“Excited, is he?” Tabitha smiles warmly, walking in from the hallway Kellan just ran down.
“Yup, it’s our weekly dinner, and they love it over there.”
August’s dad has been really great. I’m not eighteen yet, but he gives me the run of things, and he doesn’t enforce that stupid ass dress code. There wasn’t a chance I’d be wearing polos and khaki tennis skirts.
Gag me.
“Mr. Grant is a great man. You won’t find many like him these days,” she sighs.
“He is, and so is his son.” August truly is amazing. Slightly intense but great. Plus, I have to admit I like his intensity, both his and Karl’s. They feel all-consuming in that way that you’d welcome their devouring.
Looking at my watch and seeing we have about an hour before we need to head out, I talk with Tabitha a bit longer and then head for my room.
* * *
We’re in Mr. Grant’s office, discussing the formal and going over the details of the trust. My birthday is a week away, and he wanted to make sure I understood what would take place once it arrives.
“Do you have everything you need for the formal, Emma?” Mr. Grant asks from behind his desk.
“Yes, Celeste has already stopped by the house and measured me for my dress. She said it should arrive in the next couple of weeks.”
“Good, good. Now, on the morning of your eighteenth birthday, I will come to your house and have you sign the papers to assume legal guardianship of your siblings,” he explains, pointing to the lines of the contract detailing the process. “You will need to make sure you understand that these rights can be rescinded at any time if you are not in compliance with the terms of your guardianship.”
I want to roll my eyes at the said terms, the ones that essentially make me a fucking potential bride for some pompous heir. Instead, I bite my cheek and respond, “Yes, I understand. I’ll have to participate in all of the outlined requirements of being a selection. Even if it’s archaic and sexist.”
He chuckles but nods, understanding that this is me on my best behavior. I might have to go along with this farce to keep my family together, but I never agreed not to make my opinion known.
His face losing its humor, his next words are delivered with stern care, “Of course. Just remember to keep your ire behind closed doors and not in mixed company. You never know who’ll hear and who it might get back to. I don’t want any hiccups in your ability to be autonomous.”
Understanding his point, I acquiesce. We finish our conversation, and I walk down the hall, taking in the many baby pictures of August lining the wall. There’s one where he’s holding up the Joker, smiling excitedly at his new Christmas present.
“It’s still one of my favorite gifts,” I startle at his voice on the back of my neck, his body only centimeters away from my ass.
“You and Karl need cowbells or something. How the hell do you two always sneak up on me like that?” I ask. Not moving, I turn my head, so his mouth is inches from my lips. The heat of his body presses into my back.
“Oh, Riri, if I always get to see the heat rise in your cheeks and your beautiful gray eyes dilate any time one of us catches you off guard, we’ll never stop hunting you,” his words snaking up my skin, amping up my excitement. The idea of being chased by him or Karl causes my pulse to race.
“There. That’s the look,” he whispers, leaning in, nipping the corner of my lips before licking the same spot. “The one that releases a siren’s call and drives unsuspecting men wild. Priming our baser instinct to chase.” His hand wraps around the softness of my middle before sliding down to my pussy and grabbing. “The one that makes us want to claim and leave our mark so no one else would ever dare to touch you.” He bends, leaving a trail of light kisses, nibbling a path to my ear and growling, “The one that lets you know once you’re captured, you’ll never be let go.”
With his final words, his lips descend, engulfing my own, and I return his fervor. Lost in the softness of his lips, contrasting with the dominance of his kiss. In this moment, I can almost feel my surrender.
“Ewwww, stop doing that,” twin cries of horror clear the lust from my head in time to hear feet rushing down the hall.
“Hey, get away from our sister with your cootie lips,” Ky yells, launching himself at August, his little fists raised.
“Yeah,” Kell shouts in agreement, kicking poor August in the shins. “Don’t put your germy hands on her.”
August’s hazel eyes fill with amusement when they land on me, and we both laugh.
Throwing his hands up in surrender, he jokes, “I’m sorry. I’ll keep my germs to myself.”
He snatches Ky up, tickling him until he’s gasping for air from laughing. Then he chases them both down the hall.
I smile at their antics and head for the dining room, appreciating the sound of their joy, reminding me why I’ll put up with whatever bullshit games are required of the selection process.
LIAM
Bethany’s body turning up in the school tells me someone in this town is working with whoever this group is. This has plagued me for the last three weeks since she turned up in pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle.
There’s no way people can consistently get into our school, never be caught on camera, and bypass every other security measure without help.
Luckily it’s been radio silent, nothing new is happening, and Emma hasn’t received any new packages with miscellaneous body parts.
“That stupid bitch will ruin everything, Rowan, and you can’t seem to leash her!” I hear August shout from down the hall, and August rarely raises his voice.
While this shadow organization has been quiet, Samantha’s scheming has not.
She’s determined to be a selection choice, going as far as offering to pay Trisha to leave, trying to force our hand.
The guys enter the room still in workout clothes and drenched in sweat. Karl grabs water bottles for everyone while August and Rowan take a seat.
August is still visibly seething. The muscles in his jaw flex from him grinding his molars, his leg bouncing up and down as he tugs on the strands of his fiery hair.
“What did she do now?” I ask, afraid to know the answer.
Still too pissed to speak, August jumps up from his seat and starts wearing a hole in the ground with his pacing. On his second lap, he finally yells, “She had some soon-to-be dead boys record a video of Riri in the shower. They photoshopped out her nose, replacing it with a pig snout and making squeals whenever the video plays.”
Of course she did. I hope the boys enjoyed their lives while they lasted. They’re essentially dead.
Emma and I have our differences, but no one should have their privacy violated and released for public consumption.
I can’t lie, though. The thought of her naked in the shower is a hot one. Let’s face it the girl is stacked-her body curves like an hourglass.
I still don’t trust her. The timing of her arrival is too convenient. I absolutely agree with Rowan on that point.
No matter how hard I dig, I turn up nothing, but we know there’s more to her story. Why else would this Filiae Bellonae be trying to take her? So, while I feel for August, a naked video of Emma isn’t the pressing issue here.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.