Page 2 of Heartless Legacy

“Oh. They’ll be legitimate vows when she says them. In fact, she’ll be begging me to marry her sooner than you think.”

“I doubt it, seeing how you already have a wife. You know, mymother? And did you forget that Joshua Laurent has no authority to make Thea go through with this?”

He straightens the shoulders of his suit jacket. “You’ll find out soon enough that the council is very particular about their wedding contracts. I’ve fulfilled my obligation to the Holloway family line. Now, I’m free to move on to another. As for Joshua Laurent, he owes a debt. One he can satisfy by assigning me as the girl’s legal guardian and a stake in his company. The councilwillagree to those terms. A high council member can’t very well have a bastard grandchild in the line of succession.”

“Thea won’t-”

He glares at me. “The girl’s a patient at Rockridge Psychiatric Facility. She’ll have two choices.Comply,or be drugged out of her mind in perpetuity. Both outcomes result in me getting the child I want. If she chooses the latter, then the people of this town will see me as the unfortunate soul left with a young child and a non-functioning wife. There will be no end to the number of willing cunts lined up on my doorstep to escort me to events and keep my dick warm at night.”

“If Thea’s drugged, she can’t consent. That’s-”

“Exactly how she likes to play with that Sullivan boy.” My surprise must show on my face. “Did you think it was a secret? We know all about his predilections. Why do you think the other families have been so hesitant to match their daughters to him?” His lips curve into a derisive smirk. “I’m not into somnophilia, so I’ll be sure to have her meds adjusted, so she’s lucid enough to scream for my cock during my visits.”

Turning to enter the room, he says, “Get your head on straight. Your concern needs to be on your future bride. Not mine.”

I want to keep him out here and argue more, but this isn’t the time or place where I want to create a scene. There are consequences to accusing a league member of a crime without proof.

Averting my gaze as I enter the room, I take my spot against the back wall near my friends. The meeting is called to order and the announcements begin. Of all the items on the agenda, only the last two get any kind of reaction from the crowd. I feel the stares when my name is called.

I knew our arrangement would be made public, but I didn’t expect it to happen today. There’s no way my father got this sham of a contact pushed through in the few hours it’s been since we were at the lawyer’s office. He’s been planning this betrayal for much longer than I thought.

The ceremony master says, “The esteemed members of The League of the Daggered Ravens have reviewed and ratified a contract proposal submitted by Malcolm Cox on behalf of his son, Paxton Cox, and do hereby ratify and accept for review, the petition to marry from Paxton Cox and Eloise Charles.”

“What?!”Finn pushes away from the wall, his head whipping to the right to look at me.

“Please make note that the contract is a singular agreement and does not request the inclusion of the members of this generation’s Trium, which comprises Finley Jefferson Rhodes, the Third, Holden Sullivan and Paxton Cox. As such, this petition serves as the official notice to void the current marriage agreement between Finley Jefferson Rhodes, the Third, and Eloise Charles.”

I feel Finn’s penetrating gaze on me. I know what he’s thinking. I was supposed to submit a marriage contract for Thea. It was supposed to include them. They were waiting for me before announcing our plans to their fathers. Finn hisses, “What the fuck is going on, Pax?”

On the dais, my father shifts, so he can see me. Finn’s rightly pissed, but I can’t give him any answers. My father knew my friends would react like this, and he’s already warned me what will happen if I say anything. I close my eyes, picturing Thea’sface. I think about the sound of her voice. Her laughter. My stomach sinks as I remember the one caveat she gave me before agreeing to give me a chance.Don’t fuck it up.

My promise to her was pure. I had no intentions of fucking up. But I also gave an oath as her companion to protect her. In our world, league oaths supersede any promises made. Breaking my promise is the only way to keep the companion oath.

When I open my eyes, I turn to Finn, a smirk on my face as I say, “I’m securing my future.” I force my body to remain relaxed as I push through the crowd to meet up with my new fiancé. It takes everything in me not to recoil away from Eloise. To lift my arm and sling it over her shoulder.

The scared shriek from somewhere behind me is the only warning I get that I need to move. I duck to my left, but even then, I’m too slow and feel the graze of the blade across the tip of my right ear.

Of course it plays out like this. I’ve betrayed Finn, and he’s trying to kill me in open chambers. I turn slowly to look at my friends as the meeting comes to a close. The cool assessment I’m used to seeing from Holden is missing. There’s only the hardened set of his jaw. The promise of pain in his eyes mirrors Finn’s. The hate staring at me says it all. Our generation’s Trium is fractured. Just like all the others that came before.

My phone buzzes just as soon as I’m free of the signal blockers in the parking lot. The back end of my car fishtails as I pull onto the highway. I stab at the read text button. A creepy ass message plays through the synthesized voice on my radio console.

Reality is an illusion. That keeps us in chains. How far will you go?What are you willing to risk? For freedom and truth

I scowl at my dashboard, turning the volume up on the radio. The last thing I’m in the mood for right now is a league puzzle.

Thea

The door swings open, my eye’s tracking my ex boyfriend’s father as he steps into the room. His shoulders block out what little light filters in from the hallway. My back is against the wall, my feet dig into the cold ground. “I guess I have you to thank for my accommodations?” I say, to hide my unease.

The door closes behind him with a soft click. “They tell me you’re refusing to eat.”

“Not at all. I’ve just been waiting to share my food with friends. Wanna be friends?”

“I can assure you we’re gonna be so much more than that.”

“I’m up for the challenge.”

“Challenge?” He laughs. “Is that what you think this is? Another league challenge?” I blink up at him, suspecting he won’t let that question linger in the air for long. “This is your new reality, and it has nothing to do with the league.”

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