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“Drink the blood and seal your oath so that we may all welcome our new member into the fold.”
This time, I do blanch.Is he for fucking real? I fuckingknewthis was some sort of cannibalism club. And he wants me to drink his fucking blood like I’m a vampire? What if he’s got some blood-borne disease? I don’t know who this fucking asshole is!
The cup is thrust toward me, practically forced into my hand when I don’t take it of my own accord.
I stare down at the deep well of blood, so dark it almost looks black, wrinkling my nose as the metallic scent hits my nostrils and makes me recoil.This is so fucking gross.
I swear I’m going to murder Robbie for not warning me about this.Closing my eyes, I bring the cup to my lips, tilting my head back and swallowing the cupful in one go. I gag as the coppery taste slides down my throat and settles uncomfortably in my stomach. Sweat breaks out across my skin, and it feels like my whole body is revolting against the foreign liquid I just ingested.
The gold-cloaked psychopath raises his arms in the air, and it’s only then that I realize the room has broken into a round of applause.
“Go forth now and perform your duties with the aspirations of the King’s Elite in mind.”
Apparently, that concludes tonight’s entertainment as everyone breaks up, disappearing back into the walls like ants that crawled out of the woodwork in search of crumbs to take back to their anthills.
I watch from my knees as the golden-cloaked man and his two silver-cloaked comrades disappear into the crowd, losing sight of them before I can see what secret entrance they used. I’m hoping Robbie will emerge so I can yell at him. However, the chamber empties in a matter of minutes, and I’m alone.
Chapter10
EMILIA
Hadley:Be ready in 5. We’re going out for the day.
I stare at the text.Be ready for what? Going where?Ugh, Hadley. You couldn’t have given me a bit more information, could you?And time, for that matter.Not all of us are happy to just fling clothes on and head out for the day.
Although, with only five minutes until she’s here, that’s precisely what I’m going to have to do. I guess I should be thankful that I’m not waking up with fucking cum all over me this morning. To say I was livid when I woke up yesterday morning to the salty taste on my lips and the potent smell assaulting my nostrils, is an understatement.
I was ready to rip Wilder’s goddamn head off—because I know for a fact that he was the culprit—but the asshole wasn’t in his room, and he’s been mysteriously absent ever since.
Shoving all murderous thoughts of Wilder to the back of my mind, I hunt through my meager belongings for something to wear today. Kai got me a few new outfits when I started teaching at Ridgeway, but the only other stuff I have is what I haphazardly threw into my bag the day I left my old life—which was mostly pajamas and sweats. I clearly wasn’t in my right mind when I packed.
All of that to say, I have basically nothing to wear. It wouldn’t matter if Hadley had given me more time or information; I still would have ended up wearing the same worn jeans and ratty t-shirt I’m currently wearing because it’s the only damn outfit I have that’s suitable for the public to see me in.
Sighing, I throw my hair up in a ponytail and apply the lipstick and mascara I thankfully had the foresight to pack. Satisfied I’ve done my best, I head downstairs to wait for Hadley.
My nerves are frayed, and I'm wrung out after an exhausting week of receiving heinous gifts. A girls’ day is exactly what I need. After coming home to find the photo album on the front porch, I haven’t received anything from Mel since. Somehow, that has been even more worrisome. I’m constantly on edge, waiting for the doorbell to ring, announcing the delivery of another fucked-up present, or for Mel herself to pop up out of nowhere and hand deliver a bouquet of peonies. Hell, dead fucking peonies are even invading my dreams. She’s slowly driving me insane, and I’m beginning to thinkthat’sthe point of all of this. Not the wooing bullshit Kai suspects. She’s trying to make me as crazy as she is so I’ll merrily skip off into the sunset with her. And hell, if it stops these disturbing gifts and the constant wariness that presses down on my shoulders, I might just fucking do it.
Between her psyching me out during the day and Wilder now haunting my nights, I’m going to be gray in no time. I swear this whole ordeal has already taken five years off my life.
Kai looks up from where he’s sitting at the table as I step into the kitchen, and I give him a tight smile. He runs his eyes over me, probably noticing the stress lines around my eyes and the weariness dragging down my shoulders.
Even though I most definitely look like shit, his gaze lingers, sparking a deep-seated warmth in me, before he finally manages to tear them away. I quietly sigh. I hate this… whatever the hell this is… that’s between us now. I miss the Kai that made me feel welcome and safe when I walked into a room. The Kai who would greet me with a warm smile and offer to make me a coffee or ask how I was doing.
This Kai, with walls so high I can’t see the top of them… I hate him.
I just wantmyKai back.
“Morning.” I have to force the word out past my constricted throat, tearing my eyes away from him as I move to the other side of the kitchen, rearranging the toaster and canisters purely for something to do.
“Morning.”
That one word, followed by silence, slices through my chest. I want to scream at him. Want to demand that he stop whatever the hell he’s doing. Only instead, I just close my eyes and let that hurt wash through me. I don’t understand why he’s pulling away, but if it’s what he needs or what he thinks he has to do, I need to let him work through it.
When I feel calm enough, I turn to face him. “I maybe should have told you this, but Hadley messaged. We’re going out today.”
“I know. She already told me.”
“Oh.”
