Vicious Secret: A Dark College Romance

Chapter 9

Senior Year

The Present

“I have a favor to ask you,”Benjamin says without looking at me.

He lowers his voice to barely above a whisper despite it being just the two of us in the room. When he flicks his gaze to me, there’s something deep and intense in his eyes.

Something that can only be triggered by a girl.

“It’s personal.”

I shove him with a laugh, attempting to deflect. “No, you can’t suck my dick. I thought I made that clear freshman year when I saved your ass in the dungeon.”

His mouth thins. “I’m serious, X. This is important.”

“I know.” My stomach clenches with foreboding. “Something’s been up with you for a while now.”

Benjamin walks over to the window and folds his arms over his chest. “I don’t know if I should ask you this, but I don’t know who else I can trust.”

He falls silent. I leave him to his internal debate. Benjamin will say what’s on his mind if he’s given a moment to think on how to say it correctly. The problem is that I don’t want to fucking hear it.

With a quiet exhale, I drop into a chair and cross my ankle over my thigh. And wait. I run my gaze over the space, taking in the details to soothe my impatience.

The castle that houses the fraternity’s members is a clash of present and ancient times. Sconces have been replaced with light fixtures and wiring. The towering ceiling, arched window, and hand-carved crown molding co-exist with the modern upgrades found in the furniture and the en suite bathroom, but the space maintains its air of grandeur.

We, along with those that came before us, are the elite, and we live like it.

Above the massive fireplace is a crest of the Obsidian Order. At the center is a crow with its wings outstretched in mid-flight, symbolizing the guild’s intelligence, its air of mystery, and—of course—its connection with death. Any recruit still standing at the end of the Trials will be called a crow instead of a recruit.

We’re down to nine.

Finally, Benjamin takes a deep breath as if gathering his courage. I force myself to remain still, although the subject is of great interest to me. Even after all of these years together, Benjamin has never mentioned Delilah, but I’ve been anticipating this conversation for a while.

“There’s a girl who’s coming to the university this year,” he says. “Delilah Scott.”

I shrug, my nonchalance completely at odds with the way my blood heats at merely hearing her name. “And?”

“I’ve been summoned.”

Benjamin takes up the chair across from me, resting his forearms on the table while clasping his hands. He stares at his fingers as though imagining blood on them. Considering he’s going to kill someone soon, it’s a distinct possibility.

“Your first time?” I ask.

He drops his gaze and nods. “Yeah. What about you?”

“I’ve been summoned several times.”

“Damn.”

“It’s part of the oath we took.” I tilt my head. “Speaking of, which part of ‘celibacy for a year’ did you not understand?”

Benjamin squeezes his hands until his skin blanches. “My relationship with her isn’t like that.”

“But you want it to be.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“I’m not going to break my oath.”

“Good.” I raise a brow. “The Order puts more importance on our final year than any other. It”s the first time we’re sent on missions and the reason we have to be celibate all senior year. They don’t want us thinking with our dicks and fucking things up. If you know that, then why are you mentioning this girl?”

Benjamin jerks up his head and his gaze shoots to mine. “She’s important. More than anything else in my life.”

“Dangerous words.” The very ones I’ve spoken to myself in the dark hours when it’s just me and my thoughts of Delilah. “No one is worth the risk.”

“She is.”

I couldn’t agree more.

“Why?” I ask.

“She’s family.”

“Your lineage can be traced back to the Mayflower, and she isn’t part of it.”

Benjamin shakes his head. “We’re not related by blood, but she’s…”

“Like a sister?”

He slowly nods, but his hesitation speaks of things he wants to deny. Or keep secret. It doesn’t matter. She’ll never be his.

I’ll kill him first.

“Why are you telling me about her now?” I ask.

“You know every summons is different. I have no idea how long I’ll be gone. It will be easier for me to concentrate if I know you’re watching over her.”

I’ve been watching over her for three fucking years. Within a few days, she’ll be the closest she’s ever been, and I’ll struggle to maintain my distance more than ever.

“Why me?” I ask.

“You’re the only one I trust to look after Delilah while I’m gone.”

The air becomes charged with unspoken thoughts. Her name holds a significance that neither of us is willing to admit out loud. Although a delicate thread, this woman binds us together.

“Will you help me?” he asks. His eyes reflect a mixture of desperation and pleading. “I have to know before I leave.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Benjamin exhales and runs his fingers through his hair. “Thank you, X. This means more than you know.”

Yes, yes it does. It means I’ll be around her, breathing in her scent and watching her from the shadows, doing my best not to touch her despite being willing to kill for the chance.

“Do you have a picture of her?” I ask, my lips lifting into a smirk. “It might help.”

Benjamin releases a nervous laugh and retrieves his cell phone. After a few seconds, he hands me the object. I take it, and my breathing stops. My objective to display casual indifference is shattered by the image of her.

Delilah’s beauty is captured in a single frame, a brief second in time that will haunt me for eternity. The gentle curve of her smile. The way her green eyes glitter with happiness. The softness of her skin taunting me.

I swear I’m going to lose my fucking mind over a group of pixels.

“Pretty, isn’t she?” Benjamin remarks without dampening the pride and affection in his voice.

I scoff. “She’s fucking gorgeous.” It takes a huge amount of effort to tear my gaze away from the screen and hand the phone back to him. “But you knew that’d be my reaction when you asked me to look out for her. You also know our oath prevents me from fucking her.”

He narrows his gaze. “Not just our oath, but our friendship.”

“That too.”

I grin at him, concealing the maelstrom of violence churning in my chest. The complexities of this situation will only intensify as I navigate the thin line between duty and desire. Between my oath and my obsession.

The tightness in his shoulders eases, as does the tension around his eyes. But they don’t disappear completely. “The Order can’t find out about her.”

“No shit.”

“I’m fucking serious, X. If they knew what she meant to me…” He scrubs his mouth with his hand. “I’ve seen what they’re willing to do to keep members from refusing their orders. I won’t let them hurt Delilah, but I don’t know how to stop them if they were to discover her.”

My blood ices over at the thought. “You can’t.”

“That’s why it’s important to keep them from noticing her. It’s the reason I’ve never told you about her until now.”

“I get it. But to be clear, that’s not a long-term strategy.”

Unlike mine. For years, I’ve weighed all the risks and considered every possible outcome. The reward is worth it.

Sheis worth it.

I will have Delilah.

Even if it means I have to kill my father first.