Page 19 of Heartless Prince

“Really?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m the only one he even speaks to, and as you just overheard, that doesn’t always turn out so well.”

“I’m sorry. That sucks.”

“Yup. Anyway, I was worried you’d start to ask questions about Crown and Dagger that I actually knew the answer to, and I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from telling you. Like I said, you’re my best friend. I can’t lie to you. But on the other hand, if I told you all this stuff I knew and helped you infiltrate the society to get information for your paper, my dad might find out. He would be pissed, and I don’t want to get cut out like Henry. You know I’m a total daddy’s girl. I can’t stand the thought of that happening to me.”

Her eyes were wide and worried. I reached out to pat her arm. “So that’s why you’ve been avoiding me? You thought I’d accidentally get you in trouble with your family?”

“Yeah.” She nodded miserably, then let out a deep sigh. “God, I’ve been a real bitch. I didn’t even realize how much I was avoiding you until you confronted me.”

“No, I get it. I’m sorry for putting you in such a weird position. But seriously, if you ever told me anything at all, it’d never come back on you. I promise,” I said, putting one hand on my heart. “I’d never let anyone find out you said anything.”

“Not even Greer or Willa?” she said, concern flashing in her eyes. “I mean, Greer has a pretty big mouth, and Willa’s dad is friends with my dad. So it could’ve gotten back to—”

I smiled and cut her off before she started babbling again. “No, I wouldn’t tell them. Cross my heart and hope to die.”

She took a deep breath, then gave me a sheepish smile. “I guess I kinda overreacted, right?”

I returned her smile. “Just a bit.”

“I mean, even if Dad found out I told you stuff, he’d be mad as hell but he probably wouldn’t cut me out like he did with Henry. They always had a lot of other issues before they hit that breaking point.”

“Well, there you go. You have nothing to worry about. Like you said, you’re a daddy’s girl. He wouldn’t kick you out of the family.” I patted her arm. “So… we’re all good? I didn’t do anything to offend you?”

“Of course you didn’t! And look, if you can absolutely promise that you’ll never let it come back on me….” Mellie paused mid-sentence, then leaned closer, as if her father was right in the room with us and might overhear. “I could probably help you sneak into their next second-level initiation ceremony.”

“Really?” My heart leapt.

She looked uncertain again. “Well, it wouldn’t be easy. But I think I could swing it,” she said slowly. “We just have to be really, really careful.”

I squealed. “Oh my god. That’d be so amazing! Thank you!”

“Don’t thank me yet. I still need to think of a way to get you in,” she said, her brows knitted. “I mean, I know where it is and all, but security is watertight. We can’t just walk in.”

“Why is security so much tighter at the ceremony than it is at the Tomb?”

She waved her hand. “Like I said before, the Tap Week party is really just a way to show off to the newbies. Only the younger members go, aside from the society president, and from what Dad has told me, they basically expect outsiders to try and sneak in. Nothing happens there except wild sex and a ton of drinking and partying, so they don’t really care. Letting the occasional outsider sneak in and see it all—with the masks and robes and whatever—kinda adds to their mystique. Or so they think. Personally I think it’s totally lame.”

“So why do they feel the need to hide what happens at their other events? Is there something worth hiding?” I asked in a low voice.

She laughed. “Not really. I think most of their higher-level initiation ceremonies and parties are just a bunch of old dudes getting wasted in the woods. But they do some really weird shit out there, as per tradition. Strange rituals and so on. So I guess they don’t want outsiders getting in and seeing them, because the older members have reputations to protect. They don’t want photos of them getting drunk in the woods, banging hookers, snorting coke and chanting with flaming torches to get out to the media. Not when they have family names and high profile careers to worry about.”

“Oh. Right. Well, speaking of certain members….” I quickly filled her in on what had been happening with the weird texts I’d been getting this morning.

“Ugh, what an asshole!” she said when I finished, eyes narrowed.

“Is it anything to be worried about?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Some of the younger Crown and Dagger guys get kinda drunk on power when they first get elected to the society. They like to throw their weight around because the whole world basically just got handed to them on a silver platter and they want to ‘prove’ what they’re now capable of as a result. I guess one of them must’ve decided to try and scare you after seeing you at the party last night. And it worked. He got you. But seriously, don’t stress about it. I really don’t think they’d hurt you.”

I chewed my bottom lip. “You sure?”

“As sure as I can be. I mean, obviously I don’t know everything about the society. Only what I’ve picked up from Dad.”

“Oh.”

Mellie’s forehead creased with concern. “Like I said, I can’t be entirely sure, so if you’re worried, we won’t try and sneak you into the ceremony. I don’t want you to be all freaked out over it. A college paper isn’t worth that.”

---