Page 37 of Unhallowed

“We need to talk.” I tell him as he wipes himself now. “You’re keeping secrets.”

“I will always keep secrets, Firefly.”

Something snaps inside of me, and I practically fly off the counter to get the knife beside me. I turn around quickly and press it to his throat hard enough to immediately draw blood. The way he hisses makes me smile so widely it hurts my cheeks.

Slice.

Do it.

He will never tell you the truth.

“Think again, baby boy.” I continue with a grin. “You will tell me whatever the fuck I want to know if you don’t want your sweet blood spilled on this fucking floor.” I step up to him, licking the blood trailing down his bare chest. “Mmm, Draven. You’re sosweet. Tell me the truth and I’ll clean you up with my tongue. Pinky promise.”

“Spill my blood, baby. I dare you.”

I press the knife harder against his throat until I see a deeper cut, and he hisses. “I’m quite enjoying this,baby. Now fucking talk.”

“It’s loyalty to death,” he replies angrily. “You wouldn’t understand, but they saved me. I serve them now, theysavedme from my prison and I have to repay them. Besides, I’m a Heathen now, part ofThe Family, and I don’t have choices. They make them all for me, I’m their fucking puppet, Angel, and there’s nothing I can do to stop them from pulling my strings.”

I roll my eyes and keep the smile on my face, but it’s my own strings that are close to snapping. I feel used by him, by this stupid hierarchy that I don’t understand. He wants me to be his perfect girl, the docile one, the one who doesn’t fucking ask any questions.

It’s not you.

It’s not me.

Damn right it’s not.

“I know about your dad, you know,” I snap. “I know he’s a politician, I know that they put you in a position ofpowerto serve their own agenda. Now what the fuck isThe Family?I deserve to know that much.” He doesn’t ask me how I know about his dad, it’s pretty obvious Killian was the one who told me.

Well, maybe he shouldn’t have left you alone with him.

Drav sighs. “The Familyis a hierarchy.” I tilt my head to the side to urge him to talk more—trying to control myself and not snap at him that I know it’s a hierarchy—the knife still to his throat. It bobs and more blood trickles down. I don’t ease up on it. “There are thirteen founding families, and our fathers make up The Fellowship, which is part of our society. The sons—us—are The Heathens.”

I nod as if I understand, even though this is getting more confusing by the second. “And how many Heathens are there? What are soulmates?”

“There’s six of us, and we’re divided into pairs—that’s what a soulmate is. We’ve grown up together, well at least they all did. I came in way later as you know, and they paired me up with Killian because they had odd numbers and he didn’t have one. Soulmates are meant to have someone to confide in, to be your partner in crime. Sometimes…literally. We’re supposed to have no secrets, and nothing to keep us apart. We’re supposed to share everything, even wives if it’s requested by the other.”

“So all this time you were going to share me?” My outrage must show in my voice because his eyes widen, surely scared I’m about to go deeper with this trusty little knife.

“Fuck, no. You are the only thing I’ve kept from him, and he clearly doesn’t like that. He wants to be in control, Angel. He’s first in command of The Heathens.”

“And you?”

“His right hand.” He sighs. “Second in command. But he rules, just likeDux, our father.”

“So let me get this straight.The Familyis all of you. But then what? What’s the purpose? What do you control?”

“Government decisions,” he replies slowly. “And other shit I don’t want you to know about. It’s endless and corrupt, and I don’t want you involved.”

I cackle. “Don’t fucking push me, Draven. The knife might justslip.” I shake my head, remembering the ritual. “Why the fuck do you have a brand on your chest? Why doIhave one on my hand? What are you in charge of? And don’t say the government.”

That would not be the entire truth.

Drav looks guilty. “You’ll hate me, and never want me to touch you again...”

“I won’t.” I raise my chin in defiance. “Now tell me the fucking truth.”

“We have brands to show we’re part of a…unit. A cohesive group that puts each other first. We are in charge of a lot of underground criminal activity. Human trafficking, organ trafficking…the black market. I could keep going.”

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