Page 15 of Deadly Sacrifice

Sighing, Asher sits back on his haunches and nods. “Yeah, you can’t sign right now. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” His molars grind together, making the muscles in his jaw twitch. “You worried me. That’s why we agreed you wouldn’t lock your door. What if you had a nightmare and I couldn’t get to you? What if you were barefoot earlier, and you shredded your fucking feet trying to get the door open for me?” He pauses, blowing out a heavy breath and pushing his brown hair off his forehead. “You can’t do this to me again,” he murmurs, watching me with defeated, tired green eyes.

I swallow down every emotion that’s begging to burst from my chest, calming my face with a serene nod. I do know better, but tonight sent me for a fucking loop, and I wasn’t in my right mind. I can’t tell Asher, or even Creed, though. No one can know what set this panic attack into motion.

But it’s funny, actually, when I think about it.

How a small, unassuming redhead in a library could send me spiraling so ferociously. Digging around into the city’s history. I call bullshit on that line she said about just being curious since she’ll be living here now. Nobody gives a shit about stuff like that. And that book about the city’s founders and how they arrived here? Nah, I don’t buy her story at all.

Prudence is a lot more trouble than I ever could have imagined.

10

Asher

I just walked through the front door after a long day of class when my phone rings. With a tired exhale, I grab it from my pocket while I start the journey upstairs to my room on the third floor. My mood plummets when I see who’s calling.

“Hi, Dad,” I say flatly.

“Son,” he replies, his tone just as bored and dry as mine. “Any news on that Sexton girl?”

My steps falter. I’m caught between wanting to follow orders blindly to prove myself and wanting to know more about her before ruining her life. If it were a stranger, I don’t think I’d give it a second thought before destroying everything and sending them packing. Orders and initiation have to come first. But she’s not a stranger. Not really. I can’t even explain why I feel that way, but every time I look at Prudence, something old and hazy tries to surface from my memories.

I get myself locked inside my bedroom, leaning back against the door. “Not yet. I’m trying to figure out the best way to go about this,” I tell him, only half lying. I may have been stalling a little. And yeah, I slipped up and asked her out. More than once. I can’t help it, I’m fucking curious about her.

What would my dad have to say if he knew? Even thinking about his vile words sends a shiver down my spine.

My dad tuts into the phone, reminding me of when I was a child and always disappointing him somehow. Hell, I seem to be a giant disappointment even now, and I’m twenty-one years old. “We’re not in the position for you to take your sweet time, Asher. This situation requires brutality. Physical or not, I don’t give a damn. Just get her to her breaking point and then shove her over the fucking edge of it.”

My mouth opens to agree, like I always do, but then I stop. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I dare to say, “What is it about her that’s so threatening? I’ve seen her around campus. I have a class with her. She doesn’t seem like anything other than another college girl. Harmless and a little clueless, if I’m honest. Why do The Celestials want her gone so badly?”

The silence that follows my questions is deafening.

Once he’s sure I’m regretting saying anything, my dad sighs heavily, and then says, “Her mom was a student at Blackwood years ago. She was also, like you said, just a normal college girl. Until she fell into a world she never should have been witness to.”

My brows scrunch low as more questions spring up. “She somehow found out about The Celestials?” I guess. “So what? It’s not like she could have proved anything if she ever talked.”

Dad hums, and I can picture him nodding along in agreement. “True, it would have made her a laughingstock if she ever tried. But worse than her stumbling upon our secrets, she got wrapped up in a devastating love with one of the junior members. He was foolish to get involved with an outsider, but he wouldn’t listen to reason. So, little by little, she worked her way into our world, learning our secrets, and undoubtedly finding ways to take us down.”

I’m still confused. Images of the unnervingly familiar redhead filter through my mind once again. I want to ask him why this story has anything to do with Prudence, but before I can, he continues.

“When the inevitable fallout broke the two apart, she walked away with too much information. Too much hard evidence. She threatened to take it all to the police. Thankfully, the junior member acted swiftly, and managed to stop her, but—“

“Wait, police? Why? Nothing we do is actually illegal. Just… frowned upon. Right?”

Again, a heavy silence weighs on my chest while I wait for my dad to confirm. For as long as I’ve known about The Celestials, it’s been my understanding that they’re a bunch of rich people who use their money and influence to swing their metaphorical big dicks around. The Celestials were formed with like-minded individuals who, like it or not, have power in the world and wanted to keep it. Generations and generations have continued, and wealth and power have only grown, affording the elder members whatever life they want.

Strings are pulled, big favors get tossed around, and I’m pretty sure a bit of money laundering is happening behind closed doors to keep The Celestials rich. But it’s not like they kill people. So why does a crap load of money and power warrant a threat about the police?

“Do you want a reason for targeting the Sexton girl, or do you want to keep interrupting me?” my dad says in a low voice, sending a tremor through me, just like it always has.

“I’m sorry,” I grit out through clenched teeth, trying to hold in the emotion in my voice. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been on a thin line with him. Half afraid of my dad, half willing to do whatever it takes for his approval. A simple good job, son would have do wonders for me growing up. Now I’m all fucked. I’m ready to destroy a girl’s life just to please him.

I don’t have time to think about that, though. Otherwise, I’ll feel guilty and I might back out, and then what’s my dad going to do with me? He’s made it clear before. If I don’t complete my initiation task and continue his legacy with The Celestials, I’m as good as dead to him.

“Anyway,” he drawls after a tense pause. “He stopped her. Taught her a lesson. But the next day, she vanished, and we found out afterward that she had something in her possession that could bring down everything The Celestials have worked hard to achieve. All these years later, her daughter shows up at Blackwood University, of all places? Her mom would have steered her far away from this school, not encouraged her to follow in mommy’s footsteps. It’s not a coincidence, son, and to believe so is an ignorance we can’t afford. The only reason Prudence Sexton would be here is to finish what her mother started and make good on the threat she made twenty years ago.”

My feet carry me to my bed while my mind is miles away. Sitting down on the edge, I lean my elbows on my knees and shake the images of Prudence from my mind. “Right, so she’s here to expose whatever her mom stole, then? And The Celestials are leaving it to the junior members to clean up? That doesn’t make sense. Why hadn’t they tracked Prudence’s mom down all those years ago if it was so important?”

“Dammit, Asher,” he snaps with a loud bang in the background, like he’s slammed his palm on his desk or something. “Enough fucking questions. You were given one simple task to complete initiation. Do it, be the one who delivers her to us broken beyond repair, and I’ll answer anything you want. The secrets of The Celestials will be yours. But not before. As a junior member, you don’t have the right to know everything.”

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