Page 114 of A Twisted Arrangement

Damon: Father sent me on an errand.

Me: Why didn’t he ask me?

Damon: Big bros privileges *wink*

Damon: Don’t worry. I’ll come save you from the monotony in a bit.

I grab a glass of champagne from a member of the waitstaff walking by. He doesn’t bother questioning my name, already familiar with who I am, and what station I have as one of the Lord’s sons.

Me: You better.

Not bothering to hide my boredom, I look over the crowd. We’re at one of the Volkovs’ massive estates. It has the standardmarble everything, low-hanging chandeliers, and winding staircases. When I was little, I used to gawk at the high ceilings and intricate details. Now, it’s just more of the same.

Members of the Order of Saints aren’t like normal people. They’ve all been initiated into the most powerful secret society in the world. They influence policy, wars, who wins elections and who loses.

Its exclusivity makes it all the more intriguing to those on the outside. They’ll never make it in, though, because there’s only room for twenty-six families, and none of them will ever give up their spot.

To prevent chaos, the Order is split up into a hierarchy. The Unsainted, members not yet initiated. The Saints, representatives from each family, and the Lord who rules over them.

My father’s the Lord, and there’s nothing and no one more powerful than he is. The Order is filled with powerful men, but they wouldn’t make a step without his say-so. With power comes envy, and for centuries, there’s been a fight for the ruling spot. That is, until the Everette family took over and cast out any doubt on who belonged on the throne.

No matter how much of an asshole my father is, there’s a security in knowing he’s feared just as much as he’s revered.

Honey-brown hair catches my eye and draws my attention. There are at least twenty girls my age in here, all dying for a chance with the son of the Lord of the Order of Saints, so why can’t I pull away from her?

Scarlet stands beside her father, the esteemed Charles Laurent, an active Saint in the Order. He treats her like a jewel on his arm, something to show off, and she plays her role perfectly, smiles at all the right times, bows when she’s supposed to. Never too loud, too aggressive, too happy. The perfect little society darling.

It grates on my fucking nerves.

Ever since she pushed me down on the playground and kicked dirt in my face when we were children, catching glimpses of who she is underneath her perfect facade has become an addiction.

She’s a sliver buried under my skin, a constant reminder of her presence with no way to dig it out.

“Not interested in my sister, are you?” Christopher Laurent asks from directly beside me, startling the crap out of me.

“Fuck no” is my immediate response.

Interested is the wrong word. Each glimpse beneath her flawless facade has me intrigued, like she’s some sort of puzzle I can’t help but want to figure out.

“Sir Everette.” Despite the fact that it’s easy to see it grates on him, he bows his head slightly in the deference that my name commands. He’s an Unsainted, and with that, he must obey the rules we live by.

“Laurent” is my only reply.

Christopher’s gaze slides to his sister and back to me. He looks just like her—same light brown hair and soft blue eyes—but instead of being slight, he’s got at least five inches on me.

“Good, because her future is locked down.” His lips twist in a mockery of a smirk.

I hide the surprise from my face. She’s barely turned fifteen, and even in our fucked-up society, that’s young to marry off your daughter. Not only is it disgusting, but it removes them from the market for future matches.

“Who?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“No one you’d know.” Matter-of-fact, like he didn’t just admit they’re selling out his sister.

I press my palm against my sternum, an uneasy burn forming there, and take a sip of the bubbly liquid from the flute. I’m sure it’s the best quality, but it still tastes like ass to me.

I feel the weight of Christopher’s attention on me as he studies my reactions to his declaration of his sister’s future marriage.

No matter how revolting it is, there’s nothing I can say about it. Arranged marriages have always been a part of our society. I change the subject before he can catch on that I’m a little too interested in Scarlet. “You nervous about tonight?”

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