Page 63 of Echoes

"Is this some fancy tea party or something?" Theo murmurs lowly, eyes scanning over the set-up.

The usual curtains have blocked the aisles, and I still remember my confusion and bewilderment the first time I attended a meeting. I'm not sure what's going to be more awkward—the meeting itself or the afterparty.

"Funny," Damon spits out, giving Grey a knowing look. "Take a seat at the table. We're about to begin."

Grey leans down to whisper in my ear. "Sit next to me. Ashwood can sit on your right."

I nod, turning to Theo. "I'll take you over."

Grabbing Theo's hand, I lead him over to the long table, sitting down. He takes a seat next to me, glancing around with a blank expression.

"They really do have control, don't they?" he muses quietly so only I can hear.

I pivot my body to face him, lowering my voice. "Yeah. It's a bit crazy."

"Crazy is what we all do best," he says. "Explains a lot."

A smile appears on my face at his blasé attitude. If anyone is going to be unimpressed or unthreatened by the situation, it would be Theo.

"Everything here is confidential," I relay, stating the obvious. "I'm not sure why they wanted you to come, but let's just roll with it."

Theo looks at me, eyes flashing. "You, Avery. It's because of you."

"I…" Pausing, I shake my head. "I'm sure that's not the only reason."

"You're the reason, Avery. For all of us."

"What do you mean?" I breathe out.

He leans down, brushing his lips against my ear. "You're my only reason for anything. And I think you're theirs, as well."

Snapping back, I gaze at him shocked. "Definitely not. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes. We've just unfortunately found ourselves in the midst of it."

Theo smirks at me. "Is that what you tell yourself?"

Before I can respond, Grey brushes against my left side as he sits down, reaching under the table to grip my thigh.

"What are you talking about?" he asks curiously, but with a hint of demand.

I swing my head to look at him. "You," I tease.

His eyes narrow in suspicion but he doesn't say anything as Damon takes his position at the head of the table.

"There's no time to fuck around with pleasantries today," he starts with a frustrated tone. "To address the elephant in the room, we have a new guest."

All eyes fall onto Theo, followed by me. I can practically hear their thoughts, wondering what the hell is going on. One minute I was banished because of my involvement with Theo, then I came back, fighting with Grey for all to see, and now I'm here again—with both of them. As usual though, no one questions Damon's decisions, eventually ripping their attention away from us back to the man at the end of the table.

"Whittingham is doubling down, as are the otherstaffmembers," he sneers. "We've also made contact with Hallman's replacement who is not cooperating."

"Not cooperating?" Byrone asks. "How so?"

Grey laughs. "Someone else got to him first."

My eyebrows furrow as I try to keep up with the information. I haven't run into the newcomer yet, and while I'm not surprised Damon has met him, I'm baffled as to why someone is already making enemies.

Even in my first week here, I knew immediately who held the power. From the moment I was cornered by Damon, it was obvious that it would be a death wish to defy him. I didn't even know back then what I know now about the society—he just exuded that authority and darkness.

"It's a work in progress," Damon interjects after Grey. "There's about to be some changes around the facility. I do not anticipate it going smoothly."

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