by Caitlyn Dare
“Yeah, Q told us about Bexley and Alex over the summer. But we were under strict instructions not to say anything.”
“And Alex is Harrison Rexford’s son?”
“Yep.”
“Wow. So… he’s Hadley Rexford’s brother.” Hadley left Gravestone three years ago under mysterious circumstances. Rumors at the time were that she got into some trouble with an older guy, so her parents sent her away.
Sasha grows stiff beside me, and I ask, “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“You mean you can’t tell me?”
“It’s nothing, I promise. I’m sorry last night went down the way it did, but I—”
“I get it, Cade’s in control. What he says goes.”
“Yeah, something like that,” Sasha grumbles.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” She nods. “You and Channing—”
Her hand slaps over my mouth, and she shakes her head. “Don’t.” I frown, and she quickly adds, “There’s nothing going on with me and Channing, got it?”
I nod slowly, my eyes wide with confusion.
“Sorry,” Sasha removes her hand, “if the guys overhear you asking that, they’ll freak. Electi aren’t free to choose who they date, and they definitely can’t date each other’s siblings.”
“But… Channing isn’t technically the Rexford heir now, is he?”
“As far as Q is concerned, he isn’t. But Cade is a whole other story.”
“Just exactly who is in control here?”
“Quinctus control the town, they always have. But Gravestone U is the Electi’s domain. Crap, I probably shouldn’t be telling you all this.” Sasha sits up and runs a hand through her hair.
“I’ll find out one way or another.” I shuffle up, pressing my back against the headboard.
“Yeah, I guess.”
I toy with my Electi pendant. “Cade is determined to see this thing through. Why?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. But if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that Cade Kingsley doesn’t do anything without a motive. Watch your back, yeah?” She climbs out of bed and stretches. "And never let your guard down. Not for a second.”
I nod, my throat too thick to reply.
"Get cleaned up and then come down to the kitchen. Cade will expect to see you there."
My stomach drops. The last thing I want to do is eat breakfast with the Electi and pretend everything is okay. But I’m starting to realize that I don’t have a choice.
I’m Cade Kingsley’s prosapia, and for some unknown reason, he’s determined to make me his.
After washing my face and finger-brushing my teeth with some toothpaste I found in Sasha’s small bathroom, I slip on the Gravestone U hoodie she left out for me and make my way downstairs. Male laughter drifts down the hall, making the hairs along my neck stand on edge.
They’re all in there. Cade and his minions, eating breakfast, acting like they didn’t beat Bexley and Alex to a bloody pulp.
What is this life?
I hesitate, contemplating making a run for it. But Sasha is right: the last thing I want to do is give Cade more ammunition. Steeling my spine, I inhale a shuddering breath before entering the kitchen. The room falls silent.
“Sleep well, babe?” Cade gets up and stalks toward me, a wolfish grin on his lips.
“It was fine,” I say, trying to disguise the tremor to my voice. Channing catches my eye over Cade’s shoulder and something crosses his expression, but then Cade is there, demanding my full attention.
He slides his finger under my jaw and lifts my face to meet his. “I missed you this morning. I had a little… actually, a very big problem you could have helped me out with.”
Ashton snickers, and I shoot him a harsh look.
“Kitty’s got claws,” he says. “You’d better watch this one, Cade. Something tells me she won’t come easily… if you get—”
“Ash!” Cade barks, his eyes not leaving mine. “Ignore him, babe. He’s just jealous I get to tame you and he doesn’t.”
“Nah, I like my girls with a little more bite, if you know what I’m saying.”
“I’m hungry.” I shirk out of Cade’s grip and make for the breakfast counter. “Are there pancakes?” Flipping my hair over one shoulder, I take Cade’s stool, forcing him to stand.
Sasha’s lips curve, and I’m sure I see a little flash of pride in her eyes. She’s right. You can’t show Cade and his friends even an ounce of fear, because they’ll use it against you.
“So Mia,” Ashton says as I load a plate with pancakes. “What did you think about the party?”
“It was okay, I guess.” I shrug, barely meeting his eyes.
“Okay?” He chuckles darkly. “It was fucking epic. Did you see Alex go down? I thought he was going to cry… shit, I would have paid to see that.”
A ripple goes through the room.
“I still can’t believe the two of you are related.” He pins Channing with a skeptic look. “I mean you’re so… and he’s so…”
“Knock it off, fucker. I didn’t know any more than you did.”
“The two of you are cousins?” I ask.
“Apparently so. Our dads are brothers.” Channing sips his juice. “I guess Aunt Marissa wasn’t putting out enough, so Uncle Harrison went elsewhere.”
I bristle at his words. I don’t know Alex’s mom very well, but I know she isn’t like most of the vapid, snobby women of Gravestone.
“Why do you think he waited until now to claim Alex as his son?” The words spill from my lips before I can stop them. Rexford has an Electi heir—Channing. But his father isn’t the Quinctus elder. Harrison is. So although Alex is younger than Channing, he’s the heir of an elder, which trumps everything.
I feel Cade’s eyes drilling holes into the top of my head as he curves his body over mine and drops his chin to my shoulder. “Well, that’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”
“Probably realized Channing isn’t fit for the job,” Ashton says, and Channing flips him off.
“Fuck you, man. I’ve got more right to be here than you.”
The air crackles with tension, and I get the sense that perhaps the Electi aren’t as united as they make out.
“Ashton’s here because I want him here,” Cade says. “Q can go fuck themselves if they think a Rexford or Easton heir changes anything. Channing has Rexford blood, that’s all that matters.”
I catch Sasha’s eye, a million and one questions running through my head. I always thought Quinctus ruled Gravestone, but Cade talks like he holds all the power. She shakes her head discreetly and I press my lips together, swallowing the other questions I want answers to.
“What did you do with them?” she asks. “After you beat the shit out of them.”
“You’re not upset over a little blood are you, Sash?” Brandon teases, and she flips him off.
“Just wondering is all.”
“They’re learning their place.” Cade moves around me and snags a pastry from the plate. I have no idea who prepared all this food, but I can’t imagine the Electi did it.
Just then, Tim comes running into the kitchen. He stops sharply when he sees me and arches a brow at Cade.
“She’s with me.” He pins him with a hard look. “Whatever you’ve got to say, spit it out.”
“We’ve got a problem… with the… rats.”
“The rats?” Ashton smirks. “What kind of problem?”
“They’re gone.”
“Gone?” Cade shoots upright. “What do you mean, they’re gone? They were supposed to be locked up.”
I wince. They’re not talking about rats at all. They’re talking about Bexley and Alex.
Cade scrubs a hand down his face and lets out a frustrated breath. “You two,” he moves closer to Ashton and Brandon, keeping his voice low, “go with Tim…” His words become inaudible over the blood roaring in my ears.
They all glance at me, but I pretend to be eating my breakfast. Then the t
hree of them march out of the room, taking the air with them.
“Everything okay?” I ask Cade.
“Nothing for you to worry about, babe.” He winks. “But I’m going to need to take care of this. Sasha and Channing will make sure you get back to your dorm okay.”
“Sure.”
His eyes drop to my lips and I hold my breath, silently hoping he won’t kiss me.
“Cade, man, let’s go,” someone yells through the house, and he backs away from me.
“I’ll see you soon, Mia.”
My stomach twists at his words. “Bye.”
Cade runs his thumb over his lower lip before spinning on his heel and taking off after his friends.
“They had them down there?” Sasha pins Channing with a look of disbelief.
“Leave it,” he warns her, and hurt etches into her expression.
“Fuck you, Chan.” Sasha slides off her stool, the legs scraping against the tiles. “Fuck you.” She flees the kitchen, leaving me with Channing.
“Channing, about—”
But he cuts me off, shooting up from his stool and raking a hand through his dirty blond hair. “You need to watch your back.” He echoes Sasha’s words from earlier. “I don’t know what Kingsley’s obsession with you and Easton is, but it isn’t going to end well. For anyone.” He stalks off without so much as a backward glance.
But his warning stays with me long after he’s gone.
13
Bexley
My entire body screams as I stumble through Marcus’ once again unlocked front door. I have no idea if he's expecting me or not, but he's about to discover I'm here.
"MARCUS," I bellow as loud as my ribs will allow. It might have been more than thirty-six hours since Cade and his friends beat the crap out of me, but they still smart.
Silence ensues.
"MARCUS."
Still, there's nothing. But he's here. I know he is. His car was out the front, and there are lights on.
Remembering my first visit to one of his hidden rooms last night, I go in that direction, staring at the grand staircase as if it’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Sucking in a steeling breath, I wrap my fingers around the polished mahogany bannister and begin dragging myself up.
We might have managed to walk out of Cade's mansion way easier than we were expecting to, but I’m not foolish enough to think that’s the end of it.
The streets were deserted yesterday morning as we escaped, and neither of us had our cells to call for a cab. I wanted to go straight to Marcus, but Alex insisted on dragging me back to campus and sleeping off some of the pain. Considering I slept most of yesterday, waking only to take a piss and shove more pain pills down my throat, I guess he had it right.
I suggested that Alex come with me this morning, so we could get some answers together, but he wanted to see his mom and unearth the truth about his father. I don’t blame him. I've got a million and one questions for my mother, too, but Marcus is more pressing.
I need to know what the hell is going on here, and what he meant when he told me that I had to see this through. Hell knows I need a solid reason to continue with this farce.
Cade wanted to kill me last night, I could see it in his eyes. But he can't, and he knows it. If all of this is true and Alex and I are Quinctus heirs, then he can't lay a hand on us. I guess that explains why he hated me on sight, because I have no doubt he's known this little secret all along.
It takes what feels like a year to get to the door I want. I come to a stop beside it, resting my hand against the wall as I try to catch my breath, squeezing my eyes closed tight as I will the pain to subside.
This isn't my first beating—and I somehow doubt it'll be my last. I can deal with the pain, and, much like events in my past, I use it to fuel my own anger and my need for answers.
Knowing that I either need to do this or go and find my old bedroom and curl up in a ball, I take a step forward, not bothering to knock. After last night's revelations, I think we're a little past that.
I throw the door open and stumble inside. The scent of the incense he was burning in here and in the chamber last night assaults my senses, and my fists curl in frustration.
As I expected, Marcus is sitting behind his desk. He was staring at a notebook sitting atop it, but at my interruption, his eyes lift to find mine.
He gasps, pushing to stand the second he takes in my injuries. It's not hard. My face is littered with cuts and bruises, one of my eyes almost swollen shut.
"What the hell happened?"
"What do you mean what happened?" I ask, mocking his tone. "You sent me into that bullshit initiation with zero knowledge of what to expect. That's what fucking happened, Gramps."
"Take a seat," he encourages, pulling one out for me.
If it weren't for my legs being minutes away from giving out, I'd refuse, but as it is, I gratefully accept the help. Marcus walks to one of the ornately carved cabinets and pulls out a decanter of amber liquid and two glasses. Despite the time, he pours generous amounts into each before placing one on the desk before me and keeping his own in his hands.
“Caedes?” he asks, running a hand over his jaw.
"Yeah," I mutter, knocking back the whiskey. It burns all the way down, but I welcome the warmth.
"I didn't think Alex had that in him," Marcus mutters, taking a sip of his own drink.
"Alex? Alex didn't do this," I spit, pointing at my ruined face.
"But Caedes is meant to be the initium fighting for supremacy." His brows pull together in confusion.
"Not last night. It was Cade fucking Kingsley throwing his weight around and reigning supreme," I mutter, wishing my glass had been refilled already.
"It's worse than I thought," he says to himself.
"What was that?"
He sighs, relaxing back in his chair and staring directly into my eyes. "There's a lot I need to tell you, Son."
You fucking think?
"Before we start at the very beginning, there's one thing you need to know right now.” A dark expression crosses his face.
"And that is?" I prompt, wishing he'd just spit it the fuck out.
"Cade is a threat."
"No shit."
"I don’t just mean to you and Alex. I mean to Gravestone. To everything we’ve built here… To Quinctus."
Now it's my turn to look confused, although it literally pains me to frown.
"The Easton bloodline has always been dominant. We've reigned Quinctus for generations. But after my son, your father, died and we didn't have an heir—"
"But—"
"We didn't know about your existence then. We had to hand power over to the Kingsley line.
“Gregory Kingsley—Cade's father—wasn't the man any of us wanted in charge. Where Quinctus had started to move with the times with regard to some of our rituals and traditions, Gregory wanted to revert things to how our ancestors intended. But it was how it had to be without an Easton heir.”
“Go on…” I urge.
"Gregory died seven years ago, leaving Cade the next Quinctus heir. After college, he'll go through his final initiation and become a senior member, taking his place alongside Quinctus elders."
"But now I exist," I say, filling in some of the gaps.
"Yes. Now you exist. Cade will not want to give up his power because you've suddenly appeared."
"He wants me gone." It's not a question. We both know it's a fact.
"You're not an immediate threat. The power has officially been handed to the Kingsley line. We can't just snatch it back, that's not how things work. But there are ways we can do it."
"And that’s why I'm suddenly here and have been thrust into this world. Was this always the plan?"
"Yes and no," he admits.
When I leave Marcus almost two hours later, my head is spinning with information. Most of it makes no fucking sense, although it does help to understand this weird-ass town I've found myself in.
Thankfully, he called for a car to ta
ke me back to the dorms, and with no doubt another party somewhere on campus last night, the hallways and our communal living space are empty.
I don't bother knocking on Alex's door to see if he's back. Something tells me he'll come and find me as soon as he can so we can share intel.
Dropping my shorts to the floor, I march straight through to my bathroom and turn the shower on without looking in the mirror. Right now, I'd rather not face reality. It's all too unbelievable.
What Marcus told me is just a drop in the ocean as far as Quinctus and the Electi are concerned, but what he did explain did start to help me fill in some spaces.
Quinctus heirs—the Electi—are unable to choose the woman they're to spend the rest of their life with. Their archaic tradition is that girls descending from verus bloodline are put forward for the Eligere, and Quinctus know how they arrive at their decision.
Well, the woman who was chosen for my father wasn't my mother. But it turns out that it was too late by then because she was already pregnant with me, although my father didn't know that at the time.
She fled to Sterling Bay, met my father, and allowed him to believe that I was his in order to protect me. She was happy to lie, for me to grow up as a Danforth so that I wouldn't be subjected to all of… this.
But things changed. I changed, and things started unravelling around me.
My home life was hell back in Sterling Bay. My parents’ constant arguments were one of the reasons I turned to drugs. That and the pressure they put on me, that everyone put on me.
I had a talent, I knew that. But too much was expected of me.
It was all just too much, and in the end, I cracked.
So when things got out of control and I needed a way out, up popped Marcus—who had long discovered the truth—with a plan my mother had no argument against.
So here I am.
The latest pawn in Cade Kingsley's need for power.
The water stings my tender and broken skin as I stand there with my head down and my shoulders dropped in defeat. Marcus is worried about Cade's need for control—and I must admit that part of me is too—but I'm not sure I'm the one to go head-to-head with that motherfucker in an attempt to bring him down a peg or two.