Page 4 of Heartless Legacy

“What do I get out of this, other than fake freedom?” There’s no way I’m agreeing, but if I keep him talking, maybe he’ll reveal something useful.

“You want assurances?”

“Of course. If I’m returning to Canyon Falls, I still want the life I was building. My education and my future. I want that in writing, and ratified by the high council. Come back when you have the paperwork.”

Fiddling with his cufflinks, he says, “I’m sure you’re used to playing idiots like my son and his friends, but I’m not stupid. There is no negotiation. You get nothing other than what I’ve already offered.”

Turning towards the door, he says, “A few weeks in the rehabilitation program should give you a different perspective.”

Holden

Thea didn’t show for the league meeting, and she never reported in after her last challenge. The recruitment council has started the process to have her dropped from her year group, and the high council gave the guardians a retrieval order to bring her back. When she’s found, they’ll label her as unaligned and punish her for her desertion.

It makes sense that Thea left. The council’s marriage announcement blindsided Finn and me, but I’m sure Eloise went straight to Thea as soon as she signed the paperwork to rub it in her face. There’s no way she’d stick around and play nice while Pax struts around campus with enemy number one on his arm.

Hadn’t I known she was only biding her time, waiting for us to make a mistake? She’d given us so many chances, and we betrayed her trust, time and time, again. Only this time, Pax lied to us, too. We believed him when he said his alliance with Eloise was over. All those days he was meeting with the lawyer, we thought he was working on a contract for Thea, but it turns out it was Eloise he intended to marry all along.

He didn’t even stick to the part of the plan where our names were supposed to be included in the proposal. I don’t want to bein a three-way marriage with Eloise, but Pax excluding us is just another cut in the bonds that tied us together. He put his thirst for power over the good of the group, and with one selfish stroke of the pen, we’ve followed in the footsteps of all the other Triums that came before.

Finn’s happy to be done with Eloise, but it’s hard to celebrate that win when we’ve suffered such a heavy loss. We’ve lost our brother and our woman. Wherever Thea is, she’s completely off the grid. The last place her cellphone pinged was Palm Springs after her final exam. They found her car abandoned in a parking lot a few blocks away from her last known location. Nobody’s heard from her. Not her parents or friends, or even Coach Wolfe.

I’m pissed Thea left me without a goodbye and without a way to track her, but I’m more pissed at myself. My alliance with Pax is the reason she left me behind. Never once have I denounced the oath, I made with him. Never once did I waiver from what we swore all those years ago. So why wouldn’t she think I’m in on his latest scheme to embarrass her? Because that’s what it is. Embarrassing that her assigned companion has applied to marry the woman who orchestrated a vicious attack against her. An attack she’s literally wearing the scars of.

Thea’s gone, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting her get away. She’ll have to come up for air at some point and when she does, I’ll bring her back and show her just what I meant when I said she belonged to me.

In the meantime, I’m forced making appearances around town, pretending to care about the latest girl on my arm. For all the interest and chemistry I have with them, I might as well be escorting my sister Hayden. I considered making that request, but I don’t want to expose her to this side of our world any sooner than necessary.

My father gives me a pointed look as I enter the restaurant. Its meaning isn’t hard to decipher. My disinterest is showing.What does he want me to do? I’ve never been good at faking it. I’m fulfilling my obligation with the latest daughter of The League’s choosing. At some point, they, and my father, will decide on a companion that offers the greatest alliance, and making our relationship permanent will begin.

My jaw clenches at the thought. There shouldn’t be any talk of permanence. I already picked the girl I want to be tied to for the rest of my life. Unlike Pax, I had actual feelings for Thea. I can’t just move on as if she was never here.

I wish Finn and I had never included him in our plan. We thought we were doing the right thing by him. By our Trium, and it bit us in the ass. I wipe all emotion from my face, wearing the bland expression I’ve been presenting for years. Thankfully, this party is a work event for my dad, and I won’t be seeing Pax tonight. I just need to get through this. Eat the food, make idle chit-chat, then I can get back to my computers and the search for my future bride.

Thea

My stomach hurts, and my eyes burn from lack of sleep. I thought nothing could be as bad as waking up and learning I was buried in a box and set on fire. How wrong I was. This padded cell is more confining than any coffin could ever be, because of what it represents.

How many days has it been since my lasttherapysession? Seven? Eight? I’ve lost count. Meals don’t come at regular intervals, so I can’t use that as a reference point. Not that it would matter if they did. Twice, I’ve woken with no sense of time, lethargic, and a drumbeat in my head, so I stopped eating. There’s no way I’m gonna help them drug me into compliance. As long as I’m awake, I can fight.

The door creaks open. The light that filters in exacerbates the pain in my eyes. Malcolm’s back. His suit stands in stark contrast to the grimy walls and muffled cries in the hall. My hair’s unwashed, and I smell. I couldn’t look less like a pampered princess if I tried. He glares at me with so much disgust, it’s a wonder he doesn’t immediately change his mind about his proposed arrangement.

We’ve been doing this song and dance for weeks. He comes here and tells me that nobody misses me; the world is movingon; the guys have moved on. Like I’m supposed to be hurt or shocked by that. Am I supposed to curl up and cry? I already know whatever affection they pretended to have for me was a lie. A way to manipulate me for more money and power. I dealt with and moved on from that shit before the cops slapped the cuffs on me.

As always, I remain silent. Malcolm likes to hear himself talk. Eventually, he’ll say something that’s supposed to belittle me into submission. Malcolm was all too happy to tell me he’s planted the idea in everyone’s head that I ran away. Supposedly, the stress of pledging the League of the Daggered Ravens and the expectations for my future were too much for me to deal with, given my poverty ridden background. That lie is the reason no one submitted a missing person’s report. It also lays the groundwork for my return and his petition to have me assigned to him for propertutelage.

I guess he missed the memo about me being emotionally stunted, with severe abandonment issues that I refuse to deal with. Leaving me behind is always what I expect people to do. If anything, his news validates my thoughts and beliefs.

“I’ve heard you’re an intelligent girl, yet I’ve seen no proof of that. Do you think dragging this on changes anything for you?”

It might not change it, but that doesn’t mean I have to make this easy on anyone.

“I’ve given you ample time to consider your predicament. To accept my offer. Since you’re still refusing, I’ll have to precede another way.”

I flick my eyes over him, the tone of his voice a warning that this next course of action will include less talking. “I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that without me, you’re never leaving this place. No one’s coming to rescue you.”

He’s referring to my many escape attempts. I don’t need anyone to come for me. I can rescue myself. So far, my attemptshave been unsuccessful, but each time I make it a little further, learning what hallways and stairwells to avoid. The last time, I made it as far as the loading dock by the cafeteria before the orderlies captured me. Hence the drugging, which led to my refusal to eat.

He drones on. “So you see, you’re completely at my mercy. I can make your stay here as comfortable or as miserable as you want. Either way, Iwillget what I want.”

---