Page 41 of Lovely Deceit

“Keegan, hey, it’s Eden.”

My stomach twists, and Leo stands abruptly.

She ignores us and continues, “I just thought we should talk about earlier. Call me. I promise no hostage situation this time.”

She ends the call, and Leo glares at the two of us. “And I thought my family shit was bad.”

“Your family shit takes the cake, Jarvis,” Eden snaps, then she shivers, and I’m sure she’s picturing Leo’s dear old grandfather and Anne-Marie.

I can’t believe any of the Jarvises put up with it. And that Vincent would know what was going on in that office and not care? Like having his soon-to-be fiancée screw his grandfather was just another day in his life. But then again, he’s probably got more important things to worry about if he’s the guy who matched the paternity test in the task he made us complete.

At least he owes us a favor. I should remind Eden of that fact. We could possibly use it to our advantage as time goes on.

What am I thinking? I want to be long gone with Eden before I ever have to call in the favor he owes us.

Leo’s phone rings, and he quits glaring at Eden to peer down at the screen. His face pulls taut for a moment before answering. He turns to leave the room, but then stops in his tracks. Spinning on his heel, he returns to the middle of the living room, holds his phone out, then puts it on speaker. “You’re on,” he says.

“Eden, this is Sir Franklin Jarvis.” His words hang heavy in the air. He didn’t need to introduce himself like that. His dark, aristocratic tone is second to none. “I took your complaint to heart and am summoning you back to a punishment ceremony of sorts for Alaric Barclay tonight at 9 p.m. Your presence is mandatory, and I hope it will give you the sense of how we run things here in the Knights of Arcadia.”

He’s silent again, and Leo looks up at Eden, which spurs her to talk. “Yes, Sir. I’ll be there.”

“Excellent.” Then he hangs up, ending the call abruptly.

I run my hands through my hair. Things keep getting piled on one after the other.

“I don’t know how, but I think you’re going to regret this,” the ever-positive Leo says.

“Forgive me if I couldn’t give a fuck,” Eden bites out before peering up at me. “Could you take me upstairs?”

Leo’s face morphs into a thunderous expression, but he keeps quiet as I gather her in my arms and carry her up the stairs. We’re only halfway up when his door slams. “We need to put him in his place soon, too,” I remind Eden.

She nods, curling into my chest. “Soon.”

21

Alaric

Apart of me has always enjoyed the medievalesque factor of the Knights of Arcadia. I like that the Knights building is stone inside, like an old-world castle. It reminds me of this society’s long history. To think that I’m a small part of that history has always filled me with a sense of power, of ascension.

Tonight, I find myself in the middle of what they call the Key. Tall stone arches surround the room, highlighting the upper tier. As directed, I wait for an Elder. The flames from the torches in their metal brackets flicker like the last time I was in this same room, but the lack of people or shoulders rubbing against one another makes me feel alone.

The Elders do that on purpose. Obviously. I wait with my head down, watching the shadows as they play over the stone floor. I’m wearing my finest suit, tailored just for me with my last name stitched into the shoulder.

My father was pissed when he found out about the complaint, and that long-held drive to make him happy fills me with shame. Not one Barclay before me has ever been called in front of the Elders to be punished. Not one. A fact that he’s reminded me of over and over.

There’s a spark of acknowledgement deep inside me that says I screwed up, but I can’t bring myself to care. The Knights have far worse problems on their hands than punishing me for not babysitting a twenty-year-old woman who is clearly stronger than most of the men I know.

The only thing that gets to me is the fact that she turned me in for it. She’s either acclimating too easily into their power structure or she really does despise me. After kicking me out of Jarvis Hall earlier, I’m inclined to say that she hates me—a thought that makes my stomach turn over.

The fact is, I didn’t help her because I couldn’t. Because if I did, they may have made it worse for her.

She turned me in out of spite, and it makes me want to shake her.

Tendrils of smoke fill the room, the smell of burnt ash tickling my nostrils—something I’m not used to when this room is filled with people.

The longer I wait, the antsier I get. Will Eden be here for this? Will my father? What will my punishment be?

Whatever they do to me won’t be as bad as finding out I’ve had a sister my whole life. This punishment—whatever it is—will just be a slice off the top, nothing too deep or too ugly. The Knights are capable of far, far worse things. That much has become apparent to me within the last year.

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