Page 87 of Ruthless Legacy

Finn hurls his knife at the wall. Pax doesn’t get it, and I’m seconds away from putting him to sleep. Permanently. “She does now. You’ve just told her whereyouthink her place is.”

“Where are you going?” He asks when I walk away.

“To find Thea and tell her you don’t speak for me about this.”

“I was honest about my feelings. She won’t make it through the process, and you’re upset that she couldn’t handle hearing the truth? You’re letting her come between us.Again.”

I face him. He’s delusional or being intentionally obtuse. “She’s not coming between us, Pax. She’s not causing problems within The Trium. She’s been doing her damndest to avoid us. She’s honoring our agreement, and tonight she asked for help. Which didn’t break any rules. Have you thought about how hard this process will be for her? We know what’s coming. We know what she’s going to face, so why shouldn’t we give her tips if we can?”

“Nobody gave us tips.”

“We didn’t start our process after being drugged and attacked multiple times.”

“I was drugged too.”

Finn snarls, “Your dose was less than hers and you sure benefited from it, didn’t you? You got the girl who hates you underneath you where she belongs. So it seems like you’ve already put her in her place.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.”

This constant tension isn’t good for me. For us as a Trium. If we’re no longer in synch, Finn and I deserve to know. “Where’s your head at Pax?”

“It’s where it always is. Prospects and other families have been trying to get between us for years and you’re going to let some selectee destroy our bond?”

Finn yanks his knife out of the wall. As he walks through the door, he says, “No Pax. You keep doing that all on your own.”

* * *

Finn

I’m over Pax and his fucking attitude. Holden can stay and deal with him and his shit tonight. I catch up to Thea in front of the admin building. She’s just standing in the middle of the sidewalk like she’s not sure where she should go.

I’ve felt directionless before. I place a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to acknowledge me. She shrugs it off and scowls at me. “What do you want, Finn?”

“Nothing. I don’t want anything at all.”

“Did you come out here to watch me break down? Because I’m not.”

I grab her hand and tug. “Let me show you something.”

She only resists a little. But Thea likes a mystery, so she lets me pull her behind the admin building and over to the back end of Crawford Hall. I use my key to unlock the door and walk her to the stairs that lead all the way to the roof.

Nobody comes up here. It’s supposed to be off limits after a drunk student almost fell off the roof. It’s become our go to place for hiding shit when we pull pranks.

I also come up here because it’s the highest point on campus and sometimes being up high above all the bullshit is the best way to put things into perspective.

I let go of her hand and drop down to sit, swinging my legs over the edge. It’s a small thing, but I feel better already. It’s like the air up here is fresher. I can see things just a little clearer.

Five minutes ago, if you would have asked me why I followed Thea out of the dining hall, I wouldn’t have had an answer. But now, I do.

I hate seeing the strained look on her face. I hate that she’s uncomfortable around us, and I hate things seem so hard right now. But here on the edge, it’s easy. I went outside, because I want to be with Thea. It’s more than a little crush. More than an infatuation. It’s an obsession. It’s madness.

There’s never been anyone that makes me feel this constant spike of adrenaline. Like a shot straight into my veins. I’ve never cared about the people I sleep with. Everyone knows I’m notorious for getting bored. But I don’t think I’ll ever tire of her. She and I vibrate on a similar frequency. I felt it the first time we met.

Thea joins me on the edge. I crack open the bottle of wine I pulled from the cooler behind the door and take a drink before passing it over to her. She gulps it down, swiping the moisture off her bottom lip before drinking again. When she hands it back it, she says, “Where’d you get that from?”

I point to my cooler. “It’s always up here. Warm, but readily available.”

I take another drink, then set the bottle between us. I’m not trying to get drunk. Just a little boozy and relaxed. The sun is setting. I watch as Thea lies down, stretching out with the soles of her feet resting against the small ledge.

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