Page 20 of Tell Me Why
“Why does it matter if I’m there?” I ask.
Christian tilts his head to the side, watching me like one might watch an insect under a magnifying glass. “Becauseyou, my dear, are the fox we are hunting.”
It takes a second for that to sink in, and when it does, disbelief quickly follows. “You’re joking.”
“You’ll be quite the catch…” he says, tension in his voice.
For the hundredth time since coming here, I wonder what the fuck I’ve gotten myself into. I knew the Burning Crown was made up of a bunch of cruel lunatics, butthis—a hunt with me as the prize—is unreal.
Heart in my throat, I ask, “What is a Fox Hunt exactly?”
“That’s for you to find out,” he responds, a slow smile spreading across his face, like my fearactuallyamuses him. The fucking asshole. If I thought I could get away with it, I’d dig my thumbs into those cold blue eyes.
Over the last two weeks, I’ve been watching how this place runs. I listen to conversations, try to remember the names of the major players, and one thing has become abundantly clear—nothinghappens in this house without Christian’s approval. His twin, Lucas, is the official leader, but he’s never around, which makes Christian the Burning Crown’s de facto king. What he says goes. Which means this Fox Hunt washisidea. Just another way for him to torture me.
“Will you be joining the hunt?” I ask.
“No,” he says. “I’m recusing myself.”
“Why?”
Per usual, he ignores my question.
“Get some rest,” he says, dipping his head so his mouth is hovering over mine. I hold my breath, bracing myself for the kiss…”You’ll need your energy.” He stands abruptly, and the moment evaporates, making me feel stupid. “When the food comes, eat,” he says, walking out the door.
When Christian leaves, I try to go back to studying, but my mind is whirling, my body still vibrating. It’s impossible to focus. How does he do that? Every time I’m in a room with him, I’m shaken, lost, thrown off balance, no matter how hard I try to fight it.
Less than an hour later, there’s a knock on my door. It’s probably Austin with the food, and just in time, too. My stomach is devouring itself.
Opening the door, I’m greeted by a pretty blond, thin, my height, with thick wingtip eyeliner that sets her apart from the other girls. I’ve seen her here a lot and I know her name is Sara. She’s one of the many girls who trail behind Christian like a lost puppy.
She holds up two fast-food bags from a burger place down the road a bit. I’ve eaten there many times, so I know they’re nut-free. “We didn’t know what you wanted, so we got a variety of things. Christian said you’re allergic to nuts.”
“Yeah.” I open the door wider so she can come in and set the bags down. “Thanks.”
She holds up a refillable water bottle. “Austin forgot to order you a drink, though, so I brought you some filtered water from downstairs.”
“Thanks,” I say again.
With a quick smile, she moves to a carved mahogany cabinet and opens it up. I have no idea what she’s looking for, but I decide to take advantage of having her here. I don’t get a lot of alone time with the members.
“So, um, Christian said there will be a Fox Hunt tomorrow. Do you know what that is?”
Something tells me I don’t really want to know, but then again,notknowing will be a million times worse. My mind won’t just go to the absolute worst case scenario, it’ll take it three steps further into waking nightmare territory.
Inside the cabinet is a mess of whiskey bottles and cut crystal tumblers. “You haven’t been initiated into the Burning Crown, so I really shouldn’t say,” she says.
“Well, apparently, I’m the guest of honor. So I’m going to find out soon, anyway.”
She grabs a glass and sets it next to the refillable water bottle. “Sorry, I don’t want to say anything that could make Christian angry…”
Wow. Okay. What a cultish thing to say…
“Oh.” My mind reaches for a response that doesn’t sound too judgmental, but “oh” is all I’ve got. In my normal, every day life, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell someone how fucked up that is. Who cares if Christian is angry? Fuck him. But I can’t afford for Sara to hate me. I need all the allies I can get in this house, so I keep my mouth shut.
But,damn. Her response makes me wonder what happens when Christian gets angry…?
“So, um, are you two dating?” I ask, more to fill the silence than anything. And the more information I gather on the Sacred Sons, the better, right?
