Page 77 of Lovely Deceit

The air punches out of my lungs when I see the first strands of dark hair. Then his face, his shoulders, his rippling, tattooed arms.

Leo’s gripping the iron bars, gaze flicking around the room until it settles on me.

The look on his face could cut through stone.

Jesus Christ. He’s been in that small space in the floor for who knows how long. Sensory deprivation is right.

The chamber grinds to a halt, and a hush falls over the spectators. The tension of it all fills my body with apprehension.

“Who are you loyal to?”

Leo’s answer comes immediately. “The Knights of Arcadia.”

“Who do you pledge your allegiance to?”

“The Knights of Arcadia.”

With every answer, my stomach twists more and more. His words only solidify what I’ve feared for so long. His dark stare bores into me as if he can see straight through to my soul. If I could, I’d look away. I’d forget all of this.

“Do you promise to uphold the Knights’ standards in all that you do?”

“Yes.”

It takes me a second to realize that Sir Jarvis is rattling off the Knights’ most sacred bylaws. He’s making Leo prove his loyalty.

“Did you come to any conclusions while you were deprived of everything? No senses. No contact. Nothing.”

“The Knights are sacred. I’m joined to them heart, body, and soul.”

The loyalty in his words sparks jealousy in me. I inspect him for any sign of a lie. Out of Alaric and Leo, Leo was the nonconformist. I can’t find anything from his gaze, though. Just his hard, dark stare.

“Your test begins now.”

A lump forms in my throat, and I wonder what Leo will have to do, or whether I should even care.

Call me crazy, but I guess I was always holding out hope for the caveman. That faith is sinking fast, buried by every shooting glare he gives me. I don’t know why I held out for him when he’s done nothing but give me reason after reason to doubt.

The man in front of me followed me.

The man in front of me used my attraction to him against me.

The man in front of me let me down when I needed him the most.

There is no saving him.

The cell bars retract downward in the same slow, grating motion as the capsule appeared. When they fully retreat, Leo steps forward. Immediately, the circular chamber begins to descend back where it came from, and I marvel at the ancient technology. This building has been here for at least a couple hundred years, and that looks as if it’s been here from the start.

When the floor settles into its normal position, Sir Jarvis says, “Pound of flesh.”

I peer around as a line of Knights begins to form in front of Leo. I wish I’d been able to read the entire Knights manual so I’d know what was going on. Alaric reaches for my hand, pulling us into the line. He sets me in front of him, then leans down. “Pound of Flesh ritual. It means all the Knights are entitled to take something from him, either literally with a pound of flesh or figuratively with words.” He hesitates for a moment. “This might not be pretty. Leo’s pissed quite a few Knights off because he left, got kicked out, then had the balls to come back.”

My initial reaction is to wonder what assholes made this up. What a heinous ritual. On the other hand, part of me yearns to take something away from Leo.

The line doesn’t move, and when I lift myself to my tiptoes, I spot the Elders walking down the steps and moving to the front of the line.

The room isn’t quiet anymore. It’s filled with Knights discussing what they’re going to do to Leo. Words are being thrown around like asshole, bastard, and prick. It seems as if everyone can see it in someone else but maybe not themselves.

Through it all, I train my ears to listen to what Leo’s going through. He must be escaping this torment well because I haven’t heard one moan or hiss. I guess people are taking their pounds of flesh figuratively.

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