Priest and his Anarchist

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

luna

year one

seven years ago

I can’t see through the blur of my eyes, no matter how much I try to scrub the tears away. He had wanted to hurt me. That much was obvious, but I don’t know why. Why he hates me so much that the mere thought of me makes him sick. I am sure of it, at least since every time we come here for the winter holidays, he makes my life seem insignificant.

I try to hide my anger, but today, he dared me to skate over a frozen bed of water that sat at the bottom of a waterfall. He waited until I was in the middle before he shot a hole through the ice, causing spiderwebs of cracks to form. The water was so cold. By the time Vaden pulled me back to the shore, I had enough hate inside of me to rival even his own.

We don’t spend much time with the Elite Kings, since Mom and Father like to argue about it. Dad wants me to be more present here, with them, but Father doesn’t.

He has told them both that this world will change me. “Royalty that bleed black. You want her to become one of them?”

Dad would say that I was already one. I was a King more than I’d ever be a circus act. Father would argue that it was because I’d never been included in Midnight Mayhem.

Whatever that meant.

I bite the finger of my glove and pull at it until icicles fall over my palm. My cheeks spread wide with a smile. I want Mom to be happy. I want Dad and Father to be happy, but I know their fight won’t stop overnight.

“You okay?” Mom’s voice sounds different. She watches me closely, her features tight but her lilac eyes sharp on mine. This look is familiar. She’s going to say something I may not like. Mother is a machine, one that was built to threaten men just like my uncles, but she didn’t. She softened when she became a mother, but not always.

Only when she is with me.

Her soft hand grazes my cheek as she catches the tear sliding down, leaving a mud trail in its track. “You know I love you dearly.”

My throat tightens. Too tight. I could barely squeeze my next words out, but the smile on my face was back. Wide and smug. Probably because I know Priest will be in trouble for today.

I swoop a handful of snow and lift it to her face. “You know why some people can’t feel the cold?”

Mom’s eyes water. Was she going to cry? I’ve never seen her cry before. She’s the ringleader of Midnight Mayhem. She’s dark and vacant. Whatever has her upset, it has to be bad. Mother is never upset.

“No. Why, Noxy?” Her fake smile almost matches mine. The kind that causes makeup to wrinkle around her cheeks. She doesn’t need makeup. Mom looks more alive without it.

“Because they’re dead inside,” I whisper, searching her eyes, waiting. Waiting for her to say the words I have heard her say before. Because I know what it is that she wants to tell me. I see why neither of my fathers is here. Because to one, this is normal. He went through the same thing as a King, only as a Rebellis, and the other, is Midnight Mayhem. He doesn’t understand. Dad could have come, but he would have had to hold Father back.

Mother is the one who has emotions tough enough to do it.

She reaches out to touch my side plait again, this time without the tears. Lifting my hands with hers, she kisses them gently and closes her eyes.

It’s not until she brings my hands to her chest that they open again. “This trip is different, honey.”

Doesn’t she know I am made with the same tough stuff she is? I can handle it. Whatever it is that will happen after today, I’m prepared. I can take it because I am her daughter. I am Dad’s shithead and Father’s menace. I can do anything because I have the three of them as my parents, who’ve raised me to be just like them.

“I figured.” My voice drops with my hand.

“Of course you did,” Mother whispers, but it’s to herself. “You were always so much smarter than other kids your age.” She turns over her shoulder, where a black SUV idles between snow-frosted trees. It is waiting on something. Or someone.

Most likely me.

“Okay, we don’t have much time, so three things. Are you listening to me?”

When I don’t pull my eyes from the car, her hands land on both cheeks, forcing them back to hers.

“One. You are always safe. This is the other half of your life you’ve presented prominently with. We tried—we tried Mayhem, but it wasn’t you. This is where your future lies.”

She says it like I should be terrified. The EKC aren’t bad. They all have one thing in common that holds them together. Family. Why is this so daunting for her and my fathers? We are all basically family.

“Two, I’m always right here. We all are. Right here waiting for you. If you don’t want this life, Luna, we will make you disappear. They say you can’t run from a King, but you can if you don’t fall in love with one.” The words echo long after she says them. “Dad is always there for you. He can take your calls and see you, but your father and I will not. At least for now.”

Okay, this is worse than I thought.

“And last, Luna, baby, don’t let them take it. You hold on to that right here—” Her finger jerks into my chest. “You hold on to it. You let it sit there and fester, and you do exactly as you’re to do to get through the years.” She takes a deep breath. “Alive.”

Noises of nature start to fade into the distance as acid fills my throat. What does she mean alive? I’ll always be safe here. With them. Right?

“Lilith.”

My mother stands to her full height after a chaste kiss on the head, swiping the tears from her cheeks and brushing off her sadness as if it was never there. When she turns, she exposes the wall of muscle behind her. Uncle Bishop Hayes. He’s the leader of the Elite Kings Club, and pretty soon, because of tradition, my stupid tormentor will take his place.

“We must leave now before others see. She’ll be fine.” Uncle Bishop is so tall that it hurts my neck to look up at him. I’ll be safe with him. He always jokes with me when I am here. He taught me how to play chess, as did Uncle Nate. They said it wasn’t just a game, but a strategy for life if people were smart enough to learn.

Mother smiles, but it isn’t wide enough to reach her eyes. She removes the necklace around her neck, placing the gold chain into my palm. “I know all too well the complexities of secret societies, Hayes, and I know how dangerous you, your family, and the EKC are, but if she does not make it out of this alive, I will kill every single one of you or die trying, but just know…” She turns her back to me, patting Uncle Bishop over his chest. “I’ll go for Madison first, and then Priest and Halen, and then, well—” The shadows beneath Uncle Bishop’s features darken, and I swear a growl shakes the forest. People are always scared of him. Understandable, I guess, but not really.

Uncle Bishop doesn’t scare me. None of them do except maybe him.

“Leave, Lilith.” He draws in closer, so now they’re shoulder to shoulder, and even though Mother is a lot smaller than him, she keeps her shoulders back and chin high. Mother has a reputation, and it hangs around her like invisible armor. “While you still have legs.”

Mother takes her time as she makes her way through the pillowing snow and to a sedan waiting near the SUV. The same one she brought me here in, with hopes to have a talk away from my fathers. This was supposed to be a regular Aspen trip. We’ve all been coming to the same one once a year for as long as I can remember.

But I knew something was going to be different about this one. And it wasn’t just because I had overheard them talking about me being a Rebellis and the first one of my kind—whatever that meant—but because of the conversations with Father and Dad over the years.

Uncle Bishop takes my hand. It’s small against the base of his. He doesn’t say a word as he directs me toward the SUV. The times we’d play chess, it would only be him and Uncle Nate. Uncle Brantley never did. He would just watch from the corner of the room and drink. He’d drink and drink and watch as the three of us would go back and forth. It was a fun game that I enjoyed. We played it every year we came to Aspen. I didn’t wonder until just now why we didn’t play it this time.

I climb into the car and shut the door. It’s not until Uncle Bishop slides in beside me that the heaviness of Mother’s words comes back to me.

Alive.

What did she mean by alive?

My fingers spread open, exposing the necklace in my palm. A four-pointed star sits to the side, and the letters IV are engraved in the middle. Encrusted in diamonds and gold, it isn’t something I’ve seen her wear at all.

Maybe because she bought it before we all came.

“Luna, I gave your mother my word that we would go lighter than previous generations, and I intend to keep it.”

My eyes shift to Uncle Bishop. “Okay. What is it that I am doing?”

“You didn’t hear?” he asks, one brow lifts as if he and I share a secret. Damn. Maybe it is true. He can read minds. There are people in Midnight Mayhem who can do that, but it is all bullshit. Is there anything a King doesn’t know?

He shakes his head. “No. And yes, I do know everything.” He unbuttons his suit jacket, exposing the collar beneath. Black and gray ink tattooed his skin. It's fresh, but several are fading.

“I could tell you, but I’d rather show you.”

My saliva gets stuck in my throat. “Okay…”

The car continues its drive until fatigue weighs down my eyelids, and I finally drift off. When I open them again, we’re at an airstrip. Loud jet engines howl like a pack of wolves through the forest surrounding us.

My palm stings when I force my fingers open again. Even in sleep, I clutched the necklace until it left dents in my skin. Now is not the time to be sad, so thoughts of my mother are forced away.

Lights illuminate the tarmac, lining the runway that seems to never end. Why are we at an airport? Is this how it will start?

“Quite pretty, isn’t it?” a deep voice interrupts from the driver’s seat.

My eyes fly to the rearview mirror. Impossible to recognize him from here, even if I knew him.

“The lights?” I ask, retracing the colors of the strip. “I don’t know. I think they’re rather bright.”

He chuckles, watching me from the mirror. He has to be younger than Uncle Bishop. Maybe mid-twenties.

“They remind me of Christmas.” He has a tenderness in his voice that feels warm.

My lips curve into a smile. “I’ve always been a Halloween girl myself.”

“Figures,” he jokes. “At least the planes don’t get lost.”

Uncle Bishop chats with someone outside a black airplane. It isn’t as big as the ones I’ve been on, but it is sleek and pointy. EKC is in gold cursive lettering over the right wing.

“I don’t know. I rather like being lost, don’t you?” I ask the strange man.

The skin around his eyes softens. He must have smiled. “Sure I do. But only if I know the way out.”

“But where’s the fun in that?” I widen my eyes at him playfully. “That’s where all the magic happens.”

He chuckles again just as I hear a door crack open.

“Well, too, right, kiddo. You are too right.”

“Good, you’re awake!” The voice isn’t one I expect to hear, and before I can stop myself, I jump in my seat to spin around. River Malum blinks back at me with her signature bright blue eyes. Her platinum-blonde hair is tied up in a tight pony, showcasing her dewy, soft skin. River Malum is beautiful, but we’ve never talked. I mostly kept to myself during winter vacations, but it wasn’t from the lack of some girls trying. They’d try. I was just…not interested in what they were doing. So, I kept to myself or played chess with Uncle Bishop and Nate.

“Yes?” My eyes fly back to the rearview mirror as if the stranger and I have known each other for a while and he can help with my unease.

River rolls her eyes, the corner of her mouth curving. “Luna, I promise I don’t bite.”

When I don’t move, she exhales, shuffling beside me and shutting out the sound of jet engines warming up.

“I know you don’t bite.” I put her out of her misery. I like River, probably more than I do the other two.

Stella intrigues me the most.

But River, I could like one day.

“How do you know that?” River jokes, folding her arms in front of herself. She'd clearly come off the slopes dressed in a ski jacket and puffy pants. “I could!”

Her teasing tone makes me smile.

“We’ve only ever seen each other what? Twelve times.” That isn’t a lot of time.

My cheeks warm as a chuckle eludes me, but the knowledge of the man in the driver’s seat watching us leaves me feeling comforted. Safe. As if I’ve known him all my life. Because of my photographic memory, I’m sure I don’t know who this man is.

“I’m not sure what I’m doing here, River,” I sigh, my fingers opening to reveal the necklace. There’s no point trying to be delicate by watching what I say, since I have no control over my future from here on. If they’re going to kill me, no amount of small talk is going to change that fact.

River’s almond-shaped eyes fall to my palm before traveling back up to mine. She leans forward and plucks the chain from my hand, twirling her other finger. What is she doing?

She rolls her eyes again before turning me around by my shoulders.

Gathering my hair into a high pony, she flings the necklace around my neck and clasps the locket. “Look, everything I know, I’ll tell you, but there’s one thing we must agree on right here and now.”

I turn back, my hand resting over the star that’s secured over my chest. “Okay. I can do that.”

“Don’t take any of this personally. This is unfamiliar territory for all of us.” Her lashes flutter, almost brushing the small beauty spot below her left eye. “I’m sorry for what is to come to both of us.”

A wave of fear creeps over my spine. “Why are you sorry?”

She smiles again, but it’s gone as quickly as it came. “Because it won’t be easy, and I may not see you often.”

The door opens, cutting off our conversation. Uncle Bishop leans in. “The jet is ready for you both.”

A strange sense of unease whistles through my blood like a gust of wind on a fine day.

River places her hand on my knee, sensing my discomfort. “Good. We’re done waiting.”

We are? Crap.

River slides out before me. When my foot lands on the tarmac, I pause, turning to face the strange man. This time, his eyes meet mine without the illusion of the mirror. He’s young, but maybe a lot younger than I thought. The same age as River’s brother and the rest of the boys.

With round eyes and skin as smooth as silk, the corners of his mouth stretch into a smile. “I’ll be seeing you soon, kiddo.”

“You’re not much older than me!” I tease, sliding out of the car. Before I close the door, I hear his chuckle.

“Oh, if only that were true…”

With weighted steps, my legs carry me across the tarmac. Whatever awaits on the other side, I’m sure I’ll be ready because I’ve always felt a sense of restlessness. I've often felt lost all my life through the gaps of the year when we weren’t in Aspen. Born into a circus family, yet I despised the thought of performing. The disconnect between me and my Kiznitch ancestors became clear then. Anything that involves being the center of attention only makes me want to run. I’ve never connected to anyone like I do with Uncle Bishop, Nate, and, hopefully, River.

Damnit. I should have befriended her a long time ago. What if deep down, they are all similar to her, and I have kept myself out of their reach all this time.

The cabin's warmth falls over us when we finally make it inside and out of the wind. Sugary baked goods fragrance the air, causing a growl from my stomach. When was the last time I ate?

My mouth dries at the thought of forcing food down.

“Come on, Lulu. Sit…” River calls me over to where she’s snugged tight near the front. I count the recliners on my way.

One.

Two.

Three.

Sixteen, and they’re all empty except mine and River’s. Some seats are arranged in groups of four facing each other, some in pairs, and those at the back encircle a dining table. Where did Uncle Bishop go? Is he not coming?

River unzips herself out of her jacket, revealing her clothes underneath. A simple white long-sleeve top and yoga pants.

A pair of fuzzy white socks land on my lap as I lower opposite her. “Put these on. The trip shouldn’t be long, but they’ve always helped me relax during flights.”

I play with the soft material. “You scared of flying?” I haven’t even kicked off my shoes and slid my feet into the new socks when Uncle Nate and Bishop take the double seats beside us but face each other.

“Hello, Luna.”

My smile is short-lived when I notice the tight lines in their expressions.

“What is it?” The change is noticeable. They glance at each other before returning to River and me.

She moves closer. “No, seriously, what is it?”

We’re both in the same boat, but she’s much better at keeping herself distracted than I am.

“Nothing. There’s not much I can say except sorry.” Nate reaches out and caresses her cheek.

“No,” she whispers, her disbelief weighing down her voice.

“What?” I blink between them both. River and I are the same age, but my absence in this world is obvious by how River and I both process information differently.

Bishop remains passive, assessing River's reaction. This is BVH, not Bishop, my uncle, or Bishop, the father. This is Bishop Vincent Hayes, the leader of the EKC.

“You’re going to be leaving us for seven years, Luna. In those seven years, you will be broken, shaped, folded, tested, trained, and pushed to your maximum potential. River’s taking a different direction, but I’m sure you will see her often…or not at all”—silence stretches between us—“Riverside Elite schools are the guise. The Malum-Riverside family lineage are the runners of the schools, yes, but this one in particular isn’t that. No one knew about it for generations unless they attended or were in the Malum line.”

Years’ worth of memories flood my mind. Times I’d see my mother worry, or father argue, or daddy snap. They’d tried to get me to do everything in Midnight Mayhem.

Aerials. Fire. Stunts. Tricks. Ringleader.

I watched their frustration and exhaustion mount after each failed attempt and saw how it increasingly worried Mother and Father. Even Daddy didn’t seem pleased, but he wasn’t as bad as Mother and Father.

Was this why? Did they know they would ship me off?

Of course they did.

I don’t bother asking deeper questions. Asking too many questions in this setting would only piss them off. “Where will I be for seven years? At this school?”

“Not a matter of where, Luna.” Nate’s eyes shift to Bishop briefly. If I blinked, I would have missed it. “A matter of with who.”

“Who?” It’s no surprise that River’s the first to ask, since she’s been around both men and this world a lot longer than I have.

A moment later, she loses focus, gazing off into the distance. Her mouth falls open, the color draining from her face. That familiar, hand-squeezing panic returns.

River shakes her head. “No. You can’t?—!”

“We have to,” Bishop cuts her off. “And you cannot say no.”

She flinches, resting back in her chair, but it’s like watching the sunset after a hard work day. “He’ll kill her.”

“Who?” I finally ask, and when seconds pass and neither answer, I fall back against my chair, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. This is what it feels like being an outsider, yet I have been told I am more EKC than Kiznitch all my life. I’ve always felt that way too.

Until now.

“Get some rest,” Nate ends the conversation before he and Bishop turn to one another in hushed tones.