Page 34 of Checks & Bonds

I turned sharply to find Rebecca standing there, fury etched across her face. Her brown hair fell in wild waves around her shoulders, and her eyes blazed with an intensity that threatened to scorch everything in their path. She was wearing a tight blackdress that hugged her curves, the kind that left little to the imagination.

"You weren't supposed to claim your fiancée," she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

"You gave me no choice," I shot back. "You think I would claim you? You're nothing to me, Rebecca. Just because we fucked a few times means nothing. She's going to be my wife."

"Her?" Rebecca sneered, gesturing toward the dorm entrance. "The same girl who fucked Dan the majority of fall semester?"

Without warning, I grabbed her arm in a bruising grip. "Do not speak about my wife that way."

"Your wife?" she demanded, struggling against my hold. "Henry, you barely spoke about her. I know you don't care about her?—"

"It's not about whether I care about her or not," I said through gritted teeth. "She's stillmine."

"You don't want her," she hissed, still trying to free herself from my grasp. "You never did."

"And?"

"Break things off," she said, desperation seeping into her voice. "You don't have to marry her."

"I do."

"Why? Because your grandfather told you to?" Rebecca asked, her tone mocking. "Henry, he's?—"

"Be careful how you finish that sentence," I warned in a low, dangerous voice. "My grandfather is the single most important person in this world to me. If you even speak ill of him…" My voice trailed off menacingly.

Rebecca's eyes widened slightly, realizing she had pushed too far. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she stopped struggling against my grip.

The silence between us stretched thin and taut, like a wire ready to snap. I could feel the heat of anger radiating off both of us, a volatile mix of frustration and unresolved tension.

Rebecca finally wrenched herself free from my grasp, rubbing her arm where my fingers had left marks.

"You know," she said, caressing her wound, "just because you claimed her doesn't mean she's protected, right?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What are you talking about?"

She scoffed. "Please. Even you aren't this dense. Claiming Freya would be the perfect way to get to you. You think you don't have enemies after the stunt your sister pulled back in September? Or do you forget that your uncle is still around?"

My teeth clenched involuntarily. Richard Mathers had been in charge of the living trust after my grandfather died but was removed when Minka and I found evidence of his subterfuge. It wouldn't surprise me if Richard was looking for a chance at revenge.

"What are you saying?" I asked, my voice low and steady.

"I'm saying people aren't going to play by the rules," she said. "Whether they're your grandfather's or Ravenwood's. And unless you can take off the gloves, your world is going to change."

"Are you threatening me? Are you threatening my wife?"

"I'm not," she replied, her tone softer but no less intense. "I'm warning you."

"Why?" I demanded, trying to understand her angle.

"Because eventually, you will tire of her," she said with a knowing smile. "You won't want to spend your whole life with her. And when you realize that, I'll be waiting."

Her words hit me like a cold slap in the face. The certainty in her voice made my skin crawl. For a moment, I stood there staring at her, trying to gauge the depth of her conviction.

"What's going on here?"

Rebecca's smug grin was still etched in my mind when I turned and saw Freya. She stood there, two bags slung over her shoulders and a suitcase by her side. Her pale green eyes locked onto Rebecca, narrowing into slits.

"Nothing," Rebecca said, her voice dripping with false innocence. "I was sent here by my Master to see if Henry wanted to trade."

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