Chapter 40
Ben clears his throat, and the noise pulls me out of my dirty thoughts. My cheeks flush, and I duck my head, hoping he doesn’t notice.
“I’ve been trained to fight since the first day I got here,” he says. There’s a hint of pride mixed in with something darker in his voice. “For the last three years, I’ve learned about poisons, weapons, and anything else required to carry out a summons. They’ve turned me into a soldier, but I’ll use my skills to protect you. I just have to make it through the Trials.”
“You will.”
He nods, his gaze reflecting the uncertainty coursing through me. “I’m going to, or die trying. It’s a series of tests, designed to prove that I’m capable of whatever the Order tells me to do. They’re not easy. Some people don’t make it through.”
“If it’s dangerous, why are you doing this?”
“I wasn’t given a choice,” he says. “The Order sees it as my duty to serve my bloodline and the organization that’s been around for centuries. It’s bigger than me, and I’m powerless to stop it.”
“What happens when you pass Trials? Will they ease up on you?”
“I’ll be fully inducted. I’ll go from being a recruit to a crow, expected to carry out missions while running my family’s tech empire.”
I scrunch my face. “A crow?”
“A group of crows is called a ‘murder.’ It works for a league of assassins. Don’t you think?” He smiles at me.
My laughter is high-pitched, bordering on hysterical. “I can’t argue with that.”
“There’s more to it. The bird has always been synonymous with death, but it’s also one of the most intelligent and highly territorial. I guess whoever came up with the symbol hundreds of years ago had a poetic side.” He shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve earned my wings.”
I make a face. “What does that mean?”
He grins at me. “You’ll find out during the Crow’s Covenant tomorrow night. It’s one of the few events the brides are allowed to attend.”
“Xavier will be back by then,” I say, recalling how his father said so. I didn’t get it at the time, but now that I do, I find that morbid curiosity rising in me like it always does.
Ben makes a noncommittal noise. “Yeah, X.”
“You don’t like him?”
I pose it as a question when we both know it’s not. The way Ben acted around Xavier the night of the Bride Hunt was a side of him that I’d never seen before. Even now, I can’t make sense of it.
My foster brother pauses, his gaze shifting before returning to mine. “It’s not that I don’t like him. X and I have been friends for the last three years. He saved my life on the first day of initiation.”
Ben’s voice takes on a tone of reluctant admiration. I can relate. Xavier is always pulling emotion from me that I wish didn’t exist. Even now, finding out that he saved Ben’s life does something to my heart. It softens it. Weakens it.
“I’m still pissed at him for claiming you as his bride,” Ben mutters.
The brand on my skin throbs as the memories of that night flit through my mind. I’m bound to Xavier for a year, but this mark on my shoulder is permanent in a way that infuriates me. Yes, I can have it removed, but it shouldn’t have been put there in the first place.
“You and me both,” I say. “At least you’re not the one with a fucking ‘D’ on your body.” A thought strikes, giving me pause. “Would you have branded me if you’d been the one to catch me?”
Ben runs a hand through his hair. “I would’ve had to. You saw the way the council member was with X. Any deviation from the norm is grounds for punishment. I’m not talking about just being reprimanded. When it comes to the Order, nothing is off limits.”
A chill skitters along arms that has nothing to do with the night air. “I get it.”
He takes a step toward me. “But that doesn’t mean I would’ve wanted to. You’re not property, Delilah.”
“I feel like it. I don’t want to belong to Xavier.”
He takes another step. “I’m going to try to take you from him.”
I blink. “How?”
“By out-scoring him and the other recruits during the Trials. The brides go to the top three performers.” Ben cups my cheeks with both hands and tilts my head up . “I will be one of them.”
“Why?”
“To protect you.”
“Xavier said the same thing.”
Ben clenches his jaw. “You belong with me. I know you more than anyone. I can make you happy.”
“This is a contract, not a marriage.”
“It might as well be,” he snaps, his grip tightening on my face. “You have to do whatever he wants. It makes me fucking sick to think of you with him.”
“I think now’s a good time to take your fucking hands off of her.”
The dark voice has Ben swinging around and shoving me behind him. I stumble before gaining my footing. Once I’m not about to faceplant, I lean around Ben to find Declan standing there.
He juts his chin at me. “That bride doesn’t belong to you, McKenzie.”
Ben stiffens, tension lining his shoulders. “She doesn’t belong to you either. Mind your fucking business.”
Declan blows out a breath. “Unfortunately, that fucker X put me on bride-sitting duty. So she’s coming with me.”
I step from behind Ben and lift both my hands, one palm facing each man. “Both of you need to hold the fuck up. I’m going back to my dorm room. After that, you can have a pissing contest, or whatever guys do to establish dominance. All I know is you’re not slinging your shlongs in front of me.”
The pair of them look at me with wide eyes. Ben groans and massages his forehead while Declan grins. I flip them off.
“Listen, I’m already caught up in the pile of shit the Order dumped on me,” I say. “I’m not interested in adding more to it by pissing them off. Leave me alone, and I promise I’ll stay put.”
“That’s not how this works, bride,” Declan says. “You’re going to Xavier’s room. I let you have your freedom during the day, but at night you need to be behind a locked door with security. It’s the safest option.”
I look at Ben, and he gives me a reluctant nod. “He’s right. The dorm rooms in the fraternity are the best choice.”
“Whatever,” I mumble. “Let’s get this over with.”
They fall into step beside me, one recruit on either side. It unnerves me. There’s something about their energy that’s unusual. Maybe it’s because I know they’re killers or that they wield power in a way that’s foreign to me. I’ve never had money or authority, let alone inherited an empire.
I glance at Declan. “What industry does your family control?”
He flicks his narrowed gaze to Ben. “I see someone’s been running his fucking mouth.”
My foster brother rolls his eyes. “It’s not like she’s stupid. She was going to figure it out anyway.”
Declan eyes Ben for a moment. “When my father passes, I’ll take over his medical dynasty.”
“That’s not so bad,” I say.
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I recall the story June told us about Declan and his late-night visit to a clinic filled with suspicious people. And organs.
Oh, fuck.
Declan grins at me, but it’s all teeth and no smile. Similar to a shark. “I save lives. Hospitals, clinics, research facilities… we own them, but the real market is a supply and demand we’re not going to talk about.”
Ben’s expression darkens, and he steps closer as if to shield me from Declan. “The Order’s reach extends into gray areas.”
“Gray?” Declan laughs. “It’s more like pitch-black. Another reason we’re called crows, man. Let’s just say that my family provides specialized healthcare services and leave it at that.”
“And you?” I ask Ben. “What does a tech dynasty look like?”
Declan interjects before my foster brother can answer me. “It looks like fucking everything. This bastard can hack his way into almost anything. Records, finances, satellites.”
“Now who has a big fucking mouth,” Ben growls.
“You broke the seal, man.” Declan shrugs. “Like you said, she’s not stupid. I haven’t known her for long, but she’s likely to get into trouble and poke her nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Ben nods. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Hey!” I glare at one of them and then the other. “Do me a favor and punch each other in the dicks, yeah?”