Page 21 of Princes of Sin
Icouldn’tfeel sexual attraction without an emotional connection.
And I have no idea what overcame me at Max and Otto’s house. I’d never done anything like that before, and I’d especially never fucked anyone in front of other guys. I’d been drinking, and I guess my tolerance is not what it used to be. Plus, saying no didn’t feel like an option. Iwantedso badly to be friends with them, and it felt like a precipice of sorts. I could do it and we could bond, or I could say no and push them away forever.
And fuck me, but I couldn’t resist Astern. Beautiful and mysterious… it was hard to retain my self-control.
I have to do this job well–without distractions.
I take a seat in the very last row, leaning back in the small chair as it groans under my weight. Much to my chagrin, Astern takes the seat next to me.
“Feels like Uni all over again,” she murmurs.
“I wouldn’t know.”
Her eyes find mine as they flash with surprise. “You didn’t go to Uni?”
I don’t answer her, and before she can ask questions, Sterling claps his hands once.
“Right, let’s just get into it. Welcome to the Lords of Darkness, ladies and gents. You’re now a part of the deadliest order in the world. By the end of training, you’ll be able to kill a man a hundred ways, all undetectable, while also knowing how to keep tabs on every single group or threat out in the real world. As you know, the current Lords–myself included–have decided to step down. While we’ve tried to keep this information private, there are now rumors that our order will fall. This has created a power vacuum in Britain and all over Europe. We have more threats today than we had even a year ago, so we’re going to have to go full-force with everything immediately. Is that understood?”
Otto, Max, Astern, Quinn, and I all murmur our agreement.
“Good. We don’t have time to fuck around, so if your heart isn’t one-hundred percent in this, I need you to walk out of this room right now.”
I look around, waiting for any of them to change their minds, but none of them do.
“Your first assignment is tonight. There’s a royal ball in London, and there have been several threats against the royalfamily. They’ve asked us to keep watch.” I raise my hand, and Sterling drags his eyes over to me. “Yes?”
“Who is the threat?”
“The question right now is more whoisn’ta threat. But to answer your question, it’s a homegrown group of terrorists who want the royal family gone. Their official name is Citadel, and they consist of a few very dedicated extremists who don’t care about innocents and want the country to be ruled by right-wing fascists.”
Astern raises her hand. “How will we know who they are?”
Sterling glares at her, eyes narrowed. “Theo will be going through the active member profiles with you all today. That will be your first lesson after you’ve showered and cleaned up. The five of us will be accompanying you on all missions until you’re fully trained, so tonight is about watching, learning, and most importantly, listening. If tonight goes well, then tomorrow we can make it official.”
Quinn raises her hand. “And what does official mean?”
“Choosing your new name, and taking the brand, of course,” Sterling says, giving us all a monstrous smile. “Go get cleaned up. We’ll meet back here in an hour.”
All five of us stand, but as we get to the door, I see Sterling bend down to Astern.
“I need to speak with you, Ms. Hackbolt.”
I glance back at Astern as her eyes widen, but I don’t have time to contemplate why Sterling Beauchamp needs to speak to her because Max and Otto are pushing me out of the room.
CHAPTER 8
Astern
My heart pounds against my ribs as Quinn, Otto, Max, and Lachlan leave me alone in a classroom with Sterling Beauchamp. I smooth my hair down and stand up straighter, despite being more than a foot shorter than him. Once everyone’s out of earshot, he leans against the brick wall of the room.
Please don’t recognize me.
Please don’t imagine me with dark hair.
Please don’t ask too many questions.
“We’ve been going through everyone’s references. Quinn’s were fantastic, and Otto and Max seem to do well for themselves despite being Danish princes. Lachlan’s were… well… his prison guards told us everything we needed to know. But you?” He pushes off the wall and walks closer. “You’re a bit of a mystery,Astern Hackbolt.”
