Page 1 of Martyr

Chapter 1:

Nix stood in the corner of his dorm room, tracking Lake’s movements as he packed his things for him. Clothing and textbooks were shoved into a duffle bag haphazardly, as though Lake could feel the same clawing tension in the air that Nix felt.

How had things gotten so messed up so quickly?

He’d come here in search of answers, wanting to find justice for his cousin after she’d sent him a cryptic letter just before taking her own life.

Only now, it was starting to seem like Nix had never really known her at all, and that the letter was more a setup than a plea for help. Earlier that day, he’d discovered Branwen had gone by a fake name at Foxglove Grove University. It explained why he hadn’t been able to find any traces of her since everyone on campus knew her by an alias, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure out why she’d go through all that trouble.

What had she been trying to hide?

And from who?

The man packing up Nix’s things, even though he’d made it clear he didn’t want to go anywhere with him? That would be a good guess. The Demons of Foxglove Grove weren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty or throwing their weight around. A person like Branwen wouldn’t have anything to fear so long as she kept her head down and stayed off their radar.

But a person like Iris…

Iris Cherith. Branwen’s fake identity. She’d kept her real last name, possibly because the school wouldn’t allow her to change it, but Nix couldn’t be certain. Yet. He’d have to find out. There were more threads now than at the start of it, but that wasn’t what frustrated him the most.

It was the fact he was here, being dragged around by Lake like he was one of the man’s possessions instead of an individual person. He could be out there, searching for answers now that he finally had a clue to follow, or even leaving since he’d learned she wasn’t who he’d thought her to be, but instead, he was trapped here.

Bleeding.

His hand shook as he lifted it, placing it tenderly against the torn spot on his neck, shock still coursing through his system over what had just happened.

How Lake had bitten him, and not just with any plain old bite either.

Nix should have anticipated some type of retaliation once the Imperial learned of his connection to Iris, but he’d foolishly divulged that information, and almost as soon as he had, Lake had shoved him up against a wall and punished him for that connection.

Not that the other guy considered it a punishment.

Asshole.

It needed to be bandaged as soon as possible, and a part of him wondered how much of Lake’s haste was due to wanting to get him medical attention and how much of it was out of worry Nix might try to run.

His gaze darted toward the closed door, but he didn’t so much as shift closer to it. Where would he even go? Back home?

It was tempting. So tempting. To give up on everything and flee. Why stay? For Branwen? The person he’d trusted the most? Where had that trust gotten him?

“She knew,” he whispered, not realizing he was speaking out loud until Lake paused and turned toward him with a blank expression on his cold face. “When she wrote me that letter, she knew what would happen once I read it.”

Maybe Nix hadn’t known her as well as he’d thought, but that wouldn’t be the case if their roles were reversed. He’d always been transparent with her. His one and only friend. The only family member he’d believed understood him and was on his side. She’d known his quiet act was just that, that he had a rebellious streak. That he was capable of picking up and starting over if it meant protecting someone he cared for.

She’d also known she was the only real person who made that list.

And what had she done?

He laughed stupidly and tapped his head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling as tears filled his eyes. “In the letter, she even put that she shouldn’t be writing to me.”

“She probably guessed you’d come to Foxglove in search of answers,” Lake agreed after a lengthy pause.

“Bet you’re pleased about that,” he practically snarled, quirking a brow when that had Lake frowning. “The fact that she wanted me to come means it’s possible for me to discover the person who hurt her. If we’re correct in our thinking, that also happens to be your hacker.”

“You’re my hacker,” Lake corrected.

Nix snorted but now wasn’t the time to argue with him about ownership. “There’s got to be something I’ve missed. A clue somewhere she expected me to easily find. If only I hadn’t wasted all this time with—”

“Don’t,” Lake warned.

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