Page 101 of Theirs to Rule

Frantically, I pulled over and turned off the car. I felt sick, and I couldn’t breathe. I was pretty sure I was having a panic attack. Getting out of the car, I sat down on the curb and tucked my knees up to my chest, focusing on my breathing.

In and out.

I was fine.

Everything was fine.

Only it wasn’t.

Dante had lied to me, kids were going missing, I'd been drugged and almost kidnapped, and now it seemed I couldn’teven drive without having a mental breakdown. My life was falling apart around me.

I forced myself to breathe in and out for two minutes before I dragged myself upright, putting one foot in front of the other. Slowly, my body began to relax. I couldn’t control what was happening with Dante, or how he chose to move forward with his dealing, but what I could do was figure out who came after me and if it had anything to do with the missing kids and the symbols.

There had to be a connection, and I was determined to figure it out.

I was about to get into the SUV when I glanced across the street. There was a gorgeous mansion behind metal gates. The gates had intricate designs on the steel. Designs that looked familiar.

Was my mind playing tricks on me or...

I pulled out my phone and snapped a few photos. I was so focused on what I was doing that I didn’t even notice the man approaching me. I jumped when he appeared in front of me, my heart racing.

“Why are you taking photos of my house?” he demanded, his voice laced with irritation.

“I’m so sorry, I was just admiring the design,” I mumbled, shoving my phone back into my pocket. “My father is in the middle of redesigning his garden, and this felt like exactly his style. Do you mind me asking... was the design inspired by anything in particular?”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “They’re trees. We back onto a forest. You piece it together.”

“Right,” I replied with a tight smile. “Of course.”

He looked at me closely. “What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t,” I said.

“Do you go to CU?” he asked. "Because if you do, I’m president of the college. Your winter ball will be held here."

"Oh. Uh, wow. Yes, I go to Crimsonvale."

"Will you be attending the ball?"

I thought about Kage, Ty, and Dante. It was foolish, but I couldn’t help thinking it would be amazing to attend with all three of them, just like it would be amazing to fuck all of them. Well, the latter would be much more enjoyable, of course.

But even as a flush swept over my body, I felt a pang of loss. Tears threatened to well up when I remembered that Dante probably wouldn’t be mine ever again.

The president peered at me, and I realized I hadn’t answered his question.

“I’m not sure yet,” I managed to get out.

“Would you like to come inside? I can show you exactly where it’s going to be.”

No way in hell was I following him inside. "No, thanks. I really have to be going."

Swiftly, I got back into the SUV and sped off a few blocks before pulling over. I doubled over, feeling sick as I struggled to catch my breath again. I could still feel the prick of that needle in my neck before the world faded to blackness, the terror of everything shutting down around me. I was pretty sure I was having another panic attack. Maybe I had overreacted, but there was something about that man—the president of CU, if he was who he claimed to be—that made me not trust him.

My hands were still shaking when I pulled up in front of my place. Kage looked up as I walked inside. I tossed him his keys and thanked him, then busied myself by fixing a glass of juice, mainly to try and hide the fact that I was still so shaken.

"What happened?"

I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell Kage about the president and the trees on his gates, just in case he took matters into his ownhands and went back there to get some answers. I had visions of him holding a knife to the CU president's throat. Still, even if I was speculating, we didn’t have much to go on. So, I told him.

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