Page 56 of Lovely Deceit

I don’t know how we’re going to take Leo Jarvis down, but we’re aiming for the only place where it’ll hurt—his grandfather. The trick is to also not involve ourselves any further in the Knights’ tangled web, which will be difficult to do in anything surrounding Franklin Jarvis.

Oliver locks eyes with me, and just peering into their bright blue hue reminds me I have his support. He gives me a quick nod as if he knows what I’m thinking, and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

“Though I love to hear you spout your mouth off, Leo, I think we need to talk about what happens next.”

All of us turn toward Alaric. I feel a sort of kinship with him now. It took a lot for him to tell me about his sister, and I haven’t even had the chance to unpack it all. How anyone could give away their baby just because of its gender is beyond me. A child—a living, breathing thing—didn’t fit into their male-controlled narrative. That’s the only reason why she’s gone.

Alaric’s parents must be real pieces of shit, and judging by what I’ve seen of his dad already, I’m not wrong.

“Did we all forget Oliver and Eden are Fledglings now?”

He’s right. Arguing with Leo won’t get me anywhere. It’s not getting me on the Knights’ good side. It’s certainly not going to help me figure out who killed my sister.

“Isn’t Fledgling status easier?” Oliver remarks. “Leo’s a Fledgling, and all he does is go around pissing people off.”

“Ha, ha.” Leo shoots Oliver a dark gaze, and Ollie responds with a huge grin. “I’ve already gone through my shit. The Knights are still feeling me out, trying to decide if they’ll accept me. Which they won’t,” he says shrugging as if it’s no big deal, but I detect a bite of bitter cynicism there.

I use my crutches to maneuver my way to the couch in the living room, and the three men follow me. As soon as I’m situated, I say, “Fine. What do we have to look forward to?” All of them are still assigned to me, so I might as well make the best of it.

Alaric sits next to me, and Oliver shoots him a disparaging look before sitting on the floor in front of me while Leo takes one of the armchairs on the opposite side of the room.

“During this phase, your willingness to join in on anything the Knights have going on will be observed and graded. They want active members, not someone who is just going to rest on their laurels while the others do the hard work. Not only that but you’ll also be asked to go through several tests working with other Knights that will be judged. It’s expected as a give and take. You’re asked to do something that you can provide, and in return, a Knight will give you a favorable letter of recommendation to the Elders when they’re deciding who to make a full Knight.”

“Except there’s a catch,” Leo interrupts.

“Well, sort of,” Alaric responds. “I guess the catch is that you can’t really refuse what a Knight asks of you if you want their recommendation.”

Leo shifts on the chair and looks away from all of us. I’ve always wondered why he got kicked out of the Fledgling process, and judging by his reaction, I’m guessing it has something to do with this.

“Wonderful.” I shiver. I can only imagine what kind of fucked up shit the Knights ask Fledglings to do, and for some reason, the image of Anne-Marie and Franklin Jarvis pops into my head.

No fucking way.

“Monthly, sometimes weekly,” Alaric continues, “we receive emails about upcoming projects the Knights have. Whether it’s a cause they want their members to donate to or a committee they need people to serve on. The Fledglings get them, too, and this is where you can shine above the other candidates. Get involved.” Alaric runs his hands down his thighs. A flicker of confusion passes over his face before he continues to talk, though his voice is less enthused now. “When you make it to Knight status, you get a lot of rewards. In return, they expect you to be a contributing member.” His words couldn’t be any more wooden or unfeeling.

Reaching out, I place my hand on his thigh, and he moves his own to grasp mine.

Leo scoffs, and I glance up to find him glaring at mine and Alaric’s entwined hands. It only makes me squeeze tighter, hoping he blows a gasket.

Unfortunately, he only gives me a scathing look.

Alaric shifts uncomfortably on the couch, but he’s not paying one ounce of attention to Leo. He’s in his own head. “I know there are a few causes coming up that they’ll want us to donate money to, and then, of course, the annual Devil’s Night Party. They’ll want committee members mostly comprised of Fledglings. It’s one way to get noticed.”

I still, and Oliver grabs my good leg. “She’s not joining that committee.”

Alaric snaps out of it. “Of course, I didn’t mean she had to.”

“Good, because she’s not.”

I work my free hand through Ollie’s hair. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting that to be brought up. It clicks now why Dee would’ve even bothered with such a ridiculous party that only served to display the power imbalance between men and women. She was doing it as part of her Fledgling duties, trying to impress the Elders.

And look what it got her.

“They’ll understand,” Alaric says, squeezing my hand.

Leo barks out a laugh. “The fuck they will. They’ll be expecting her to do it because of what happened to her sister. They don’t give a fuck about feelings. It’ll be another test of facing your fears or some bullshit.”

“For someone who hates the Knights, I wonder why you’re even here,” Alaric says.

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