Page 40 of Love to Defy You
He leans back against the headrest and knocks the flask back. “I told you, this is just a party. You two can relax.”
“Are you sure?” Alek asks. “Because if anything happens to Willow—”
Mikhail waves his hand. “You don’t have to worry about Willow. She’ll be fine.”
“Trust me,” Josie chimes in, “Willow is the perfect pythia.”
I crinkle my nose. “The perfectwhat?”
A growl rumbles in Mikhail’s throat. “Josie, zip it.”
Josie rolls her eyes, but when the car pulls onto the street, her breezy façade wilts as she stares at the back of Mikhail’s head.
If Josie’s involved, she’s beholden to keeping the brotherhood’s secret as well. I have so many questions for her. What does she mean bypythia, and what can Alek and I expect in the coming trials?
But if her life is on the line, I can’t risk it.
The driver takes us out of the city, past idyllic farmlands and rivers, until we reach the town of Lenzburg. He turns off the road into a forest and follows a winding lane up the hill. There aren’t many streetlamps out here, and at night, the dense, ominous forest surrounds us in dark shadows. Maybe it’s because I’m on edge, but anytime one of the shadows moves, I wonder if it’s a predator lying in wait for us.
Is this the correct route for the party? It’s an ideal place to commit murder and get away with it.
Mikhail is snoring in front of us, so he wouldn’t know if we were in imminent danger. I glance sideways at Josie, but she doesn’t appear concerned.
Maybe it really is just a party? If Josie went through this with Mikhail, she would know whether or not there’s danger ahead.
We turn off onto a lane barely wide enough for our vehicle, but up ahead, lampposts flicker in the darkness like lighthousescalling us in from sea. When we come to a stop in front of an open gate, I let out a sigh and relax my shoulders.
Josie glances at me. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Just glad I’m not going to get hacked to pieces in the woods.
However, we’re walking into a secret society gathering that doesn’t hesitate to execute people, so maybe I have a better chance of survival with the dark shadows in the forest.
Alek shakes Mikhail awake before they help us out of the car, and when I look up, I see an enormous mansion that looks straight out of the Gilded Age. It’s three, maybe four stories tall with a beige brick exterior and dark trim, and golden light spills from the dozens of windows on each floor. A cobblestone pathway winds between lampposts and pastel hydrangeas toward the front doors made of carved wood, which sit between two towering columns.
Whoever lives here is rich as fuck. It’s almost as impressive as the President’s Estate in Andarusia.
When we step out of the car, the scent of jasmine lingers in the cold November air. I shiver, and Alek wraps his arm around my shoulders.
Mikhail and Josie lead the way up the winding pathway to the front entrance. Before we can knock, an impeccably dressed butler opens the door and invites us inside with a sweep of his hand. In the foyer, people mill around in formal wear, enjoying champagne and canapes, and although I recognize a couple of faces from Weltner, there’s no one I know well enough to strike up a conversation with.
Another butler walks past with a tray of champagne glasses, and I snatch one off and down it.
“Slow down,malishka,“ Alek whispers. “We need to keep our wits about us.”
“I just need to take the edge off,” I murmur. “Whose house is this, anyway?”
Mikhail snags a handful of mushroom puffs as another butler passes by. “It belongs to one of the alumni of the brotherhood. He’s a banker.”
Alek surveys the foyer. “A Swiss banker? How cliché.”
“He’s the CEO of Credit Suisse,” Mikhail says with a wink.
Alek pauses and stares at Mikhail. “The CEO of Credit Suisse is in the Order?”
“I told you.” Mikhail swings his arm around Alek’s shoulders while holding a champagne flute in his free hand. “We produce the most elite CEOs and world leaders.”
“And mafia bosses, apparently,” Alek mutters under his breath.
