by Huss, JA
I just shake my head at her. “What did you want?”
“To have a drink. But I also got you a present.”
“Why?”
“Because I like you.”
“You have never liked me.”
“Lies. I have adored you for all of time.”
I sigh and lean back into the couch cushions. Then eye her bodyguards suspiciously. “What’s up with these dudes?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” I lower my voice. “Why are they here? I would like to talk to you as well, Mona. But alone.”
“There’s no such thing as alone here, Cooper. You, of all people, should know that. But”—she pauses to grin at me—“they owe me a present tonight. You see, I’m notoriously difficult to buy for. So we’ve had a pact for the last five years. I only ask for one gift a year and that’s one hour of complete and total privacy. I was going to take it tomorrow—Dante is a dirty, dirty boy and we were going to try something new without the pressure of performance anxiety—”
“Mona. I don’t need to hear this shit. Get to the fucking point.”
“My point is—I will give up my private sexy time with Dante if you need a friend tonight, Cooper.”
“Still not sure what that means.”
“For fuck’s sake. Sometimes I wonder how you are able to dress yourself every morning, that’s how dumb you are.”
I frown.
“Sorry. You’re not much dumber than the other boys around here. Don’t take it personal.”
“Mona—”
“OK, boys. I’m calling privacy time. Please clear out so Cooper and I can have a chat. And don’t forget to turn off the cameras. Please and thank you.”
The meatheads all begin to shuffle towards the other end of the room. They set their trays down on a buffet table, then exit, pulling the massive double doors closed behind them.
Mona gets up and walks over to the buffet table. She grabs a plate, loads it up with cookies, then starts pouring drinks.
“So what did you want to talk about?” I ask.
She looks up at the ceiling. “The cameras are still on. Give them a minute to turn them off. In the meantime, there’s a present for you under the tree. Go fetch it, will ya?”
I’m not in the mood to argue with her, so I get up and walk over to the massive Christmas tree. It’s a real one too. Smells good. In fact, Mona’s house is surprisingly homey. Much more comfortable than my own.
There are about two dozen boxes under the tree. All but one are gift-wrapped the same—glossy red paper and gold bows. I pick up the odd one first. Gold paper and red bow. And it’s very small.
I hold it up and she says, “Correct. Good job.” Like I’m a dog performing tricks. “Come on, have a drink with me. If I’m giving up my private hour, then you owe me a good time.”
I raise an eyebrow at her.
“No, not that good of a time. I imagine you’re as boring in bed as you are in real life, but I’m not judging. Open your present and eat some cookies with me. Most of my boys are doing keto this year. Why did we make all these damn cookies if they’re not going to eat them?”
“Mona.”
“Yes?”
“No one cares about your cookie problems.”
She looks up at the ceiling. “Cameras are off. We can talk freely now.”
I look up at the ceiling, trying to see the cameras. But I don’t see shit. And suddenly I’m not sure I should be here. What if she’s setting me up?
“You should be suspicious, Cooper. Your family are a bunch of psychopaths. You were right before when you said I have always hated you. That’s absolutely true. You are a whiny bitch of a boy. And you don’t deserve Cadee. It’s your fault she’s in this mess. In fact, Isabella is your fault too. Hell, let’s just make it all your fault.”
“Well…” I huff. “Thanks for your support.”
She holds up a glass of whiskey. Looks down into it as she swirls it around. Then downs it in one gulp. “I’m angry at you.” She meets my gaze. “Because if we weren’t here, you would go along with it. You would not have the strength to get out. We’re pulling you through.”
“No, you’re not, Mona. You have no idea how hard I’ve been working to get out of this shit.”
“You tell yourself that. But it’s not true, Cooper.” She pauses for a moment. “You’re mad at Lars, not because he’s playing the game, but because he’s playing better than you are. Even Ax is playing better than you are.”
I sigh, take a seat on the couch, and give myself a moment to let that sink in. She’s not wrong. And once again I feel like I’m failing everyone. But especially Cadee.
“Why are you still here, Cooper? Why didn’t you leave at the beginning of the summer?”
“Because my father got Isabella involved.”
“So?”
“So, I’m not leaving her behind.”
“Ah. I see.” She grabs a tray of cookies and a tray of whiskey and sets them down on the coffee table in front of me. She studies the cookies, then hands me one in the shape of an angel.
I accept it with a feeling of resignation, then bite the head off and chew. “It’s good.”
“They are not good, they are amazing.” She sits down on the couch next to me. “But back to Isabella. You can’t save her, Cooper.”
“I can try.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. You could save her. Maybe. For a time. But people can’t really be saved, can they? That’s just a cheat. You boys like video games, right? Saving someone is a cheat. Makes you feel good. Makes them feel good for a time. But we all have to save ourselves in the end, Cooper. You should’ve left.”
“And then Isabella would be here alone. And Cadee. Jesus fuck. I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened to her if I wasn’t here.”
“Well, none of this would’ve happened. That’s for sure.”
“Something worse. Dane, probably.”
“Dane was on his way out no matter what. In fact, if you weren’t here, she would not be Queen. She’d be me, wouldn’t she? Some low-level legacy in training. She’d have years left before any of this crazy, psycho shit started. You sped it all up, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“Cooper.” Mona leans forward. “They pegged you from the start. You have a good heart. I truly believe that. You’re a dick most of the time. And you’ve got an ego problem to work on. But you have a good heart. They planned this.” Her voice is soft now. “All of it, Cooper. Including Isabella’s suicide attempt during your summer rush.”
I just stare at her.
“They drove her crazy that year with threats and shame. It’s sad, really. Because no one really cares if she’s a lesbian, do they? I mean, why should they care? She’s still got a womb. They’ll get babies out of her, no matter who she prefers to have sex with. But they knew the two of you were friends. They used that against you. They used her against you. Just like they used Ax. Just like they’re using Cadee. They know you’re loyal, Cooper. That’s your problem. You’re loyal.”
“Since when is loyalty a problem?”
“It’s a weakness.”
“So what are you saying? I should stop caring?”
She tsks her tongue at me. “They have been telling me this… thing… all my life. This saying, Cooper. Telling me that I should use adversity to rise. To aspire. Life is a challenge and we are only put here to overcome.”
I huff. “Sounds familiar.”
“Yes. It should. They use that for everyone. But they’re not wrong. You can only help people so much. You can set them up for success, but then you have to back off. You have to give them enough rope to either climb out of that hole they’re in or kill themselves with it. You have been given a lot of rope. Much more than the rest of us, that’s for sure. And you’re using that rope in the wrong way. Instead of climbing out of that hole you’re in, you’re letting people use it to climb down and join you.”
I’m start
ing to get pissed. “How the fuck do you figure?”
“Misery loves company. You think you’re helping them. You’re building a team. But you’re not, not really. You’re dragging them down.”
“I’m not seeing the wisdom of this fireside chat we’re having, Mona. So if you’ve got a point, please make it.”
She smiles at me. It’s kind of a sad smile. “Let them go, Cooper.”
“So just… what? Walk away and leave them here?”
“Maybe. Or. Maybe something else? If I had all the answers, I wouldn’t be surrounded by bodyguards twenty-four seven, would I?”
“Why do you have bodyguards? I’ve never understood that.”
“Because I’m a slave. It’s that simple. I’m a slave and in a few short years, I will be used for unspeakable things. Did you know I was on the Olympic swimming team once?”
“You were?”
“Yeah. I’m a very strong swimmer. But they doped me before a meet and, well. That was the end of that. But the reason I’m such a strong swimmer is because when I was small my nanny told me the truth of who I was and what they would do to me if I didn’t get out. She was a very nice English lady and they killed her for telling me those things. That’s how I got this accent. I talk like her to remember those things she showed me. They were horrific things. Things I will never forget, even if I didn’t keep her accent.”
“Fuck, Mona. How old were you?”
“Five, I think. After they killed her, I decided I would run away. I didn’t understand the layout of the area, right? I thought the water was the way out. So I started swimming. Trying to get across the lake. They came and got me every time, but eventually I made it across. I was very determined. And that’s when I realized there was a school over there. And it was filled with all the people who were over here. So what was the fucking point?” She shrugs. “There was no point. I was too small, too ignorant, and too weak to change anything. So I gave in and went along. But now, Cooper, I’m not small, I’m not ignorant, and I’m not weak.” She looks at me with narrow eyes. “And neither are you.”
“I know this. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
“You’re not hearing me. You’re falling for all of it. They set these traps for you and you take their bait every single time. Stop taking the bait. I’m gonna say one more thing, and then you’re going to leave. Dante’s plan. What was it?”
I shake my head. “Stupid fucking plan.”
“What was it, Cooper?”
“Divide and conquer. But we’re the ones divided, not them. They’re more together than ever.”
“We are divided. That’s true. But we need to be because we’re never getting out of here together.” She stands up, walks over to the massive double doors, opens them, and says, “Thanks for stopping by, Coop. I hope you have a very merry Christmas.”
“That’s it?”
“Don’t forget your present. And tell Cadee I said hello next time you see her.”
I look down at the small gift box on the couch next to me, then stand up and shove it in my pocket. “What about Dante? Can you set up a meeting?”
“Goodbye, Cooper.”
“Fuck it,” I mumble, walking past her. “But if this all goes to shit, I’m gonna blame him. This was all his idea.”
“And yet you went along, didn’t you?”
I pause in the hallway, so angry. “Thanks for the reminder, Mona. I’ll make sure not to go along next time.” I walk through the foyer and a meathead is already waiting at the front door. He pulls it open for me and then Mona gets the last word.
“Probably a very good idea, Cooper.”
Back up in my room I open the present and find a High Court College tie clip. It looks like it came straight out of the bookstore, but upon closer inspection I find the same words that are on the cufflinks that were given to me after Cadee’s baptism, or whatever the fuck that was.
Divide et impera.
OK. What is this? Then I remember the tie. I go into my closet and look around. I brought all the gifts home with me when I left school for winter break. The tie is still in the box it came in. I didn’t even take it out to look at it.
I lift it up and study it. Not light gray, like I thought at first, but silver. Not a typical color for a school tie. They are usually blue, sometimes gold, but this is the same kind of tie my father sometimes wears. In fact, wasn’t he wearing a tie like this during the dorm dedication?
No. He was wearing a silver suit but a blue and gold tie. I remember that because he was very school spirit that day.
But here’s the weird part I didn’t really notice at the time—when he came to see me at the inn that evening, he had changed into a dark gray suit and he had on this tie. Or one just like it.
I hold it up to the light, looking for clues. Then take off my cufflinks and spread all three pieces down on the coffee table.
I have no idea what they mean, but they must mean something.
It takes me a good long time to figure it out. But eventually a text comes in on my phone and suddenly it all makes sense.
CHAPTER THIRTY - CADEE
Sausage.
Such a stupid word, but at the same time, powerful.
I gave it that power. And I used that power.
Cooper hasn’t been back to my room since Christmas Eve. I was not invited to spend Christmas with the Valcourts. They weren’t even here at the mansion that day. Jack and Leela were hosting that day at their house, and the staff was off, of course, so I spent the entire day with Ax.
I think that surprised Leela when I returned the next morning. I had deliberately turned off my phone when I slipped out of the house and met Ax in the driveway and I didn’t turn it back on until he dropped me off.
Leela was all curious about what I had been up to. She was super suspicious but I knew exactly what to say to handle that situation. “I don’t understand why you’re fixated on where I was, Leela. It’s not like I’m a prisoner, right?”
She looked at me with that fake-ass smile of hers and sucked in a deep breath. “Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you had a nice time.”
Sure, she did. That’s why that gang of Fang and Claw up-and-comers needed to watch me ‘challenge’ Cooper in that weird home chapel on Christmas Eve and then the entire Valcourt family shunned me on Christmas Day.
Her next question was, “What did you and Ax do?” She paused to shoot me another fake smile. “Was it fun?”
Fun? Mmm. I’m gonna go with no, it wasn’t very fun at all. We didn’t exchange presents or even have a nice dinner. But it was still better than sitting in this mansion like a beaten-down Valcourt sex slave. “Yup,” I told her. And then I went on and on about all the things Ax and I didn’t do on Christmas.
I am one hundred percent sure she didn’t buy my lie. But what could she do? She didn’t expect me to get up and walk out of the invisible prison she put me in, so they weren’t watching me that day.
Dumb of them, really.
Smart of me.
It might’ve taken me a while to catch on, but catch on I did.
“Knock, knock!”
I love how she always says “knock, knock” as she opens my door. I would lock it, but when I came from my Christmas trip with Ax, there was a new door handle. No lock.
“Come in,” I say.
“I have your dress!” Leela shakes the garment bag. “It’s sooo pretty. You’re gonna love it.”
I walk over to her and then cock a hip as I hold up a finger. “Oh, it is so pretty.”
“You’re going to look so beautiful in the tomb tonight. Let’s hurry up. Take off your clothes. I can’t wait to see you in it.”
It feels like years have passed since I learned about Cooper and Isabella’s engagement tonight. But finally, New Year’s Eve is here.
I have a distaste for this holiday for obvious reasons and I have not celebrated a New Year’s Eve since Dane raped me four years ago. But I am focused tonight. I’m so close to their secret
s, I can taste it. “What is Isabella wearing tonight, Leela?”
“Oh… I’m… not sure.” She lifts my shirt up and takes it off without even asking. I’m not wearing a bra, so I stand there naked. I don’t even mind anymore. She has gotten me so used to being undressed without having to give permission first, it barely registers. She glances down at my breasts, but redirects her gaze back up just as quickly.
“Well, we wore the same dress for the harvest dance.” Wasn’t really a dance, was it? It was a ritual. And yet they used that word ‘dance’ right up until the last moment. “So I was just wondering if we’d be wearing the same thing tonight too. Is this an informal meeting?”
“No,” Leela says. “It’s very formal. All the members are in town for the New Year’s celebration. Not everyone comes for harvest. But New Year’s is mandatory. You will have quite an audience.”
I can only imagine how I will entertain these people tonight. I don’t have any clue, actually. Because Leela has so far refused to tell me what will happen. “I know this night is really for Cooper and Isabella, Leela. It’s their engagement party, I get it. But I’m their Maiden, so it would be nice to know what role I will play tonight.”
She sighs. “We’ll have to see, Cadee. I’m not sure that Isabella and Cooper are actually going to be matched.”
“What? Why not?”
“We all know Cooper doesn’t love her.”
“That’s not actually true. He does love her.”
“Not the way he should.”
I don’t say anything about that.
“So, there’s a ceremony before the ceremony. All the Chairmen are already at the inn having a very important meeting about Cooper right at this moment.”
“Cooper? Why? Did he do something? And wait, did you just say Chairmen? As in more than one?”
“Oh, yes. There are dozens of them. But don’t worry about it.” She places a hand on my cheek and then leans in to kiss me. I do not kiss her back. I never kiss her back. But this does not deter her. Ever since that first time she kissed me on Christmas Eve, she’s done it consistently—