Tarnished Crown (Gravestone Elite #2)

by Caitlyn Dare

  I shake the thoughts from my head, wishing I could come up with an excuse to go back up there—mostly for Mia, but also for Sasha's little tin of goodies.

  The sun is beginning to descend when she finally shows her face, no longer in her bathing suit but dressed to leave. She marches straight over to Cade, who's sandwiched between two girls. She spits a few words at him, turns, and marches through the backyard and toward the driveway.

  Every muscle in my body screams for me to follow her, for her to take me with her away from his hell, but I know I can't. So instead, I remain exactly where I am, as if she hadn't just walked past and reminded me of everything I want…

  And can't have.

  "Cancel your plans, we've got a job," Cade announces at lunch the next day.

  "But we've got classes," I argue. I know it's weak at best, but I refuse to just fall into line because King Cade has spoken.

  "So? I’m sure you can find some chick to give you notes."

  "Your chick?" I ask, knowing that Mia is in my afternoon class.

  His face heats as he stares at me with pursed lips, but he doesn't respond to my question. "We need to be moving in an hour, so get your asses ready." Shoving his still mostly full plate into the center of the table, he pushes from his chair and marches from the room, quickly followed by Ashton and Tim.

  "Was that necessary?" Brandon asks, turning his eyes on me.

  For some reason, the girls weren't invited to have lunch with us today. It makes me wonder if Cade knew we'd be called.

  "What?” I shrug. “She is in my class."

  He rolls his eyes, shoves some of his lunch into his mouth and stands. "Come on then," he mumbles around his mouthful. "The king waits for no one."

  Ain't that the fucking truth.

  Reluctantly, I stand with Alex and Channing and we follow where the others disappeared only minutes ago.

  Channing climbs into my car and Alex goes with Brandon, like we did first thing this morning. I watch Alex as he climbs inside, concern trickling through me. Not so long ago he wouldn't have gone anywhere near Brandon's car. But less than two weeks into this life and he seems to be embracing it a little too easily.

  "What's the job? Any idea?"

  "Nope. Literally could be anything," Channing helpfully answers as he sits back.

  "Okay… well, what kind of stuff do you usually do?"

  He glances over at me. "You really want the answer to that?"

  My lips part to reply, but I stop myself. Do I really want to know?

  "Put it this way: all of us have blood on our hands and have plenty of reasons not to sleep at night."

  "Great." Exactly what I was expecting. "How do you do it?"

  "Other than because we have to?"

  "Yeah."

  He shrugs. "I dunno. It's hard to explain, but I kinda go someplace else when all that bad shit is going down."

  "You're telling me you've got multiple personalities."

  "No, yeah, maybe. Fuck knows. The whole thing is fucking screwed up, and you just gotta do what you can to survive."

  "Jesus," I mutter, scrubbing my hand down my face.

  The second we're back at the house, we head to our rooms to dress in our 'uniform.' Ten minutes later we're standing in the entryway, all head to toe in black and looking like we're about to go rob a bank.

  To be fair, we might be.

  "Right, let's go."

  When we step out of the house, there are two black SUVs idling out the front. Cade and his sidekicks immediately slide into the first, whereas Alex, Channing and I climb into the second.

  There's a definite divide appearing in the group, and I couldn't be happier that Channing seems to have chosen my side. Brandon is hovering in the middle, although I am worried about Alex.

  I glance over at him; his knee is bouncing and his hands are twisting on his lap. "You alright, man?" I ask.

  "Uh… yeah." He glances over at me and his eyes are blown.

  "You fucking on something?"

  "What? N-no. Just the come down from yesterday," he admits with a wince.

  "You need to lay off that shit."

  "I know," he mutters as Channing shoots me a concerned glance.

  The drive to wherever we're going is only short, and when I look out the blacked out windows, I find we're pulling up to a deserted warehouse.

  Well, this isn't ominous at all.

  "Out," Cade barks, pulling the door open for us.

  We follow orders like good little sheep. I want to refuse, but a bigger part of me is curious about what's going to happen next.

  Cade leads us to the doors and throws them open when he gets there as if he's announcing his arrival at a party. I soon realize he is. The warehouse is empty aside from a few other guys dressed the same as us, and a guy sitting in a chair in the middle of the room with a bag over his head.

  Cade nods at the others and they all immediately leave without saying a word.

  "Who the fuck were they?" I ask Channing.

  "Q security."

  "Right."

  "You ready to play, boys?" Cade asks, turning to us with a manic smile across his face. His eyes land on mine before they find Alex, making dread sit heavy in my stomach.

  Whatever the fuck is going to happen here is going to involve us, that much is obvious. Our initiation might be over, but we've far from passed, as far as Cade is concerned.

  "This motherfucker thought he would try his hand at selling our secrets. Didn't you?" He doesn't wait for the guy to answer; instead he pulls his arm back and punches him in his covered face.

  I have no clue if the man is conscious or not, but he doesn't make a noise as his head snaps back.

  "Now, we all know what happens to people who try to betray us. But I'm not sure our new recruits do. Moore, wanna fill them in?"

  I look at Ashton, who's got a similar blood-hungry look on his face. He really is a fucking psychopath.

  He rubs his hands together. "We kill them."

  Great.

  Cade reaches behind him and pulls a gun from his waistband. "But we're not going to be doing it this time." He steps up to Alex, and my heart falls into my feet. There's no way Alex will pull the fucking trigger on someone. "Rexford is."

  "Uh, what?" he stutters, all the blood draining from his face.

  "You might wear the mark of the Electi, Rexford, but you're not a true Electi until you make your first kill. You need to prove you’ve got what it takes. You've already shown us you're more than capable with the women; now it's time to prove your worth with the rats."

  Cade holds the gun out and Alex reluctantly takes it. It's not even raised, and his hand is trembling. With a nod of his head, Cade stalks around the person in the chair and rips the hood off. The second he does, it's obvious that the man is conscious, but his eyes are resigned, as if he's long accepted his fate.

  Blood pours from his nose and into his mouth, from Cade's hit or the previous guy’s, who knows. Cade steps in front of him and drops to his haunches. "Regretting it yet?" he snarls in the guy's face.

  He doesn't give him an answer, just averts his gaze, but I think that pisses Cade off even more.

  "Look at me when I'm talking to you, cunt." His fist connects with his eye, and his head snaps back once more. But again, no noise.

  Cade points at his head, between his brows. "Right here, Rexford. You think you can hit the target?"

  Alex doesn't respond, his entire body now trembling in fear.

  "Come closer. Give yourself half a chance."

  Alex hesitantly steps forward.

  "That's it." Cade comes to stand beside him. "Now lift your arm. Aim and pull that motherfucking trigger."

  His voice doesn't sound like his own. He sounds… excited.

  It's just another clue to how fucked up he really is.

  "O-okay." Alex does as he's told, and I suck in a sharp breath.

  I really don't want this for him. Killing someone will eat him alive, I just know it.

>   Everyone around me gasps simultaneously, and only two seconds later, the sound of a round firing makes us all jump. But when I look, the guy is still alive, Alex is trembling violently, and the gun is hanging limply in his hand.

  "What the fuck, Rexford? Do it again."

  "I… I can't," Alex whimpers.

  "Motherfucker." Cade slams his palm into Alex's chest. "This is why Q won't let Channing go. They know what a fucking pussy his replacement is. Kill him, or there will be repercussions for you, Rexford."

  Unable to watch Alex take Cade's wrath, I take a step forward. "I'll do it. Just leave him alone. He's not ready."

  Cade turns his manic eyes on me. "Fine,” he smirks, almost triumphantly, “but next time, the kill is his."

  Alex looks up at me, his eyes full of unshed tears, but he nods in agreement.

  A smile twitches at my lips.

  I owe Alex this. After everything he did for me when I first arrived—even if Marcus did set it up—he's been nothing but good to me.

  I take the gun from his still trembling hand and lift it to the guy who's silently staring at the floor. Taking aim, and without putting another thought into it, I fire.

  "We done here?" I ask, knowing without looking that I hit my target.

  "Moore, Cargill, clean up. We'll be waiting in the cars," Cade barks and marches past me as if this is just a normal day.

  I guess maybe it is for him.

  I follow him out with my heart in my throat and my stomach churning.

  Swallowing down the contents of my lunch, I force myself to plaster on a blank expression as if what I just did was nothing. That I’m as much a monster as Cade.

  The reality is, I’m not going to forget what I just did for a long, long time.

  14

  Mia

  “You’re alive.” Annabel smirks at me as I open the door wider and let her in.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Relax, I’ve accepted my fate as an outsider.”

  “Bel, it isn’t like that—”

  “Yeah, Mia. It is.” She kicks off her pumps and plops herself on my bed. “But you’re my best friend, so I’m willing to overlook the fact that you’re practically one of them now.”

  “If it’s any consolation, I hate it.” I sit down and nudge her shoulder with mine.

  “Well, I have news.” Her eyes light up. “Jared Clifton asked me out on a date.”

  “Jared? The guy from the party?” It had been the one at the beginning of the semester.

  “Yep. He took me to that cute little diner downtown, you know the one with the jukebox, and then we went to a drive-in movie just outside town.”

  “Sounds nice.” Jealousy snakes through me.

  “It was. I’m seeing him again tomorrow.”

  “Good for you, Bel.” I give her a thin smile.

  “What about you? How’s Cade?”

  “As much an asshole as ever,” I grumble.

  “It can’t be that bad… he’s so freaking hot.”

  “Trust me, his good looks do not balance out his shitty personality.”

  “What did you do all weekend?”

  “There was a party… it was—”

  “Insiders only, got it.” Dejection swirls in her eyes, and I hate it. I hate that this is causing such a rift between me and my only true friend. I mean, I like to think of Sasha as a friend too now, but she’s one of them. It isn’t the same. Our paths would never have crossed if it wasn’t for the Eligere.

  “You didn’t miss much,” I quickly add. “Then I hung out some with Sasha.”

  “And Bexley?”

  “What about him?” I shrug.

  “Well, what’s happening there?”

  “Nothing. It’s over.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, Bel. It’s too risky.” Memories of Bexley’s hands on me, his lips tracing my skin and branding me as he fucked me on the counter fill my mind. My body heats, remembering how good it felt… how good he felt.

  “Mia?”

  I snap out of my reverie, forcing a smile. “It’s done,” I say, the words twisting something inside me.

  We’re not done, not by a long shot. But Annabel doesn’t need to know that. No one does. Well, not except Sasha and Channing, but at least I know they won’t be in any hurry to reveal what happened in her room.

  “So Jared?” I change the subject. “Do you like him?”

  “Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, he’s cute, and he seems into me…”

  “I sense a but there.”

  “There wasn’t that spark.” Her expression falls.

  “But it was only your first date.”

  “Yeah, but I always imagined when I met the right guy, I’d feel… more, you know?”

  I do.

  Because it’s exactly what I felt with Bexley down by the lake, the first night we met.

  “Well, don’t write him off too soon. Besides, no one says you have to marry the first guy you date.” My breath catches.

  Annabel won’t have to marry anyone she doesn’t want to… but I will.

  The next day, I hatch my plan. I don’t even know what I’ll find at the Town Hall, but it seems like the best place to start. I spend the day flitting between classes. At lunch, I eat with Cade and the Electi in their private dining room. Bexley is deathly silent as he watches me with Cade, although I do catch him smirking a couple of times when my eyes meet his, and I know he’s remembering the other day. But there’s something else too, a dark cloud shadowing him. I want to ask him what’s wrong, but I can’t, not in front of everyone. So I wait until our final class together.

  Cade walks me to the door, making a show of pushing me up against the wall and kissing me. His mouth is too hard and his touch too desperate. He starts grinding against me, moaning into the crook of my neck.

  “Cade,” I hiss, slamming my hands into his chest. “Not here.” My smile is tight as I glare at him.

  “You care too much what people think, babe.” He plucks a strand of my hair between his fingers. “If I wanted to fuck you right here for everyone to see, I would.”

  “I need to get to class,” I say, trying to avoid an argument. As I try to leave, he snags my wrist at the last second.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” His brow goes up.

  Biting back a sigh, I lean in and kiss his cheek.

  “Better. I have shit to take care of tonight, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I nod. At least he’ll be distracted while I pay the town archives a visit. Nervous energy pings through my stomach, but I manage to force a smile.

  “Soon, Mia. Soon I’ll have you under me.”

  My stomach lurches. He’s growing impatient. I see it every time he looks at me.

  Just then, Bexley passes us.

  “Kingston,” he says smugly.

  “Easton.” Cade tenses. “Fucking asshole,” he murmurs as soon as Bexley disappears into the room.

  I fight a smile, keeping my expression as neutral as possible. I shouldn’t encourage Bexley, but it reassures me to know he isn’t going to just lie down and take whatever Cade doles out.

  I ease out of Cade’s grip, and this time, he lets me go. His heavy gaze stalks me until I’m all the way inside class.

  Spotting Bexley in the back row, I move past him to an empty space a few seats down. His hand brushes mine as I go, sending shivers zipping up my arm. I want to meet his eyes, but I don’t, forcing myself to keep looking ahead.

  No one will know anything happened. But I know. His touch lingers, stays with me for the rest of the class. And although I want to be beside him, laughing with him, feeling his thigh pressed up against mine, this is enough.

  For now, it’s enough.

  “Thanks for doing this,” I say to Annabel as she pulls up outside of the Town Hall.

  “Of course. Although I still don’t know what you think you’ll find here that you can’t find on the internet.” She shrugs.

  “I already told you.
The professor encouraged us to go straight to the source. Everyone knows the town archives are kept here.” I stare up at the big, imposing building. It’s old, like Gravestone Hall, and steeped in shadows. They dance over the huge limestone bricks like monsters in the dark. But I don’t let it faze me. I’ve been here hundreds of times with my dad. He used to bring me along when I was a little girl, and I’d spend hours nestled among the artifacts in the museum section of the building.

  I haven’t been here for a long time though. My dad stopped bringing me once I started middle school.

  “Do you want me to wait?” Annabel asks. “I can.”

  “No, it’s fine.” I grab my backpack from between my feet. “Dad will give me a ride back if he’s on shift.” He usually is. He’s given his life to working security for Phillip Cargill and the mayor’s office.

  “Okay then, if you’re sure. I’m going to swing by my parents’ and then see if Jared wants to hang out.”

  “You decided to give it another shot, after all?”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right. It was one date. I need to give it some time. Who knows, he could be my frog turned prince once we kiss.” Her soft laughter fills the car.

  “I’m happy for you, Bel. I know I haven’t always been a good friend, but I’m here for you.”

  “I know.” Something flashes over her face. “Say hi to your dad for me.”

  I nod before climbing out of her car. The shadows envelop me as I approach the Town Hall. It’s fifty minutes before it closes to the public, but I don’t plan on leaving with the other people here.

  My heart crashes in my chest as I approach the steps leading to the impressive doors. The town’s motto is etched into the stone arch. Audentes fortuna iuvat. Fortune favors the bold.

  Let’s hope fortune favors me tonight.

  Taking a deep breath, I pull up my hood and slip into the building. A security guy is busy on his phone behind the desk, so I take a left down the hall and head for the town archives. Like most places, a section is open to the public, but it’s not those I’m interested in.

  I keep my head down. There’s CCTV all over this building, but I think I can remember the blind spots. Hopefully.