The members chanted in unison. “Live by the rules. Die by the rules.”
The dark-cloaked man continued. “All members may be asked to help. It is your duty to accommodate.” He pointed at the three in the center. “Reveal yourselves, beasts among men.”
One after the other, the men in the center removed their hoods.
Chase Aldridge was the first. He smiled at all the members in the room as they gazed upon his handsome face.
Lancelot Cain was next. He stared coldly at the man in the dark cloak, as if no one else was in the room.
Nathanial Wise was last.
The dark-cloaked man spoke to the members about the rules. He reminded them of their purpose. The stakes.
Winters smirked to himself. He hated the theatrics of it all. It felt fake. Get to the point. Soon it would be time for the end - the Ritual. His favourite part of all the games and lies. At that point, there was no more bullshit, no cowards, only a true beast, and a cold ending.
It was the kind of story Thomas Winters liked most.
The Ritual
Ryland Academy Rules
Book 2
Mya West
Chapter 1
I put my hand over top of Jack’s mouth, dangling a piece of cooked steak I’m grasping loosely. I’m waiting for the vicious dog to start snarling or show any type of aggression. Instead, it looks at me with innocent eyes that beg me to release its snack.
I look at Chase, who smiles and nods his head at me. He’s sitting, holding Jack’s torso with a tight grip. I’m nervous as hell, but Chase’s reassuring smile is keeping me together. The scenery of his large backyard and the heat from afternoon sun also relaxes me.
I let go of the piece of meat, and Jack grabs it mid-air and chews with a satisfactory look on his face.
“See, not such a bad guy,” Chase says reassuringly. “Now pet him.”
I wave my head no. “I’m not sure how much of this exposure therapy I’m ready for.”
“He’s harmless. You just fed him too. He’ll be your best friend forever now.”
I kneel over and pet Jack’s side that Chase is holding on to. Chase smiles at me and lets loose his grip. Jack turns to me and nuzzles his head against my thigh. Jack looks up at me with that innocent look entrenched in his face again. It’s hard to imagine this friendly dog scared the living shit out of me last week. Then again, I was being shot at by someone, and had just spent the whole night in the woods when I saw Chase’s dogs.
Jack rubs his head again against my leg. “Okay, boy,” I say with a smile. I grab another piece of steak, put it above his head, and drop it. “I guess a way to a guy’s heart is feeding them.” I pet his head, a little more confident in his temperament.
Chase claps. “See, not so bad. You don’t have to worry about my pups, especially when I’m around. Now if I were hunting and you were my prey, that’s a different story.”
I look at him with devilish smile. “Am I some doe you think you can bag as a trophy?”
“You’re the only prize I want,” Chase says with a smirk. I stand over top of him, looking down at him with a smile. He brushes off some dirt from his tight light-colored jeans. “Looks like you have the upper hand too.”
I sit on his lap, straddling him. I brush his blond hair from his face and caress his cheek. “Maybe I’m the predator. Looks like I’ve caught my helpless prey.”
“Helpless?” Chase rolls me under him. I feel pressure from his hips pushing between my thighs. “Helpless?”
“It’s just part of my plan to wear you down,” I say laughing.
The sound of a snarling dog startles me. Chase looks up at Jill and yells at her to stop. Jill barks back at him. Chase whistles at her and points towards his home. Jill becomes silent and runs back towards her kennel. Jack, on the other hand, continues to look at us with puppy dog eyes.
“I’m not sure I can win that one over,” I say, looking at Jill run back.
“Jill was always the tougher one to keep in line.” Chase sighs and looks at me. “Woman. She was just trying to protect me, like a good dog. She thought you were hurting me.”
I look over at Jack. “Well, Chase has Jill. I hope you have my back, Jack.” Jack licks his lips and rolls his tongue across his mouth.
“His allegiance with you ends when you run out of steak snacks,” Chase says with a smirk.
I roll my eyes. “Men.”
I had tried to feed Jill some steak bits too, but all she would do is give me a menacing look. Something inside me knew if I had moved the wrong way suddenly, things would go south with Jill very quickly, no matter if Chase was there or not. The thought of it made me uneasy.
I gyrate my hips on Chase. “How about we lose the audience?”
Chase smiles and whistles at Jack, pointing towards the house. Jack complies immediately and runs off.
Chase brushes my hair over my shoulder. “Better?”
I nod my head. I lean in and kiss him. He caresses my body, and our kisses intensify. I would usually be shy to make out with Chase in his backyard, especially given the fact that his father is our principal. I know though that Mr. and Mrs. Aldridge are away from the home this afternoon. Some charity dinner for the homeless will have them away for most of the day. Even Jaxson was away, which I’m sure Chase factored into his plan when he asked me to come over today.
Chase continues to kiss me sensually, lowering his hands and cupping my ass intensely but tactfully. Sitting on top of his lap I can feel him enlarge between my thighs.
I wonder
