us. So we can be together, always.
The Dragon looks at those of us that are standing together, watching him intently.
“It is a great privilege to gain access to your Eve. You will face several challenges to show you are worthy of her, and the first will be happening very soon. Your handler and mentor will be advised of when that time will come. It is important that you listen to him in all things, is that understood?”
Various “yes” responses fill the room.
“Excellent. Be well, grow in your path with God, and keep our secrets as your own and you will be rewarded.”
Closing prayers end the meeting, and I’m filled with excitement.
“Ash, have you been cleared yet to spar?” Bast asks, as we file out. “Not the angry, 'let’s beat the hell out of each other' shit that happened the other day, but real sparring.”
I nod with a grin, deciding that’s the perfect way to get rid of this excess energy.
“Yeah, actually, I was just told I could go back to regular activities,” I explain excitedly. I can’t wait to be back on the football team and hit practices again. I’ve been going crazy stuck in the dorms.
We make plans to change and spar, and I sigh contentedly. This is what my life is supposed to be like. Society meetings, making progress each day to be worthy of Initiation, bonding with my chosen brothers, and claiming our Eve.
Jonas, Bast, and I make quick work of entering our work out area, and expel the frustrations of the last few days on the unwitting bags for the next hour.
I hit the bag one more time, sweat rolling down my face, and grunt. Bastian laughs behind me and I smile. Fuck, it feels good to rail on something again. I’ve missed working out. I never thought a wrist injury would occur just from shoving someone. Then again, Milo is built like a tank.
“Fuck, I've missed this.” I groan as Jonas moves beside me, handing me my water. I nod my head at him and pop the cap. We still haven’t sat down and talked about what happened the other day, but I know it’s coming soon. I can’t deny that what he did felt amazing, but it was still wrong. We need to stave our urges until we win our Eve, then maybe we can explore what we feel about each other more.
Regardless of things being awkward right now, I know that he and Bast will always be in my corner. No matter how bad things get, or how difficult the challenges thrown at us, I know I’ll always have them.
Chapter16
TWO WEEKS LATER
The weeks are starting to blur together. My days are boring and monotonous, and I’m starting to go crazy. The girls are relentless, and can’t seem to make up their minds over whether I’m a whore or a prude. The bullying is ramping up, and they stole my bra after gym class one day. I had to go the entire day braless because I have limited clothing here, and I didn’t have time to go back to the apartment.
I’ve been tripped, had my hair pulled, and have occasionally been hit on by the girls. Because according to them, if I’m not having sex with one of the guys, I have to secretly be interested in one of them. They’re just exhausting. I’m exhausted. I still haven’t been able to sleep much, and the thought that King might have replied to my message has me too scared to check.
I told the guys I didn’t have a phone, since I’ve been keeping it turned off unless I try to reach Jacob. Which isn’t totally out there, since my grandmother is insanely strict. I’m going insane being here.
The only good thing that’s happened is spending time with the guys. I may have had an ulterior motive in the beginning, to learn more about them, but now it’s the best part of my day.
I still haven’t found out who the group of masked men were, and how Ash is connected, but I think I’m close.
He’s starting to open up to me, and I feel bad that this all started as a ruse to find answers. I should just forget about that night and what I saw, but my curiosity is killing me.
Feeling as if spending some time in Mass will help me to center my thoughts, I go to the earlier time because I know there are fewer hymns sung. It’s less triggering for me, and is almost relaxing, even if I do get a few odd glances because I’m there.
I don’t care though, I decide, as I sit in the back pew to listen, because it allows me to enjoy a ritual that I thought was lost to me due to my past.
Time passes quickly as I get swept away in prayers and the sermon, until I notice a heavy stare on me. I look over and see Father Levi is glaring at me. I think I could handle glares from almost anyone except him, especially knowing that he’ll be handling my punishments starting tonight. I know it’s irregular for me to be here, but why can’t he leave well enough alone? I’m not hurting anyone.
Sighing, because my sanctuary is no longer calming, I stand and cross myself, promising to come back at a later time to pray.
