by Mari Carr
“It’s nice when history preserves rather than destroys,” she added.
Their conversation paused as a Japanese tour group stopped just behind them, the guide gesturing to the gold-and-blue image of Jesus, quickly explaining his importance to the Christian faith before moving on to the subject of the restoration and the technicalities involved in uncovering this and other mosaics.
“Chai?” Seb asked.
“Actually, I’m hungry.”
Juliette followed her friend out then took the lead. Moving away from the tourist areas surrounding the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, she headed for a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, ordering two spiced-lamb flatbreads. A boy with thick black lashes brought them lamacun and cans of Coke.
Juliette ripped hers in half then took a bite of the soft middle section. Her thoughts drifted back to Boston and her stomach clenched.
“Are we going to talk about it?” Sebastian asked.
She looked up to see his meal mostly gone, while she’d had only a few bites.
“My brother called.”
Sebastian froze, can halfway to his lips. “Harrison called? Why?”
Juliette pulled her scarf off, the fabric she’d wound around her neck and over her head suddenly suffocating.
“It seems my oh-so-proper brother made a mistake.”
“The Grand Master doesn’t make mistakes.” He said it the way one states a fact—the sun rises in the east, the sky is blue, the Grand Master of the Trinity Masters doesn’t make mistakes.
“He hadn’t joined a trinity.”
Sebastian sat back. “I hadn’t realized he was that old.”
Juliette nodded. At forty-five, her brother Harrison was twenty years older than Juliette. Not surprising, since her mother had been nearly fifteen years younger than Juliette’s father, the Grand Master before Harrison, while Harrison’s mother had been the same age as their father.
“Well, it seemed that Harrison did make a mistake—and not just failing to join a trinity.”
“Oh?”
“He fell in love with a woman who wasn’t in the Trinity Masters.”
Sebastian whistled.
“Better than that. She was offered membership but refused.”
Sebastian blinked.
“And he was willing to quit to be with her.”
Shock froze Sebastian in place, and Juliette took advantage of the moment to take a few bites. Talking about it—and seeing Sebastian’s reaction—was making her feel better.
Sebastian understood in a way that very few people would. They’d grown up together, children who were taught not to be truthful and honest, but how to keep secrets and avoid questions about their parents and home lives.
Juliette and Sebastian were legacies of the Trinity Masters, America’s oldest and most powerful secret society. The society had been established as the country was born. Members were given unparalleled access to the resources and support of other members. Joining was a guarantee of success, and members excelled in every type of industry, from politics to art and science. The founders had seen the potential to strengthen the foundation of the new republic by taking the best and brightest Americans and having them support each other.
But there was more to it than a vague idea of support. Members had to agree to an arranged marriage—the price of security and success was their choice in who they’d marry.
And marriages between members of the Trinity Masters weren’t arranged between two people, but three.
Sebastian had finally found his voice. “Are we talking about the same Harrison?”
“Apparently he’d been in love with this woman forever and was willing to risk it all to be with her.”
“Is he…I mean, have his councilors…” Sebastian had lowered his voice, and the skin around his eyes was tight with concern.
Breaking any of the laws of the Trinity Masters was very risky. Harsh punishments were meted out to any who disobeyed. One of those laws was that once the Grand Master had assigned someone to a trinity—usually in their late twenties or early thirties—they had thirty days to marry, even if they’d never met their partners before. Since the Grand Master was the one person who could choose his own trinity, there was an age limit by which he had to marry. Other rules included no divorce unless necessary for secrecy’s sake or other political reasons, and no discussing the Trinity Masters with outsiders.
Disobedience was almost unheard of. Juliette had grown up trading whispered stories about what had happened to people who broke the rules—framed for hideous crimes and locked up for life, scandals created that ruined careers, bank accounts drained, and spouses and children forbidden from ever speaking to the offenders again. They were the Trinity Masters’ version of the boogeyman tales.
To break a rule was nearly unheard of. For the Grand Master to do so was…inconceivable.
“The woman joined. He’s married now. To one of his councilors, Michael, and Alexis—she’s a doctor.”
“She joined?”
“Yes.”
“But?” Sebastian gestured for her to continue. He knew that couldn’t be the end of the story.
“But his other councilors forced him to step down as Grand Master.”
“Holy fuck.” He went on in several languages, not true cursing but using amusing, if vulgar expressions of astonishment.
Juliette snorted out a laugh. “Bastian, such language.”
Sebastian glared at her. He hated the nickname. “My apologies, Ms. Adams.”
Juliette bared her teeth. She hated her last name because it reminded her of her father, of who she’d grown up as—the daughter of the Grand Master.
The brief moment of amusement disappeared. Everything she’d told Sebastian was background information. The really shocking bit she had yet to say out loud.
“Does everyone know?” Sebastian asked.
Juliette shook her head. “They’re trying to keep it quiet.”
“That’s safer; if anyone thought there was a power—” Sebastian’s teeth snapped together as he stopped speaking abruptly. His gaze met Juliette’s.
“Jules,” he whispered, using an old childhood nickname, “who is the new Grand Master?”
Juliette Adams took a deep breath. “I am.”
* * *
CONTINUE READING! Hidden Devotion is available now!
About the Authors
Writing a book was number one on Mari Carr’s bucket list and on her thirty-fourth birthday, she set out to see that goal achieved. Too many years later, her computer is jammed full of stories — novels, novellas, short stories and dead-ends, and she has over a hundred published works, including her popular Wild Irish and Compass books, along with the Trinity Masters series she writes with Lila Dubois.
Virginia native Mari Carr is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller of contemporary sexy romance novels. With over one million copies of her books sold, Mari was the winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Passionate Plume for her novella, Erotic Research.
Join her newsletter so you don’t miss new releases and for exclusive subscriber-only content. Find Mari on the web on Facebook | Twitter | BookBub | Email: [email protected].
* * *
Lila Dubois is a top selling author of paranormal, fantasy and contemporary erotic romance. Having spent extensive time in France, Egypt, Turkey, England and Ireland Lila speaks five languages, none of them (including English) fluently. She now lives in Los Angeles with a cute Irishman.
You can visit Lila's website at www.liladubois.net. She loves to hear from fans! Send an email to [email protected] or join her newsletter for contests, deleted scenes, articles, and release notifications.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Hidden Devotion
About the Authors