The door fell closed behind her and silence reigned as we all drew our focus back to each other. None of us mentioned the siren’s spell that girl had just cast on us. There was something intangible about Tatum Rivers which sent my heart pounding and I was getting the distinct impression that all four of us were falling prey to the same feelings whenever we were around her.
“Have there been any issues?” I asked in a low voice, folding my arms over my chest as I scrutinised the three of them.
Saint tutted lightly like the question was insulting and Blake yawned like I was boring him.
“Everything is dealt with,” Kyan said, the only one of them who seemed to be willing to offer me an answer, not that that was exactly much detail to go on.
“How?” I asked, my voice a low growl which demanded they cut the shit. We’d dealt with the body, but we needed to make sure no one was looking for the son of a bitch. We didn’t need a police investigation heading our way.
“I’ve been wondering,” Saint said casually, picking an imaginary piece of lint off of his sleeve so that his platinum cufflinks caught the light. “Would you kill for any of your students?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked tersely, irritated that they weren’t answering my questions.
“It just occurred to me that there was no one forcing your hand down in the catacombs. The rest of us had already done a thorough job in finishing the fucker. No one held a gun to your head. But the way you looked at our girl…well, it just seemed like you did it for her in particular.”
“What’s your issue, Memphis?” I snarled. “Do you think I didn’t see the way you looked at her that night? We all did it for her. I’m failing to see what the point of this-”
“The point is that we all did it for her because she’s ours. Bound to us, mind, body and soul. So I guess what I’m asking, is what makes you think you’ve got a claim on her too? Have you been fantasising about fucking a student? Are you hoping that those sweaty little kickboxing session of yours will end up with the two of you in the showers and her screaming your name?”
“That’s enough, Memphis,” I snapped. “I’m your teacher, you’ll speak to me with respect, or-”
“Or what?” Saint hissed, moving into my personal space until we were practically nose to nose. Blake and Kyan were right behind him, closing in on me like a wolf pack scenting blood in the air. “Seems to me like you don’t have anything to threaten me with, Monroe. And if you want the answers you’re looking for then you’re going to have to do a lot more than just wet your fingers in the blood of some scumbag.”
“Like?” I demanded, wondering what the fuck he’d want from me if killing someone and disposing of their body with him wasn’t enough.
Saint backed up a few inches, smirking like I’d just stumbled right into his trap. “Like, becoming one of us for real. A Night Keeper. Swearing it in blood and bone, mind, body and soul. Forever.”
“You want me to join your little boys club?” I scoffed. “How is that more meaningful than helping you kill that bastard?”
“Because if you become a Night Keeper then you’re bound to us for life. You’re one of us permanently. It’s a tie stronger than any family bond and it gives you the right to question me. It will also give you the protection of our brotherhood. We will never see you fall, never see you hurt, your life will be tied to ours irrevocably. You’ve seen how far our reach can go in the space of a few days with your new position as leader of this school. You can’t imagine how much life could have to offer you as one of us.”
“What if I don’t want to join your little gang?” I scoffed.
“There’s no blurred lines. You’re in or you’re out. You want our secrets? Our protection? Our devotion? Our girl? Then you’re going to become the fourth Night Keeper. All or nothing.” Saint shrugged like he wasn’t asking me to sell my soul to the devil and I glanced at the other two to see what they made of this.
Blake’s interest was definitely piqued now and he was eyeing me like I was a competitor, a rival, someone worthy of his attention. Kyan’s dark eyes flared with a hunger I hadn’t often seen in him outside of the ring. The intense way they were all looking at me said they wanted this. And not only that, but they believed in it wholeheartedly. They truly thought that if they initiated me into their gang, I’d belong to them for life. That my loyalty would be unfaltering and my trust in them implicit.
“And what exactly does becoming a Night Keeper entail?” I asked in a bored tone, not letting them see my interest in it. But if they truly believed in the bond of their brotherhood the way they were claiming to, perhaps it would be the golden ticket for me to gain access to all of their deepest, darkest secrets. They could be offering up the chance I’d been waiting for to strike at Saint and his family in a way that could truly damage them.
“For starters, you’d need to be initiated
