Page 194 of Ink Deep Devotion

“Hey,” Anders smirks as he sits back down in his chair. Just to taunt Cillian, he touches the blade to the wood again.“We all needed to laugh.”

“We need to think.” Leo huffs.

“We think better after we laugh,” Anders argues.

Dante taps his fingers against the table.“There is no one left of the council to ask.”

“There is only Royce, Avery’s dad.” Cillian replies.

“I don’t trust him.” Leo grunts.

“Me either.” Titan adds.

“So, we need to start digging. Mila, how old would you say Camilla is?” Dante asks,

“Umm, well, she was stunning. Not a wrinkle marked her face. At first glance, I’d say she was in her early thirties, but she held herself so regal. I think that only comes with age. So early forties.”

“Okay,” Dante nods.“We start to look at every member of The Rites of Passage who is over thirty. Every single person will have a deep dive into their past. This ex of Camilla’s has got to be someone who was born into this. Camilla kept mentioning he was loyal and devoted. That’s not developed overnight. You’re either born into it, or they saved him from something so terrible he felt indebted.”

“Good idea.” Leo agrees.

“That will take forever,” Anders sighs. His eyes are concentrated on the little pattern he is carving into the table.

“So we make a team, clear their backgrounds first, and then use them to look into others.” Dante suggests,“This will be a good way to clean house. No more council. The error The Rites of Passage made was forming one. You can’t ask someone to watch a god rule and not expect them to lust to become one. We’re all going to keep each other in check.”

“I think we should offer people a way out.” I throw into the conversation.

“What does that mean?” Anders grunts.

“Some of the members were forced into this. Born into it. If they feel forced, then they will feel the need to watch it burn. Why not offer them a way out? Freedom.”

“That’s too risky. There is a reason our dads didn’t give us a choice.” Titan replies.

“We’re not our dads, and this generation of The Rites of Passage is different. If someone wants to escape, I think we should offer it to them, giving them an olive branch instead of burning a bridge.”

“It’s too dangerous. They will be targeted.” Dante replies.

“Then we make more Averys.” I object. Leo’s neck stiffens. “More people who are on the inside working to dismantle us.”

They all remain silent as they ponder.“Mila and I will reach out and offer people a chance to escape,” I can hear Mila’s breath quicken.“I’d like Avery to help.” I look at Leo.

“You’re leaving, Dash,” Titan interjects before Leo can reply.

“I’m staying where I belong.”

“We talked about this.”

“Wedidn’t.” Anders aims the tip of his ax at Titan. “What the fuck does that mean, Titan?”

“I want Dash and Mila to live a life away from this,” Titan presses as he looks at Mila.

“Dash and I want to stay, but we want to make our time here meaningful. I did run. I needed to, but I also knew the man chasing me would never kill me. Not everyone has that safety net.”

“I’ll let Avery help you.” Leo dips his chin.

Mila’s face lights up.

“Um, hello!” Nova bats her lashes,“I’m here. I’m the O.B. of helping little birdies escape. I was the first person to try to help Mila. I want to be involved.”

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