Page 68 of His To Claim

“Come on, Scar, give it up already. He and you are gonna happen, you need to stop fighting it. I’ve never seen you react to a guy like this before. I can see it when he’s around. You like him, he likes you. It’s why you are always fighting each other. You’re fighting the intense chemistry, the tension between you two.”

I stand back, surprised at her words.

“How can you say that? Things are complicated. I mean everything with Drake. He and I, we’re taking a break but Drake is…”

“Your best friend. Of course, he and you have a connection. He’s the only guy you’ve ever been with. But you two are explosive together. Two rotten apples cut from the same tree.”

“And you don’t think Ace is toxic?” I sneer.

“Scar, just wear the mask. Drake doesn’t even know which one you bought.”

“What’s taking you two so long?” Stella asks, coming back to the room.

“Nothing,” Jade says, grabbing one of the black masks from my hand and throwing it on my bed.

“Scar’s just grabbing this gold mask I ended up getting her.”

“Wow, that’s beautiful, Scar,” Stella says, looking at the mask in my hand.

“Let’s just go,” I say before walking out, gold mask in hand.

As we step into the living room, I spot Ruby checking herself out in the mirror by the door. She, of course, looks like a supermodel in the black, skintight dress I picked out for her. Her hourglass figure on full display, and a high slit on the right side exposes her long-tanned leg. Her dark hair is sleek and straight falling down her back, and her makeup a classic old Hollywood look with a cat-eye liner and bright red lips.

“Damn, Dragon, you look hot as fuck,” Jade says, smacking her on the ass.

“You sound surprised?” Ruby tells her, shimming her ass some more.

“Just surprised you kept it classy.” Ruby rolls her eyes and heads for the door.

We meet up with the guys at the front of the girls’ house and find a limo Stella rented us for the night. Much to my dismay, she swears there is only one way to arrive at a party at Servite Manor, and a limo it is.

Although Drake and I have agreed to put a pause on our relationship, we felt it unnecessary to cancel our plans of going together tonight. I mean we’re all friends, right?

We all pack into the limo where we find bottles of complementary champagne, which of course we drink.

It’s about a twenty-minute drive up an inclined slope to Servite Manor.

According to Stella, the three-story mansion was built in the early 1800s on ten acres of land at the top of the highest peak of Hillcrest Hills. It’s surrounded by endless steel gates and tall pine trees making it look like an enchanted forest. We arrive at a large steel gate following a long winding driveway. The house looks like a haunted castle, a dark gray exterior with black trim.

We step out of the limo and stand in the middle of the largecircular driveway at the front of the house. Drake grabs my hand bringing it up to his mouth and places a chaste kiss upon it.

“You ready for this, Scar?” he asks as I turn to him.

I look into his eyes but cannot read what he’s thinking. I turn back toward the house in front of us, a shiver running through me.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

We follow a group of people down the large, paved walkway and out to the back of the mansion where the night’s festivities are being held. The sun is setting and low, cascading down the hill the estate lies on, beautiful hues of red and orange fading into a deeper blue. The yard of the house is extensive, reaching out for miles in all directions. In the middle is a large courtyard surrounding a pool and an outdoor fireplace.

We spend all of five minutes roaming the yard without being interrupted until we’re spotted by a few kids from school. Leighton, the girl who showed us around on our first day, comes over first with a few of the junior girls from our dorm. They are all dressed in beautiful gowns and wear an assortment of delicate and expensive looking masks.

“You guys look great. I honestly was skeptical at first. Didn’t think you could afford anything like these dresses,” Leighton says, hiding behind a bright blue and white mask.

“All thanks to our student accounts,” Ruby answers and the distaste on her face is clear.

“Huh, I didn't think that was part of the program,” one of the other girls, Casey I believe, chimes in.

Stella rolls her eyes, and steps into Casey’s face, clearly annoyed by her insufferable naivety. “It’s a scholarship program, Casey. That usually comes with spending money.”

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