AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And every fucker in this goddamn university now knows it without any shadow of a doubt clinging to it.
“KnightsGate is not just an institution, it’s a legacy,” I say, voice growing stronger as I draw power from their silent encouragement.
“Thank you,” I finish, my final word hanging in the air before applause erupts around us. Relief floods through me, sweet and overwhelming. I didn’t just survive; I did my name proud.
I make my way off the stage, the guys parting the sea of people for me.
“I need to freshen up,” I murmur. “I’m sweating like a whore in church.”
Charlie snorts at my words and leads me to the ladies’ room with the other men close behind.
Needing a moment to myself, I head to the ladies’ room.
Alistair presses a kiss on my forehead. “We’ll be right out here.”
His words are simple, but they hold the weight of the world. They’re waiting, each for their own reasons, each with their ownbrand of obsession over me. I know that whatever dark currents swirl beneath the surface of this twisted romance, I’m ready.
12
EVER
When I step out of the ladies’ room, something’s off. I could cut the tension with a knife, and my heart skips a beat. Alistair, Damien, Ben, and Charlie are scanning the crowd like hawks. They don’t even have to say it; their rigid bodies scream trouble.
“Ever,” Alistair’s voice cuts through the noise of the Alumni Ball, cool and sharp as ice. “We need to leave. Now.”
“What’s going on?”
“There’s word something is going down tonight,” Ben says.
“We’re going back to KnightsGate Manor,” Alistair commands. “We can’t risk you being out in the open any longer. You’ll be locked up until this blows over.”
“Locked up?” My anger is a living thing, and he knows it, but he doesn’t waver.
“Your safety is our priority,” he states, and that’s the end of the discussion.
“Let’s move,” Charlie urges.
I nod, trusting them despite the dread coiling in my stomach. We weave through the ballroom—a unit moving with purpose, ready to shield me from whatever darkness waits in the wings.
“Where are we going?” I ask as we don’t head outside but make a right turn into the corridor instead.
“The only safe route back.” Alistair’s reply is brisk.
The moment we enter the library, it’s like stepping into another world. The grandeur of the Alumni Ball fades away as I’m hustled through the stacks to a door hidden behind a bookcase. As in the bookcase opens up to lead into a secret passageway. Mouth agape at the cloak and dagger of it all, Alistair leads me into an underground tunnel that looms before us, dark and foreboding, with the other three men behind us.
“Quickly,” Alistair murmurs, his hand firm on my back.
I stumble forward, the heels of my shoes clacking against the stone floor. The air is cooler down here, and I shiver, not just from the drop in temperature but from fear gnawing at my insides.
The passage twists and turns, and I can barely keep up with the Cardinals’ brisk pace. They move with a precision that speaks of practice—of too many nights spent preparing for moments like this.
“Please, don’t lock me away.” My plea echoes off the walls. “I can’t stand the thought of being trapped.”
“Ever, listen,” Ben says calmly from behind me. “This isn’t about what any of us want. It’s about keeping you safe.”
“Dammit, I’m not some damsel!” I argue, even as Charlie takes my elbow to steady me when I nearly trip over a crooked stone in the floor.
“None of us think that. But we’re not taking chances with your life.”
