Falling for A Lie (The Lords And Ladies Of Ash #1)

16. Soren

Chapter sixteen

Soren

Four Months since leaving Hazelton..

T he crisp, chilled air of February touches the bare skin of my stomach and the top of my breasts as I pull my jacket just slightly tighter to fight the sudden shiver that wants to slide over my bones.

My heels clack on the tiled floor of the building where Scarlett texted me to meet her. We are to discuss what the next steps are to be now that my sisters and I have completed the Rite of Lilith. A rite that held over ten grueling tasks that tested us in a way I didn't think we would survive with our souls intact. We had to make questionable decisions and execute orders that changed me into the woman I am now.

Gone is the woman who thought she could marry a man and settle down, live a quiet suburban life, and bend and submit to his every need.

Gone is the woman who was weak, vulnerable, and trusting of everyone.

I gutted that fucking bitch with each task. I became a necessary monster. I became my protection and my savior. I didn't need to be saved; I could save myself.

My sisters didn't need me to protect them anymore either; they turned out to be just as lethal and cunning as I have become. Together, we faced this new life we were forced into, all because a man couldn't be trusted. A man I thought I loved and thought he felt the same. But in the end, though, he was just a money-hungry prick who used me to fix problems that were never mine in the first place. My life was to be void because of another person's problems. The love I thought was there was a mask for greed that lay below the surface. I wasted eight years, and I'll be damned if I ever allow myself to be in that position again.I brush my tattooed fingers across my mouth, pulling the hairs away from my face that have gotten stuck in my lip gloss as I take a moment to gather myself, straightening my spine and sucking in a shaky breath.

The feeling of having eyes on me makes me slowly take in my surroundings, looking for anything out of the ordinary or for a threat.Nothing. Nothing is there but my paranoia itching at my brain that Jace somehow found me and he'll kill me before I even have a chance to enjoy my newfound freedom. The thought makes me nauseous, but I mask it perfectly. This life I now lived was mine, even if it was one that I had to sacrifice my morals for.

This was still my freedom to claim. No man would ever have the right to take that. Never again. I was done with that part of me that needed to have someone protect me or be there at every part of my life to support me. To make decisions because they believed it was what I wanted or what was right for me. I was done being weak. The quick scope of my surroundings doesn't turn up anything out of order, so I decide to leave it at that.

The elevator is to my right as I strut further into the brick building. The white walls glistened with the raised sun. Without a second's pause, I shoot a quick wave at the receptionist while the hairs on the back of my neck still stand to attention, and I continue forward to whatever fresh hell awaits me beyond these elevator doors.

The doors open to the conference room. A set of surprised eyes meet my own as I step past the doors. Josephine, Jace's estranged sister from his father's second marriage, stands there looking like a queen in her own right. I suck in a shaky breath as the false bravado I held into is slowly sinking into the pit of my stomach.

What the actual fuck is she doing here? Is this a plan to get me back to her brother's grasp? Was this all a fucking lie?

I step up to the round table and grip my gun at my back holster, ready to pull it out and kill this bitch where she sits if I need to. I haven't made it this far to be at someone's mercy again.

“Hello, Deary. What a marvelous day it's been. I have to say you're looking way better than you did before. The new look suits you.“ Josephine's voice rings through my brain as I keep my left hand so tight around my pistol that I can feel my knuckles turn white.

“What can I say? Almost being murdered will do that to you.” I deadpan.

“Tsk. Tsk. Little Soren has finally grown some balls on herself. Gotta say I like the new look and the new attitude.” She waves her hands dismissively in my direction before she turns her attention to Scarlett, who is sitting back, watching everything unfold before her eyes with a look of fascination and concern for what will happen next.

“You're sure this is the girl you want to take on this project, Scar?” Her voice is cold as she speaks .

Scarlett's eyes snap to the woman beside her and with a sneer on her perfect face. Yet her voice was soft with a hint of danger. “Are you questioning me, Little one? I would not have spoken so highly of her if I didn't believe she had what I was looking for.”

My brows crease as I consider the two ladies in front of me, speaking as if I'm not even in the same room with them. I huff impatiently, feeling left in the dark about something that involves me. I step up, slamming my hands onto the table. “What are you talking about? I'm standing right here, so either tell me, or I'm going to take it as my sign to leave.”

Scarlett's chuckle echoes through the now quiet room as Josephine's mouth hangs open at my brazen tone with the head of the Ladies.

What she doesn't seem to understand is that I'm not like the other Ladies; I didn't seek this life. I was thrust into it as a means to survive, not of a decision of free will. Her fucking brother is the reason I'm in hiding, but I'm bidding my time. Until the sick fucker finally gives up, and I can have the life I was owed.

“We have a new sister group, The Valkyries, opening up, and we would like for you to lead it. This will be for us only, not the Lords of Ash, but for the Ladies. A security blanket of sorts. We suspect the Lords are working against us, but we cannot be sure. If that's the case, we need someone who will fight for us, to be the avenging angel if we are ever wiped out. We need you, Nightingale.” Scarlett's voice is strong and confident as she speaks, each word clear. The meaning of what she was saying finally struck the part of my brain that I had tried to ignore. She needs me.

The Lords cannot be trusted. We have to be ready for an all-out war to protect ourselves.

“If I agree, what do I get in return?” My voice is low in fake confidence I do not feel.

“You get to live your life without a looming fear over your shoulder. You get the right to make choices that you have been robbed of.” Scarlett answers, taking a pregnant pause and tilting her head slightly, taking in my shaky hands and trembling breath as I wait for her to continue. “You'll go stay in Ashford Hollow. You'll be around others who are in this with you. Your sisters, having graduated two months early, will attend with you. My son and his friends were there. Steer clear of them unless you need to make contact. Understand?” She holds her hands out, and before I have a chance to reply, Josephine cuts in, cementing my decision with her next words, “Jace is back, he's looking, and he plans to go through whatever extent that he needs to do to kill the girl who ruined his life. He's not alone. His best friend is accompanying him on this journey for revenge.” Josephine says softly, not breaking eye contact with me, a look of disgust at what she said crosses over her face. “I will not let him get to you or your sisters, and you will be safe with us by your side. The Valkyries will be yours. You will not answer anyone if you don't want to. With this group, you make the decisions, and you make it into something that will protect us all. You are no longer powerless.”

“I understand what needs to be done. But I have two demands to be made. My sisters join the Valkyrie with me as my first and second in Command. We will still work with the Ladies Of Ash to keep the appearance of a united front. I don't want to add more danger to our backs, and that's what will happen if we are caught by The Lords Of Ash. They will treat this as treason. They will kill us off like we never mattered in the first place, and I've already got one psycho out for blood. I don't want to add more to the list if I can help it. My second demand will be that you send Finley and Miles with me as my enforcement. To make sure my orders are carried through without trouble.” With that, I seal my fate to another promise I pray I can keep.

The rest of the meeting and planning went smoothly, as we set up everything for the girls and me to attend Ashford Hollow in a couple more months.

We also discussed that I will take over ownership of the second house that's currently on campus because living in the dorms opens up the opportunity to be killed by an opposing member with ulterior motives from The Lords. Who, for some reason, tasked the guys with getting information on me? Our meeting in the bar wasn't fate, but a well-thought-out plan to get them into the fucking order. The pain from that last bit only fuels a newfound rage about being lied to and used for personal gain by everyone I have come in contact with. I'll always be a pawn in a bigger game.

I leave the office with a newfound hope and a new future to look forward to. I won't be a puppet or a pawn. I'm going to be the damn queen of my empire, my future. It's about time I realized that no one will ever have the ability to control or hurt me again.