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“We know you are afraid, but you are in a place now where you will never want for anything,” I say, turning to face her. “You will be looked after and revered here. You will find your place within Solitaire, and you will never look back.”
“Society?” she asks, confused.
“Come.” I hold my hand out and beckon her forward.
She moves slowly. Owen takes her bag and stashes it on a chair around the table. She looks into my eyes, full of innocence and questions. I wiggle my fingers to encourage her to take my hand.
She licks her lips and reaches out. I grip her fingers and turn her hand over, slashing her palm quickly and efficiently before she even knows what’s happened. Bailey lets out a cry of anguish when I turn her hand over and squeeze, allowing her blood to drip into the empty inkpot Archer is holding out.
“Sign in blood, and the world will be yours to take, baby girl,” Archer murmurs.
“What?” she balks. She glances at the book, and the quill Archer is holding. “What the fuck is this?”
Her anger is starting to rear its head, fueled by her fear.
“Sign your name, Bailey, and you will belong to Solitaire.”
“No!” she snaps. “No! That’s disgusting!”
I flinch but shake it off, wishing I’d had time to prepare her for what was to come.
She looks to Owen for assistance, but he just smiles at her and comes closer. “This is your destiny, Bailey. This is what we have waited a very long time for. For you.”
“But what is it?” she asks desperately.
“A global organization that will be at your disposal for whatever your heart desires. I am the head of the House of the Hearts, the Manchester chapter of Solitaire,” Archer says.
“A Secret Society?” she asks, her voice going higher with each word. “Are you fucking joking?”
Archer shakes his head. “Deadly serious. You are our Alice. You belong on the Court with Owen, Finn, and me, plus a couple of others, and minus one in particular.”
I grimace at the reminder of Gryphon’s betrayal, and his disappearance. I look forward to hunting him down and killing him for it.
“Alice?” Her gaze finds mine. “Alice.”
I nod. “Alice in Wonderland. This is your Land of Wonders, Alice. Sign your name, and it will be yours.”
She blinks, clutching at her slashed hand. Her eyes flick to the inkpot and quill. “You are crazy.”
“Possibly,” I murmur. “But still, we are serious about this, Alice. Sign your name, and then we can initiate you into Solitaire.”
“Initiate,” she whispers. “Initiate.”
Archer shoves the quill and inkpot at me. I draw the glass to my nose and inhale the scent of her blood. Archer approaches her and turns on the charm. I can see it in the way his body moves toward her. Sleek and predatory. His tone is soft and warm, smooth like honey.
“Baby girl,” he murmurs, taking her in his arms. “I need you to do this for me. Can you do that? Hmm? I need you with me by my side. We all do. We need you, Bailey.”
She inhales sharply, his words getting to her. “But I don’t understand what this really is.”
“Everything will become clear once you are initiated. We can’t reveal our secrets until you are in.”
She hesitates, but when Archer gently strokes her arm and gives her that smile that would launch a thousand ships in his favor, she sighs. Her shaking hand reaches for the quill. I hand it to her and hold out the pot.
With a look of disgust, she dips the quill and leans over the book, scrawling her name in her blood at the bottom of the long, long list of initiates, sealing her fate.
“Perfect,” I murmur and step back into the shadows. Owen does the same. The rest is for the King of Hearts and him alone. I slowly turn the handle on the door at the far side and open the door, watching as Archer reaches out and slides Bailey’s jacket over her shoulders.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
