Page 53 of Made in Malice

“Oh, I see why you want her.” Nox grins, and it makes me a little nervous. Lucian doesn’t smile much, and when he does, it always seems to be at my expense. I can’t help but think his brother will be the same.

“Why haven’t they told you anything? Why did they keep you a secret from everyone else?” He tilts his head to the side, examining me. I wish I could tell if he’s messing with my head or if he really knows more like he’s insinuating.

“If they were trying to keep me a secret from everyone, why would they have me enrolled at Cadieux?” I fire back.

“They didn’t whisper a peep about you until the day I found you at the college,” he replies.

“I had just agreed to come a day or two before that, I didn’t even know they existed, so why would they tell people about me?” I argue.

“But they knew about you,” he counters, very sure of himself, and it’s the truth. The lawyer said they’d been looking for and trying to reach me for a while.

“They didn’t know I would agree to come here.”

He snorts. “It’s actually funny that you think you would have had a choice. They need you.”

“What does that mean?”

“See? You’re in the dark about everything.” There’s a definite air of challenge in his tone to go with his smug sense of superiority.

“Then tell me if you think you know everything.” I’m hoping the goad will work to get him talking.

“I think I like seeing you stumble along, lamb. It gives me pleasure. Besides…” Lucian leans back and looks at me from under lowered lids. “Someday soon, you’ll come to me, begging, and I can’t fucking wait.”

“Then why the heck am I even here if you’re not going to tell me anything?” I toss my hands up in the air, exasperated with the entire situation.

“Because I wanted you here, and I always get what I want.” Lucian blinks lazily, unfazed and unhurried. He really is unhinged.

NOVA

I rise to my feet, and both of their eyes track the movement. It’s almost eerie, considering they look so similar, yet there’s a distinct manner about them that makes it easy to know which is which. “I could say it’s been fun, but it would be a lie,” I tell them in lieu of saying goodbye.

“You’re not at all curious about what secrets they are keeping from you?” Lucian presses, but he’s probably bluffing. He just admitted he’s not going to tell me anything.

“Give me a reason to believe that you’ll actually tell me anything or that I should even believe it,” I counter.

“Nothing is free, lamb. What do I get in return?”

“I’m here, aren’t I? I gave you my trust when I got in the car with you. How about a little reciprocation.”

“Again, you didn’t have a choice. I wanted you here, and here you are.”

“There’s always a choice, pretty boy, some are just harder to make than others.” With that, I walk out of the room and head down the stairs at the end of the hall. I work desperately not to look over my shoulder to see if either of them will follow me, but I’m so anxious that my heart thunders in my chest, waiting for someone to grab me and throw me in a locked room or something. I follow the dim lights down the same path he took me through, barely taking my eyes off the space directly in front of me until I see the heavy exterior door looming twenty feet away.

My stomach does a summersault when I touch the handle and the knob twists, proving I’m not trapped in here. When I’m safely tucked into my car, my doors locked, I finally take a chance and look back up at the house. In one of the large upper windows, I see two dark silhouettes. The resulting chill catches me off guard, making me shiver in my seat, even with the balmy temperature.

As eager as I am to get off their property, I don’t speed to the gate. There’s a big part of me that’s worried they just let me think I’m getting away and they plan on keeping me trapped behind their walls until they decide to let me go.

I check my locks again before slowing to a stop near the iron barrier and quietly plead, “Come on, open up,” while gripping the steering wheel and glancing in my rearview mirror. I know they must have cameras or a sensor of some sort, but seconds tick by with nothing happening.

I nibble the corner of my lip, debating if I should leave my car parked here and scale the wall to get out. Even calling Alden crosses my mind, but somehow, I think that would get me in more trouble with him, and maybe even Rory and Astrid.

I let out a little squeak and jump as the motor of the gate kicks on and slowly starts to open. I hit the button for the Umbras’ gate directly across the road, pushing closer and closer to the metal until I’m finally out of their territory. Too bad I don’t feel much safer, even after I’m behind another wall, surrounded by even more strangers.

Nova

I contemplate skipping class when I wake up in the morning, but I force myself to get out of bed and go through the motions. I can sleep in tomorrow, and I might just stay in bed all day Sunday as a treat to myself.

I’m mentally exhausted. Between school, work, and Lucian, I feel like I’m barely treading water, and the waves are getting dangerously close to crashing over my head.

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