It’s the morning after the night before, and I still feel sick.
A deep shudder rolls through me as I sit up and accept the mug from her. “Thanks.”
“Did you manage to get any sleep?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“It was probably the G.” She gives me a bitter smile. “I’m so sorry I didn’t give you a heads up, but I thought—"
“It doesn’t matter.” Cade would have embarrassed me either way. He would have spiked my drink and teased me in front of Bexley… just because he can.
“I still can’t believe he did that.”
“It’s all a game, Mia. I keep trying to tell you that. Cade is… well, he’s unstable.”
“Why do you all follow him so blindly?”
“It’s not like we really have a choice.” She shrugs, picking lint off her bed covers.
After fleeing the party, I’d run straight to Sasha’s room. I didn’t want to be in this godforsaken house, but I was confused and upset. Sasha welcomed me into her room as if she’d been waiting for me.
I slept here, curled up beside her.
The shame I felt last night has turned into something else this morning.
“We’re Quinctus heirs, Mia. It’s not something you just get to deny or walk away from. The first-born son of an heir must complete their Initium and eventually take their rightful place in Gravestone. It’s the foundation of this place.”
“And you?”
It’s different for Sasha; she isn’t a male heir. “I’ll be married off to spend my days breeding new heirs.” There’s a wry tone to her voice, but I know there’s an element of truth in her words.
“But it’s so—"
“Unfair? Life isn’t fair, Mia. Gravestone is one of the richest towns in the US. That kind of accolade isn’t earned just off of hard work and luck. It’s built into the fabric of the town. Nothing comes for free in this life… not a single thing. You’d be surprised what men are prepared to do for money and power.”
“W-what do you mean?” I place my mug down, my stomach too unsettled for strong coffee.
Sasha hesitates, probably unsure whether I’m to be privy to their insider secrets. But I’m Cade’s prosapia. I deserve to know this stuff—I need to know.
“It’s okay,” I say. “You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”
“This is so weird,” she laughs, but it comes out all wrong. “I’ve never had a girl friend to share this stuff with.”
Her words give me some comfort. Sasha might not always be able to warn me about Cade’s devious plans, but she’s a pawn like me, shackled to a life she seems to want no part of.
I wait, giving her the time and space she needs to reconcile things. Sasha wants to let me in; I see it in the small looks she gives me when we’re with the guys, silent shows of support and reassurance or discreet warnings when I’m overstepping the line or about to be blindsided.
“Gravestone isn’t as small-town as everyone thinks, Mia,” she says cryptically.
I want to ask what she means, but there’s a knock at the door.
“Sis, you awake?”
“Go away, Brandon.”
The door cracks open and his face appears. “Oh, hey, Mia. Does Cade know you’re still here?”
“Brandon!” Sasha shrieks. “Go away.”
“Geez, relax.” He slips into her room and closes the door. “If you must know, I came to make sure you’re alright after last night.”
“Like you care.”
I avert my eyes, hardly able to look at him after what happened. I saw him with Ashton and those girls… and he saw me with Cade… Oh God, how embarrassing.
“Just because you’re not looking at me, doesn’t mean I can’t see you, Mia.” There’s a hint of humor in his voice, but he also sounds apologetic.
Slowly, I lift my eyes to meet his gaze. “Hey.”
“Don’t cower,” he says. “Not for me, not for Cade. Not for anyone.”
“I—“
“Brandon, just go,” Sasha rushes out. “We’re fine. I’m fine. Just go, please.”
Something passes between them, but eventually he concedes. “Yeah, okay. You two should think about staying in here this morning. I’ll have Mulligan bring you some breakfast up.”
“Mulligan?” I ask the second Brandon leaves.
“Yeah, the cook. He makes a mean omelet.”
“What did Brandon mean, we should stay in here?”
“It means their sluts have overstayed their welcome.”
“Oh.” I frown. “Did Cade—"
“Probably. I don’t need to tell you this, Mia, but Cade isn’t a good guy.” She keeps her voice low. “He takes what he wants, when he wants. But he can’t have you, not yet. Because there are some rules not even the mighty Cade Kingsley can disobey.”
“I hate this,” I admit, feeling a lick of vulnerability inside me.
“Yeah.” Sasha reaches for my hand and squeezes it gently. “So do I.”
“We could run away.” The words just spill off my tongue.
“Even if we did, they’d find us, Mia. You can’t hide from Quinctus or the Electi for very long.”
“But Hadley Rexford got out.” She was Alex’s half-sister and she’d just upped and disappeared.
“That’s different.” A strange expression passes over Sasha’s face.
“Different how?”
“I… uh… we’re not supposed to—"
“Sasha, you’re going to have to trust me eventually. I’m here, aren’t I?”
“She fell in love with the wrong guy,” she whispers, glancing at the door as if she expects someone to burst in at any moment.
“That doesn’t seem so scandalous.”
“It is when the guy you love is an Electi three years your senior and promised to someone else.”
“Oh my God, who was it?”
“Tim.”
“Tim?” I clap my hand over my mouth, surprised at my outburst. “Sorry. But he’s engaged to Fawn and they seem so… together.”
She avoids the Electi like the plague, but whenever I catch glimpses of her and Tim together around campus, you can see how smitten they are.
“It was before he was officially with Fawn, but Tim’s old man brokered that arrangement when Tim and Fawn were just kids. Her dad is the district attorney.”
My eyes widen. “Hal Bailey?”
Sasha nods. “Anyway, when they found out about Hadley, Q went into meltdown about it.”
I frown and she adds, “Female heirs shacking up with
