Page 64 of The Prom

This is a week of firsts I suppose, so my mind is made up. Jesse has already broken ties with Jenna Sloane, so I will be his friend but nothing else.

THIRTY

DRAKE

It’s nine pm and my heart feels heavy as I head to Angela’s apartment at the top of the academy’s main building. More than anything, I’m curious to see who else might be there—this could be the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for.

I’ve already updated Ryder on the latest developments. He’s doing his usual digging into her background, and I expect a report by morning. With any luck, I’ll uncover more tonight and give him something new to work with.

I stop outside the door and, taking a deep breath, I knock, my heart heavy and my misgivings in place as I wait for the door to open.

It does, but the person operating it is standing behind it and as I step inside, it slams behind me.

I turn and a figure is standing there, dressed in a red cloak, a red mask placed across their eyes, effectively concealing their identity. The cloak is open at the neck and the naked body of a woman painted in gold causes me to do a double take.

She points to the room in front of us and as I turn, she follows behind andit’s eerie as fuck. So much for identifying the other members if they are all dressed like this.

I enter the room and note several other similar figures surrounding the room in a circle. There is a gold throne set before the arched gothic windows with their leaded panes. Candles are flickering around the circle where a rubber circular mat takes up space on the floor.

Angela herself is sitting on the throne completely naked. Her body is also painted but red instead of gold, a black mask adorned with feathers being the only addition.

“Drake.” She sounds amused. “Welcome to our club. You must forgive our appearance. Tonight is special because it’s your initiation ceremony. We don’t usually stand on ceremony unless an important occasion like this arises.”

She waves her hand, introducing the hooded figures.

“Your fellow members will welcome you. But first you must take off your clothes.”

Fuck, this isn’t good, and she considers me with an amused grin as I realize I have no other choice.

I unbutton my shirt and toss it to the side, focusing my attention on her as the tension increases in the room.

“I have questions.”

My voice is hard, demanding answers, showing none of the fear I should be experiencing right now. If Angela is part of The Serpent Society, or even the head snake herself, this evening will end very badly for me.

“You are allowed three questions. Choose them wisely.”

If anything, I’m surprised by that and nod.

“What if I don’t want to take part?”

She shrugs. “You are aware of the repercussions of that. I made it perfectly clear in our meeting earlier. If you value your job, you will play the game and, who knows, you may even enjoy it.”

She leans forward and hisses, “Take off your trousers.”

I rip the belt from my waist, holding her attention with my eyes and as my jeans drop, her eyes glitter with lust.

“Second question.” I add as I stand before her in my boxers.

“What if I was leaving, anyway?”

She raises her eyes. “Then we persuade you to stay.”

“How?”

“Is that your third question?”

I shake my head and she chuckles softly. “I’ll allow it for free. If you leave, we take something in return. The next best thing, as they say.”

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