Page 36 of The Prom

“It’s a possibility, but if it’s not you, it will be someone else.”

“But how can you be so sure? Jesse is a good guy, I can tell.”

“Because of where he comes from.”

“The small town that sounds like shit.”

I think back on what Jesse told me and Drake nods, stopping as the server brings us soda and as she leaves, he leans forward and whispers, “It’s text book. They find a guy like Jesse who has been controlled his entire life. He hates his future and they are offering him a way out. Membership of the society is a good replacement because he’ll be free to pursue whatever career he wants and will be assured of wealth and his freedom to a degree. It’s a powerful carrot to dangle before him.”

“So, Jesse gets a new life and his freedom and more money than he would have at the town, but what does the society get out of him?”

“A willing soldier. You see–” Drake glances around and motions for me to move closer and as our lips hover against one another’s, he whispers, “They are a sick society who get off on depravity. To assure their anonymity, they control their members and make it in their best interests not to divulge any information to anyone outside it. They are trained to enjoy things most of us would be sickened by, but they get off on it. They protect their members and once a month meet in a huge mansion and carry out their mantra of kidnap, rape, murder. Each member brings a sacrifice and the other members enjoy the show.”

I falter because this is wild and for the first time I realize the danger I could be in and Drake obviously reads my expression and to my surprise, cups my face in his hand and whispers against my lips, “I will protect you, baby. Follow my lead and you’ll be safe.”

“But you can’t be everywhere, Drake.”

I blink away my tears. “How do we save Jesse?”

He smiles softly and runs his thumb under my eyes and capturing my tears, whispers, “By breaking the hold they have on him. Keep him close, Imogen, but not so you are in danger. Dig for information and discover where he goes. Make demands on his time and play the petulant girlfriend if you must, but keep him away from Jenna Sloane and that should be enough to break the hold she has over him.”

I nod, determined to play my part, but being here with Drake is a bitter pill to swallow. I don’t want Jesse. I never did, but knowing Drake is off limits has crushed my heart because I thought we had something.

He stares into my eyes and whispers, “I wish it was different. I wish I met you in a bar in town and we could explore this like a normal couple. I wish you weren’t part of this and I wish you had stayed at your previous college. But it’s our reality now and we must deal with it, but if I do nothing else, I will keep you safe. You have my word on that.”

I can’t help myself and move closer and steal a kiss. This can’t be the end of us before we even begin. Fate is a cruel bitch who delivers and takes without warning. He may not be allowed to kiss me, but I have no such order and as I run my hand behind his head, I deepen the kiss, tangling my tongue in his, taking what I want and to hell with the consequences.

A discreet cough makes us spring apart, and the amused server places two plates of food before us.

“Get it while it’s hot guys.” She winks and as she tosses us an amused grin, she heads off, leaving my face flaming as I pretend to be extremely interested in the food.

We eat in a companionable silence and when Drake settles the check, I head to the restroom and stare at my flushed face in the mirror.

Drake brings me alive. I have never been surer of that than anything and fuck my father and Ryder. If I want Drake and he wants me, nobody will tell us otherwise. I just have to save Jesse first before I demand my reward, and if they thought Cassie would lose her shit if she didn’t get what she wanted, they have underestimated me.

We head backto Rockwell and as he drops me by the gate, I say nothing. He waits for me to enter the grounds and it’s a solitary, lonely walk back to a life that has changed in a few hours. I even feel different because I’m a Reaper now. This is what Drake does. He goes undercover and I’m kind of discovering what that is like.

The first person I meet when I head inside is the man of the hour, Jesse.

“Imogen, baby. Where have you been?”

“Prom duty.”

I brush his curiosity aside and he groans. “Bad luck. A few of us are heading to the dungeons. The Claiming ceremony is tomorrow and Santi wants to check everything is set. Are you up for being a centurion rather than a challenger?”

“Me?” I grin. “Really. What must I do?”

He slings his arm around my shoulder as he guides me to the kitchen.

“Cassie and Siri act as centurion guards in the tunnel chamber. Frankie has allocated you and Summer my old position by the riverbank.”

The riverbank is the finish line for anyone who escapes The Claiming and I’m guessing not a lot happens there.

“Sure.”

To be honest, I don’t mind because it means I get to spend some time with Summer and we won’t have to do anything.

He grins. “Great. That leaves me as head cell keeper and I get to release the centurions into the wild.”

---