Page 50 of Vicious Knight

“He picked you?” I give her a half smile, deciding to stay on the side of caution.

“He did.”

“And?”

She looks away, staring off into the distance, but I can see the tears glistening in her eyes. “He was the first guy. I was so excited to see him. There were a million things I wanted to say. I started out by talking to him about high school but all he did was look at me.”

I give her a narrowed stare. “He didn’t talk at all?”

“We basically stayed in that dreadful silence the whole time then seconds before the end he said to me…” She pauses for a moment and catches her breath. “He said I didn’t deserve to be at Raventhorn, and I barely deserved to have the miserable life I have. He told me to stop watching him like a dog and find someone else to obsess over.”

My mouth drops open. I’m so stunned I can scarcely breathe. “What the hell? That’s what he said?”

“Yes.” The faraway tenor of her voice displays the wealth of her hurt.

I hurt for her, too. It’s bad enough to be rejected. That would have been awful and I could have made her feel better by calling Kade an asshole, but what he said was worse than bad. It was obscene and threatening. Vile.

Isabelle is such a happy person that I can’t begin to imagine anyone being mean to her. But seriously, what can anyone expect from the guys at Erebus?

Thorne and Caspian are their leaders.

“Why the hell did he say that to you? It makes no sense. You’ve known him for what…?”

“Three years. I waited three years to have him speak to me like shit. Probably because I really don’t belong.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true. My mother was of Knight descent and my father not. He’s hardly part of the Bratva. We’re what people call lower class, and we’re not rich.”

“Why does that matter?”

“It matters here, especially amongst the students who have parents who are both of Knight descent. People like Kade. His lineage traces right back to the forefathers.”

Like Thorne and the Ivanovs. Their forefather was one of the original Knights of Raventhorn during the Viking age. That’s why they have so much power.

“I didn’t know that was such an issue.”

“You wouldn’t have experienced it because you’re from L.A. and your stepfather is well known amongst the Knights. Sadly, you might get some backlash because you’re a stepchild.” Isabelle swallows hard, then looks back at me. “My story is a little different because it’s not common for women to marry outside of the Knights. My mom was only able to marry my father because she was pregnant with me. Because of that she was considered an outcast. And so am I.”

“This is unbelievable.”

“It’s their way.”

“And you think that’s why Kade was so mean?”

“I don’t know any other reason. I’ve never done anything to him. We’ve never spoken until the other night. The words he said were so hateful I can only assume he did it because of who I am.”

We stare at each other in contemplation for a few moments before she looks away, back to the fish pond.

I hate to think she’s right, but there’s so much I don’t know about the Knights. This is another thing. Another thing that’s not good.

“I’m sorry, Isabelle. That’s horrible.”

“I know.” More sadness fills her features, making her look completely unlike herself. “My mother was killed when I was twelve.”

My breathing slows. “Killed?” When she told me the other day that her mother died when she was young I assumed it might have been an illness.

“Killed. Murdered. It’s all the same to me.” She takes a quick breath and her chest caves. “My mother was in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw too much. I was there when she died. A man shot her.”

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