Page 18 of Pretty Secrets

My stomach tightens. I would give anything for her not to have to go through this. Reaching out, I pull her to a stop before we hit the sidewalk that takes us to the oldest building on campus. “I’m worried about you.”

She cocks her head to the side. “I know. I could tell since you arrived, but you don’t have to be, Oliver. Dee would do the same for me.”

She attempts to walk away, but I slide my fingers around her wrist and hold firmly. “Be prepared for what you’re getting yourself into. They’ll treat you like the dirt underneath their shoes. They’ll use you and spit you out.” She rolls her eyes, and I groan in frustration. “What if nothing sinister is happening and we join the Knights for nothing? You can’t get out, Eden. You’ll be stuck. For life.”

She presses her lips together. “I understand the consequences, Oliver. What you don’t understand is that I’malreadystuck for life.” She shakes her head. “Dee hid me from so much shit. She was the angel I didn’t know I had. Well, it’s my turn now. I can’t keep digging my head into the sand. So yes, although I’d really love to be on a beach with you right now, sipping Mai Tais under an umbrella, it’s not happening. You can, though. I didn’t drag you into this. Go. Be free.”

She doesn’t say it maliciously, but it feels like a stab in the gut. “You don’t understand. Where you go, I go.”

“I love you dearly, Ollie, so I’m going to say this once: From this point forward, there are no more warnings. There’s no more treating me with kid gloves. This was my idea, and I’m following through with it. You can do it alongside me or not. Either way, I’m doing it.”

My throat locks up. It sucks when you want to be someone’s hero and they won’t let you. Turning away would be the easiest route, but I’m not doing that to her. “Understood,” I confirm, her words still spiraling through me. What Eden doesn’t understand is that I can’t just turn that part of me off. Whether she ever reciprocates my feelings or not, I will always love the girl standing in front of me. And when you love something, you treat it with the care and attention it deserves.

Even if they don’t like it….

My fingers squeeze around the bottle in my hand. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this. Coming here was about talking some sense into her, not running along beside her like a faithful dog. I swirl the contents inside, mixing the drug-laced water that will make her fall asleep before we even hit the Knights building. I can have the jet on the tarmac waiting for us in twenty minutes. All we have to do is show up.

Will she hate me? Fuck yes. Will I be saving her life? No doubt.

I unscrew the cap on the bottle and hold it out to her. “Do you need a dr—”

A guy with wide shoulders walks between us, knocking us both off balance and sending my bottle of water to the ground. “Is this the way to the devil’s club?” He laughs like he’s told the joke of the year.

Eden narrows her gaze at his leather jacket and short-cropped hair. “Shit,” she whispers. “Was that Leonardo Jarvis? I thought they kicked his ass out.”

She picks up the pace while I stare down at my last-ditch effort to save her now emptying out into the grass. Fuck me. My window is completely gone. Once we hit that building, it’s over for Edie. I catch up with her as more Knights and potential members show up the nearer we are to the building. My heart bangs a final death knell. Someone would notice if I attempted to drag her away now. Fuck.

That’s what I get for trying to talk her out of it instead of just drugging her earlier. Trying to be the nice guy doesn’t work. You would think I’d have learned that by now.

Furious, I stride through the crowd with purpose, following the others to the hidden door that faces the forest. Jarvis gets there first, sending a scathing look to the robed Knight standing next to the entrance who eyes us all as we arrive. He makes quick work of entering while I try to memorize the way he got in. Who knows if there’ll be a demonstration on this or not.

Eden eagerly falls in line with the rest of them, her head on a swivel as we take in the surroundings. The halls are lit with torches, and it makes me wonder if life imitates art or if art imitates life. Aren’t all secret societies housed in hidden away buildings lit with flames licking from wall sconces? It’s a bit too cliché if you ask me. I’ve been in dozens of castles and not one of them doesn’t have modern electricity.

Men in dark cloaks stand in intervals through the halls as if they’re the trail of M&M’s leading us home. Their hoods hide their identities, covering the upper half of their faces. At the end of the hall, we enter a circular chamber that’s several stories tall, archways dotted throughout outlining even more men concealing themselves in the shadows.

Several seconds later, a huge door closes. The draft causes the torches to flicker, leaving us in complete darkness for half a second. Eden steps closer to me, and I reach out a comforting hand to her forearm. I don’t leave it there for long. She doesn’t need my reassurance. At least, she thinks she doesn’t.

“Welcome, Knights, Fledglings, and Pledges. We’d like to start off this year’s first meeting with a moment of silence for a fallen Fledgling. Please bow your heads and remember the life of Delilah Astor.”

Eden’s audible gasp squeezes my heart. Through the dimly lit room, I see her fingers curl into fists while the surrounding heads bow as requested. The longer the silence lasts, the more antsy she gets, fidgeting from foot to foot. This time, I really do grab her forearm and keep hold of it. All she needs is to blow up and ruin her chances of getting answers. I can’t believe my indecisiveness allowed this to happen, but we’re stuck now. Just like the ultimatum she gave me out there, I’m all in. Neither one of us has a choice.

She meets my gaze, and I give her a quick shake of my head.

When the silence ends, the Knight hidden in the darkness resumes his speech about the historic group and its coveted membership.

Mercifully, his speech ends only to be outdone by another Knight in a cloak that tells the Pledges what they’re in for this year. I tune most of it out until the fuckers throw an even bigger wrench into my plans.

“Due to the unfortunate accident that took place last year, the Knights are proud to institute a new rule for incoming female Pledges. Their safety is our utmost priority.”

My heart beats in my chest. The careless way he’s saying this bleeds rich, powerful men who really don’t give a fuck. However, he has everyone’s full attention with a statement like that.

“Each female Pledge will be assigned a Knight, a Fledgling, and another Pledge to ensure their safety as they progress through the Knights Trials.”

Eden’s body locks up. Through the flickering light, I spy the utmost horror on her face.

I have to make sure I’m on that team. I don’t trust anyone else with her, and she won’t trust them either.

With this rule, they haven’t ensured a female Pledge’s safety, they’ve locked them into a grouping with men who despise their very existence.

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