Page 27 of Lovely Deceit

“But since Alaric’s a full-fledged Knight…”

“Then he should know better,” the old man snaps.

I hide my smirk with a well-placed hand over my mouth, pretending like I don’t know what to do. “I don’t want to get him into trouble,” I state, acting conflicted.

“Knights don’t deal with trouble. We deal in rights and wrongs. If he’s neglecting your group, the Elders need to know about it. He should’ve been there after they pulled you out of the water.” He tracks his gaze to his grandson, but Leo isn’t saying a word. He’s dropped his hand from my shoulder, and instead, is standing with his arms crossed over his chest, looking slightly bored. A lie, since the muscles in his inked arms are popping unrestrained.

“If you think it’s the right thing to do, then yes, I’d like to put in a formal complaint.”

Sir Jarvis peers at Oliver and Leo. When neither one of them says anything, he nods. “I’ll keep you informed of the proceedings.”

Proceedings?

He spins and marches away, people separating to give him room.

“What the fuck did you just do?” Leo growls.

14

Leo

Her fake, innocent expression is enough to make me want to pin her against the wall and fuck it off of her. She knew exactly what she was doing.

My anger is ripe and crippling, but it dies just as fast as it hit. Can I blame her? Barclay is a dumbass for shirking his duties. He should know better. And as far as her holding a grudge, can’t blame her for that either. I’d do a lot worse in her situation.

Still, I can’t help but think she’s getting in too deep. She doesn’t understand anything about the Knights yet. The Pledge process? That’s just a façade until you get in deeper. Sure, they use it to pare down the Pledges, but once you get into this rank, you realize what being a Knight is actually about.

Punishments are decided by the scenario and are completely dictated by the Elders. Going against an order made by my grandfather won’t be taken kindly.

The saving grace Alaric has going for him is that he’s never been in trouble before and that the Barclays are a well-respected family.

Eden shrugs. “You said yourself he moved out.”

And just like that, my temper rears again. She infuriates me. “Do you want to fuck him that badly? I’m sure he’d still be willing.”

Her palm cracks across my cheek, leaving me stunned for a second. She…hit me. And it actually stung. My nostrils flare.

“This isn’t about sex, you pig. If I have to play the fucking game, so do both of you.”

The sound that emanates from my chest is more annoyance with myself than anything else. I make everything about sex with her because I can’t stop thinking about sex with her. She’s gotten under my skin more than any other woman, and I don’t get it.

Before I can say anything, Oliver turns her around and they walk together—her boot swinging freely with help from the crutches—toward the exit. I stand there in the shadows, shaking my head.

If I was a better person, I’d warn Alaric that shit’s about to fall into his lap, but in a way, I agree with Eden. Look what they’ve put her through. It’s only fair that if Alaric screws up, he should get punished for it.

I remove myself from the shadows and peer around the chamber, ending with a quick perusal of the upper level where I spot my grandfather standing at his helm, champagne glass in hand like he’s an emperor looking out over his conquests. I walk toward the stone steps and follow them up to that level, stopping only when I’m next to him.

He doesn’t turn to make sure it’s me. He never does. He always seems to know. “You know, Leonardo, I thought at first she was going to complain about you.”

I chuckle. “I’m sure she has every reason to complain about me. Just not about anything that you’ve tasked me with.”

He leans on the stone railing in front of him and peers over at me, eyes sparking. “Tell me, have you hit that yet?”

My stomach flips. What I didn’t explain to Oliver, Alaric, and Eden outside of Kennedy’s offices is that my grandfather doesn’t just test out the goods before the women marry into my family, he takes them after, too. He’s done it a lot more since my grandmother got sick and died. I’m positive it’s one of the things that pushed my father over the edge—and my mother, too. She couldn’t take it, so she killed herself when I was young. The guilt of losing her because of his family was too much for my father to take.

I stare into my grandfather’s eyes, observing how bright they are. I’ll probably play this the wrong way since I can never do anything right when it comes to him, but I say, “Working the long game.”

He nods slowly, his discerning eyes watching.Alwayswatching.

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