Page 27 of Crown of Steel

“One of our pupils has not shown up tonight.” Elder Jacques commented, his voice merely a slither like a hissing snake, filled with disappointment.

“Despite accommodating the request we received to accept a commoner amongst us, and the invitation that he has received to join us for his first Initiation, he has decided not to appear. He is a deviant, though I’m not sure why. Perhaps it is because of the lack of dignity in his blood?”

Someone whispered behind his heavy, golden mask, the unintelligible words sounding more like a gentle touch caressing the air, the words light and heavy at the same time.

“What to do brothers?” Elder Jacques ambled through the room,cane booming in their ears like thunder, its intervals slow and threatening. “What do we do to pupils who forsake their own destiny? An invitation to join the Alpha Fraternarii is a tremendous honor. One that can’t be ignored, nor refused!” He snarled.

Tonight, the first rituals had taken place. With five new pupils, instead of six, it had been busy in the small dungeon room. But my, oh my…had it been satisfying for the most senior brothers. In a few months things would change, once the pupils had completed their pledge to the brotherhood. Then they’d all be together, and able to discuss the future and the way they could alter it. But there was something very special about those first months, when sex was power and pupils were eager to please.

“We need our deviation to show soon, we promised the founding family to bring him home.” Elder Jacques breathed, and his voice turned soft again, regretful. “He needs to embrace his altered future.” His cane boomed again, annoyed. “He can’t ignore his destiny!”

“Priviledge,” hooded brothers chanted.

“He too shall become powerful.”

“Loyalty.”

“He too shall become influential.”

“Traditions.”

“He too shall belong.”

“Respect.”

Elder Jacques tilted his gaze, his stare empty from behind the golden mask that covered his face, and watched the group. “What happens to a brother who is lost?”

“We bring him back,” someone muttered with a low voice and a dipped head.

“And what if he doesn’t want to be brought back?” He spread his arms wide, silently requesting everyone to join in on that answer that would give each and every brother a flutter through their chests.

“We hunt him down,” they chanted. “Hunt him down. Hunt him down. Hunt him down…”

7

ARTHUR

“Hm, yeah, just like that…”

Slumped back onto the armchair, Louis has his head dipped backward, pointing toward the ceiling. Not that he’s watching the colorful coffered panels or all those tiny details. Nah, he’s got his eyes closed. His lips are parted, his chest is heaving and his hand is lightly placed onto the guy’s head. That guy is our favorite sex worker, who’s currently on his knees and between my brother’s spread legs, blowing his cock.

“Fuck, baby boy, how I missed you,” Louis groans. Grabbing hold of the escort’s light strands, he tugs at them, dipping his head to take in the action. He winks when he sees me glaring, then starts thrusting his hips. He’s getting close, and I really don’t have to see the outcome of that show. Unlike most siblings, Louis and I are not shy about watching each other having a good time. We’ve found ourselves in similar situations more than a few times. But that doesn’t mean that I have to see it through until the end.

Getting off the couch, I head for the shared kitchen to make myself a drink. Classes resumed earlier this month, and I’ve got one hell of a year ahead of me. This is my fourth and final year,and with my future outside school lurking closely over me, it will be a challenge to combine all of it. Once I graduate from Saint-Laurent, I will start my traineeship within our family company. The goal? To become the future CEO of the Deveraux Holding.

Destiny. My life has always been wrapped around my future. Every single careful step I take is in the name of my family. We currently manage six business units, and as part of preparing me for my future, Dad has allowed me to co-manage the merger of a chain of winehouses in Spain. So far, it has been both interesting and exciting, as well as a reassurance that this is what my brain was meant to focus on. Business, money, the future of our family. That was…until Dad and Nathalie got married.

I mean, no surprises there. They’ve been together for pretty much as long as I can remember. Even though she and Dad only officially moved in together when me and Louis started college, she comes as close to a mom I have ever had. Before she finally agreed to live with us by the sea, she lived in a beautiful penthouse closeby. Their love has always been solid. We were happy, the four of us. That is, until the day Dad told us about Régis. Our little stepbrother.

No, that’s not true either. I guess that I was surprised and curious about these sudden events. Where the hell did he come from? And where was he when we were living our lives together? Why had she never mentioned him before?

Behind me, Louis’s urgent pants are a sign that he’s about to come, but I switch off his sounds, focusing instead on the Nespresso machine Gaël insisted on getting. There’s a disarray of colorful cups that hurt my fucking eyes. Too much choice. Since I plan on putting a few more hours in studying, I settle with the yellow cup, the espressoVolluto. Whatever, as long as it does the trick. It’s the final one I allow myself for the evening. After nine I only drink herbal tea or water, unless it’s Friday night. My mental planning doesn’t allow for me tohave any social outbursts, my public appearance always monitored.

I am the one they all count on. The one who will secure their future. Which is why I can’t afford to make any mistakes.

“I thought you already finished your homework?” Louis asks on a ragged breath. His cheeks are flushed and he licks his lips while his eyes flutter, staring at my coffee.

“I’m still working on that final report for Dad.” With the coffee in hand, I flip them off, sauntering back to the bedroom I share with my twin. They did a great job renovating this dorm and turning it into a place for five. Our room is spacious with two single beds, two desks and a shitload of space for us to get dressed, complete with walk-in wardrobes and a standing mirror. Behind the changing area is a private bathroom with a tub and a separate shower and toilet. It also sits right next to Régis’s bathroom, and it didn’t take me long to realize that I can hear him in the morning. Meaning I know exactly when my gullible, snarky little stepbrother gets up for the day. He’s an early riser like myself, which I appreciate.

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