Priest and his Anarchist

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Luna

year four

“ N o.”

“Why?” I try to keep the annoyance out of my tone.

It’s been a year since my fifteenth birthday, and he’s come down harder. If he isn’t being an asshole, he’s absent.

“What’s the worst that could possibly happen?”

He glares back at me. In the dim lighting of his office, his features seem harder. I should have paid closer attention instead of drawing the damn pictures as quickly as I could to get out of there.

“I can name three off the top of my head. Wanna hear them?” His words hit me in the stomach and my face drops. “Thought so.”

“You threw me a birthday party last year. What’s changed this year?” I challenge, sliding my hands beneath my thighs to stop digging my nails into them.

He holds my stare. “A lot.” His eyes fall to the holster that’s strapped around my thigh.

River blows out a breath, kicking up from the chair beside me. “Are you questioning your training, Dear Dark Prince? It’ll be one weekend, that’s all. She’s different now. She has teeth!”

Priest doesn’t bother to look at his cousin. “I’m not interested in her teeth any more than I am her tongue, Riv.” His head turns when he blows out a cloud of smoke.

“Ah, I tried…” she mumbles before her footsteps disappear behind the door. Sometimes, River and I go weeks without seeing each other. Other times, it’s once a day, but at all times, she's sad.

What kind of leader will he be? Cruel, no doubt. This may be part of his training. The entire setting of the EKC is based on grooming their young.

“You know I can do it.” The silence that stretches between us isn’t uncomfortable. It doesn’t make my nerves tweak or my skin itch. It’s the kind that we always sit in. It’s the kind that has made these three years bearable.

When I push back, the legs on my chair scrape against the wood floor. Windows replace the wall behind his desk, allowing the sun to reveal an antique built-in bookcase on the opposite side.

My arms fold as I trace all the ripples of waves through the ocean. “It’s really beautiful here.”

His shoulder brushes mine when he stands beside me, leaning against the window. The air grows tight, my heart racing in my chest.

Putting distance between us, I lean back against the desk, squeezing the edge and watching the simple movement of his finger tracing the outline of his upper lip. Even dressed in his casual style, he’s a force. What he wears doesn’t matter because how he feels in any room is enough to make any sane person run.

My fascination with him has only grown over this past year, but I’ve found a way to be distracted.

“Don’t stare too hard.” His tone’s flat and disinterested, his eyes hard on mine. “Vaden might get jealous.” He turns his back to me, staring out the window. I need to be suffocated by his presence again.

Making sure I don’t touch him, I stand to his side and follow his line of sight to the field below. “I didn’t know you knew. We’re friends.”

“Why does it matter if I do?” The vein on the side of his neck pulses. “You can go.” He disappears from my peripheral, but the weight of his soul leaves frost down my spine. “And when they drive that knife through your pretty little heart, Madness…” His knuckles touch the exposed area of my back, gliding down my spine. My breath catches, and I tilt my head to the side when his lips graze my shoulder. “I want you to remember that the pain you’re feeling in that moment isn’t half as bad as it would be if I gave you everything you wanted any time you looked at me with those fuck me eyes.”

“Priest…” I warn, biting my cheek to stop myself from saying something I might regret.

He releases me from his invisible hold. Even though it’s delicate, it’s a cruel reminder of feelings I’ve tried to force myself to ignore. I need to change the subject and distract us from whatever that was.

“I’m not doing anything with Vaden.” I lean against the window as he lowers back into his chair.

He snickers, keeping his eyes on me. “You think I don’t know that?”

Even with the smoldering sorbet sunset, it does nothing to hide that all he is is midnight. Over the years, I’ve learned that my heart is a beast. A caged, hungry beast. One day, it’ll unleash itself, but today…

The corner of his mouth twitches. “You gonna ask me how I’m so cocky?”

“No,” the way his eyes move over my body has me fighting with myself. There are one hundred reasons why I shouldn’t crawl onto his lap, the first being he’ll kick me off, and the second is that I have too much pride. “I gather it’s your nature.”

His legs spread an inch, and my brain short-circuits when he relaxes even lower into his chair. “Madness…” The nickname only he uses falls from his tongue like honey. “Look at me.”

My eyes land on his, and the room shrinks around us.

“You’ll always be safe with me.”

Blood rushes through my ears, soothing my racing heart. I believe him.

Fingers touch mine and my body ignites like a furnace. Different from how it felt when I first met him, when everything was so cold.

So…cold.

His brows furrow as he studies the movement with fascination. I shouldn’t feel the way I do when he touches me because I’ve seen what carnage his hands can do. So gentle with me, yet so brutal with others.

“I need you tonight.” He reaches into a drawer beneath his desk, pulling out a mask. His fingers linger on mine before leaving it in my hands. I trace the encrusted diamonds that form into a skull.

“What is it?” It’s shaped to only hide the upper half of your face.

“My Calvaria.” I’d heard Dad talk about them once. They are to replace the face paint from previous generations.

“Isn’t it sacred to wear someone else’s ancestor?” My thumb circles the human bone that structures it.

Priest shrugs. “Guess I don’t care.”

“Why do you need me to wear this?”

“Because.” He stands to his full height. “Everyone is attending.”

The door opens behind him, and someone fills the space that separates the office and the hall. He’s tall but stands short beside Priest. With blond hair and skin even paler than Vaden’s, he’s classically handsome, sure, but like most boys in the EKC, he seems tormented.

He straightens his posture. “You called.”

Priest leans against the desk directly in front of me, his finger tapping on the edge. The longer he stares, the more my skin crawls.

“You’re taking Luna to the gala tonight.” My eyes fly up to the boy standing at the door as Priest’s next words leave him. “And you’ll make sure she behaves.”

The boy doesn’t argue, bowing his head and leaving the same way he came. Maybe River and I can still sneak away after the gala, since I would have had to wait for her anyway. We could go out and get drunk in whatever random town of her choosing that is far, far away from prying eyes.

“You’re setting me up on a date?” I lift my brow. “I could have gone with Vaden.”

Priest laughs, but it’s drawn out and drips of sarcasm. His chest brushes mine when he stands. “Wear red.”

I place the mask down on the bathroom vanity, my finger tapping against the marble. Why would he make me wear his Calvaria? Each of the Three get one, encrusted with diamonds and molded by the bone of their original ancestor. Which would make this one Humphrey Hayes. A shudder rolls through me.

“You good?” River calls from the bedroom, and I turn to ask her if she thinks this whole mask thing is weird when I notice garment bags hanging from each hand.

She sets them on the bed. “So—” Her eyes fall to what I’m holding, and her smile drops. “He what?”

“I know.” I place it on the bed beside the dresses.

“Luna, he’s not supposed to give anyone that, much less, like”—she pauses—“someone not in the three.”

I unzip the first bag. “Trust me, I know. I don’t understand it any more than you do. On top of that, he’s also managed to force some guy to take me as my date.”

River clears her throat. “I’m sure that’s his self-destruction making those decisions.”

“I’m confused.” I stare back at the dress laid out in front of me. A hematic hue of silk. “He confuses me. He’s always been obvious with his hatred toward me, but today in his office, I don’t know.”

River doesn’t answer, lowering herself onto the bed. “He doesn’t hate you. Priest doesn’t quite have the same temperament as most humans, so he doesn’t hate you. Is he agitated by your presence? Sure. Probably.”

I blink. “How are you so sure?”

“You’re not dead.” She shrugs. “Which is what I thought you’d be well before your first year was up.”

“Means nothing.” I pinch the soft material as it sails over my finger. “It simply means that right now, he needs me alive.”

Silence. “It means everything, Luna. Priest doesn’t care for the politics of the business. He’s a King before anything else.”

“Exactly,” I say, placing the gown back down. “He’s a King.”

“No, you’re not listening to me.” She kicks off the bed and scoops up the mask. “He’s a King before he is anything. He’s rogue yet calculated. None of us truly know what his plans are once he takes the gavel.” Her finger slows around the edge of the sharp fangs that elongate from its mouth. “But we all know one thing, and that’s that he doesn’t plan to keep things how they are.”

When I reach the bottom step, the car door is already open. Even after the passing years, his warmth reminds me of a time when I felt happy.

“Hello, kiddo.” He fixes his suit and gestures inside the car. “Long time no see.”

“Looking dapper, stranger.” I grasp the edge of the door. He’s bigger than I remember. As if time absorbs everyone around me. It’s a reminder of how long I’ve spent living here in purgatory.

He bends down to gather the thin trail of my gown as I slide inside.

“Luna Nox.” My stomach coils into knots. I don’t know anything about this boy. Blond hair falls forward when he bows before he grasps a bottle from the side and pours a glass.

“Hello.” I rest the champagne flute on my lap. “What’s your name?”

“You can call me Frazer.” He relaxes into his seat opposite.

How do I remove the divider? I’d much rather chat with the driver than Frazer.

Bubbles evaporate on my tongue, and I turn to watch the passing trees outside my window. In all three years that I’ve been here, I’ve never ventured into town. I am doomed and stuck here to be—whatever I am—to Priest for as long as it takes. They’ve been training me, but for what? I’ve been told nothing. I watch as Priest does things while I draw pictures over a wall that's running out of space. On the off days, I play with my throwing stars, sharpen them, practice with them, but none came from Priest.

Three years of existing, not living.

Lanternslight the main road through Riverside township, showcasing each store in an illume of warmth. On the opposite side of the strip of shops is the pasture of the church, which takes up the entire distance of the shops. A botanical garden bed rich with foliage that’s been well manicured. Riverside wears its mask like a knight does its armor.

We pull up to high-wired gates that line Riverside Elite University, where light posts lead down the cobblestone drive. I remember Dad saying he wished he had pushed for me to attend this school. Sometimes, I wanted to because homeschooling became a bore, but that would have meant that I would have to live among people who existed in a whole different dimension from others. At the time, it was something that I wasn’t ready for, yet here I am. Wearing the bone of a Hayes on my face. Priest having me wear his means he wants people to know.

I reach behind my neck to massage the knot that’s forming when I notice the boy staring. When he realizes, he quickly shifts his gaze out the window. The car stops, and my door opens.

“Who is he?” I ask the driver casually, taking his hand. The one I’ve only spoken few words to but feel as though I can trust him.

“He’s a Lost Boy, kiddo. The best of them, too. You can trust him.” I don’t know anything about the Lost Boys, only that they help police Perdita, an island off the coast of Riverside that the Elite Kings run as a world of their own. I remember hearing Dad say that things are temporary there and that one day, it will be a breeding ground for everything it had started as.

I never knew what that meant. Why would a Lost Boy be taking me to this party tonight?

Priest has never given me a reason to not trust him, only reasons to fear him.

When the Lost Boy appears beside me, the driver bows out, and I rest my elbow on his. He directs us toward armed men on either side of a red carpet that rolls down to the driveway. I count how many steps we take as he leads us inside.

Music carries waiters around the room as they offer tall crystal flutes of bubbles and caramel-colored liquor in glasses. People eye us as we pass, my date dressed in satin black from head to toe, including the mask that covers the top half of his face. His body is rigid, his face as hard as stone. Maybe I should joke about not wanting to be here as much as he does, but something tells me he’s not one to laugh, smile, or anything at anyone. He’s bigger than most people in this room, and my fingers flex around the trunk of his arm.

He stops near the back wall, hidden in a corner, and doesn’t move. Much like a statue, he remains passive. Alert.

High heels clink across the stage, and the music lowers, as does the chatter. Dressed in an elegant black gown, when Madison speaks, the room listens. Some would say it came from marrying Bishop, but there’s something in how she holds herself. She’s always been a badass.

The screen behind her flashes with items that are up for auction tonight.

“Because it’s my final year of hosting before another is to take my place,” she pauses, her eyes sailing around the room while the same smile remains. “We’ve allowed the next generation to put up items of their own for auction. I apologize now if you happen to find a surprise in any of these items. Stella, I’m looking at you.” Laughter rolls around the room, and I follow her eyes to a round table near the front. Stella’s raven-black hair, River’s beach blonde waves, and Halen’s brunette curls. The girls laugh among themselves around a set of empty seats.

Madison continues. “A diamond from”—her eyes turn to slits on her daughter—“my own collection.” Halen blows her mom a kiss as she continues. “A Malum jet, a five-star Vitiosis hotel in Japan, an island off the shores of Australia, the deed of a ten-million-dollar penthouse, and—” She stops, flipping over the pages in front of her before peering out at the crowd as if looking for someone. “—And a surprise.”

The final item is occupied by a single black square with the word "Riddles" in the center.

I swipe a glass of champagne when a waiter dances past, resting the rim against my mouth. The past three years still don’t make sense to me. What is the plan? Is it to instill a basic level of fear? Is that why he had me running through forests, drawing pictures over a wall while he literally fucked the final breath out of unsuspecting victims? Fascination always outweighed my fear. He has to know that by now.

“Starting bid is one million.”

Jesus. What the hell could have a starting bid of one million.

“For the mystery item in the box. Two—” she calls, pointing to someone in the crowd, holding a black card.

“How do you feel, Madness?” My skin prickles. I drink more champagne. “A shame you look fucking good in that dress.”

“—three million.”

“I’m drunk,” I tease, which isn’t something we did before this afternoon in his office. He isn’t someone you want to joke with, but we also never allow extra time around each other more than necessary. No one walking this earth is alive to say they’ve felt Priest Hayes inside them. He makes sure of it, and I draw it.

I’m about to turn to face him when his other hand flies to my throat. I swallow past the lead in it as he relaxes, his fingers wrapping around my chin to direct my head back to the stage. “Do you know what they’re bidding on?” The warmth of his whisper crawls over my skin. “Your time here has expired, and since I can’t kill one of our own…”

Everything falls into place like a puzzle. He wanted me to wear his mask so no one would know it was me, sure, but also to give the illusion that whoever is beneath it is worthy enough to buy.

“What are they bidding on, Madness?”

My eyes burn when I don’t blink. “Me.”

Pause. “You.”

My heart pounds in my chest as everything in the room becomes hazy.

“You see that door to your left?”

He forces my eyes to the corner by the grip of my chin.

“Good girl. Now, this time, Madness, you’re not going to want to be caught. Do you know what will happen if you are? This isn’t a test. This isn’t you locked safely away in a room with only me, or Vaden, or the worthless girl begging to be fucked. If you’re caught this time, Madness…”

Up until this point, I trusted him. For whatever reason, his keeping me alive for three years built a level of credence without me even realizing it. Now that level is being razed to the ground.

“If I catch you…” His lips are a tender reminder of all the mistakes I’ve made along the way. How na?ve I’ve been. “I may just kill you, because if I can’t have you—” He pauses, using the back of his fingers to glide over my shoulder. “—They sure as fuck can’t.”

I don’t get a chance to ask who they are because adrenaline shoots through me. I dash toward the exit lights and shove myself through the doors, ignoring the alarms from behind.Kicking off my shoes, I don’t stop running until I see a clearing ahead that separates the football field and a thick forest. My eyes burn, and my hair whips my face as I pick up pace. My arms move back and forth as I jump over a fallen log, ripping my dress in the process. I will not stop running. Twigs bite at my feet the faster I run. Tears stream down my cheeks, and my hair, once in an elegant updo, is now a nest around my neck.

The times in his dark room where he’d make me hide until either of them found me seemed like a distant memory. They never would, though. I’d wait for hours until I eventually gave up and crawled out of my hole. No one would mention it. It became a weird concept that never made sense. What did it mean?

They can’t have you.

The final whisper of his words grows louder in my head before my foot collides with something hard, and the ground gets closer and closer. A sharp pain shoots through my side before everything goes black.