CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“QUIT BEING AN IDIOT AND JUST ACCEPT THE CONTRACT already,” a male voice rang out.
“Why don’t you accept a contract already?” the other male snapped back.
The footsteps drew closer. “I promise you should be thanking me for rejecting my last contract, Gregory. You think you’re angry now. Emeline and her brother were an excellent match. One would assume, given that we share fifty percent of our genes with Emeline, that one of us would match to Nora.”
There was a scuffle. Someone slammed against the wall near our hiding place. Hal pressed me farther into the wall behind him.
“You,” Gregory spat venomously. “They matched her with you.” Fury and panic filled the hall.
“Yes,” Phillip replied, his voice strained. “I rejected it. But maybe I shouldn’t have. You seem incapable of hiding it anymore.”
“I do not care if others talk.”
“You should, and she will,” Phillip shot back. “If they go after her offspring, she will never forgive you. You are being selfish and they will notice.”
“Only if you or Collin open your mouths.”
“Collin does not wish his sister ill. It is why we are having this conversation. I daresay our sister is keeping him busy enough as it is.”
Hal’s grip on me tightened.
A growl ripped from Gregory’s throat. “That’s rich, seeing as Collin has stood by as Mate after Mate has taken his sister. One would think that is wishing ill. I thought he would stop it.”
“Collin cannot control everything.”
“Only you, little brother, only you.”
“You are to enter this contract with the Minor, Gregory.”
“People do not enjoy being told who to be with. I cannot do it again.” Gregory hissed a breath between his teeth.
“It is either that or lose her completely. Others are noticing. They will not allow it. They will never allow it. They will not give you something you care about. You know this. You have to let her go.”
“I will never let her go.”
“If you love her—” Phillip began, but the sound of a fist colliding with a wall rang out. I jumped from the impact.
“If—” Gregory shouted. “If? Do not question something you have no idea about. You have never loved anything, Phillip. All you have ever done is climb your way up. Don’t ask if I love her. I have given everything to her.” Gregory’s voice shook with a fury I felt.
“Then you doom her,” Phillip threatened. He didn’t even raise his voice.
My hands grew clammy. I swore I could feel Gregory’s fury break as pain slithered through the door.
“Accept the contract, procreate with the Minor, and protect her. She accepted William,” Phillip continued, his voice quiet like he felt Gregory’s pain too. “She didn’t even hesitate when the contract was presented. Think of Timothy.”
“He’s at the Academy now. You know Katherine wants me nowhere near him.”
“You have to let this go. Your contract will be official and approved by dawn. A public Courting and cohabitation. Accept this. Don’t neglect your role again.”
There was no cordial end to the conversation, just footsteps leading away. Hal and I waited in silence, making sure they were gone. Hal finally opened the door.
“You should go out alone. Go down the hall and back into the room,” Hal whispered. “I will come by your office soon. Go. I have kept you for too long.”
Before I could protest, Hal gently pushed me out of the closet.
I stood in the hallway, suddenly feeling cold and completely alone.
I debated going back into the closet and never leaving.
Hal was right, though. I had been gone too long.
I took a steadying breath, shoving all the conflicting emotions away.
It seemed Lo would have her contract, but I found no joy in being able to tell her.
“Little sister,” Gregory drawled from the shadows. I whipped my head to find Gregory leaning against the wall.
“Gregory,” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Gregory said as he dragged his eyes over me.
“Collin told me to stay here. I found the Elite to be too much,” I told him.
“In a hidden hall? That leads to a service quarter?” Gregory pushed off the wall, crossing his arms. “Was it all the Elite, or just some of them?” Those blue eyes flicked to the concealed door behind me. “Or do you miss your kind?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Hmm, it would appear I am not the only family fuckup after all,” Gregory drawled. “I assume it isn’t Collin in that closet. Doesn’t seem his style.”
“I don’t know what you’re going on about,” I repeated, my heart racing. I prayed Hal stayed put. “I have to get back. Collin said he would find me later.” I stepped toward the ballroom doors.
“Before you do, you should probably fix your lipstick and your hair.” My hand flew to my hair. “Even then, I think the gown is a lost cause,” Gregory practically taunted from behind me.
I looked down. The sheer skirt of my gown was devastatingly wrinkled. Panic hit me hard as I whirled to Gregory.
“Gregory, I—I—” I stammered, attempting to smooth my skirts. “What are you doing?” I demanded as he pulled out his Comm Device. “Gregory, what are you doing?”
He finished typing a message and put his Comm Device away. “The only way out is through the ballroom, up the stairs.”
“I can’t go in there like this,” I sputtered, terrified.
Gregory moved closer to me. “Emeline, it will be okay. May I?” I nodded mindlessly. Gregory rubbed his thumb quickly along the side of my mouth and chin. “Okay, that’s better. Don’t move.” He slowly and expertly adjusted pins and tucked curls away. “Wear your hair down next time.”
My heart sank at why he knew that as he stepped away.
His Comm Device dinged, and he quickly read a message. “Okay, Phillip got a Pod. I told him I found you upset and intoxicated. I am going to put my arm around you, and we will walk quickly through. Do not stop for anyone. Phillip is telling Collin I am getting you home. Ready?”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, the knot in my throat returning.
“Because we cannot help who we care for.” He looked behind me. “I did not know I had a little sister for too long. This is what a brother should do.” He put an arm around my waist to pretend to hold me up. “That and pummel whoever the fuck didn’t think about your damn safety.”
Blinking away tears, I choked out, “You’re a hypocrite.”
A chuckle rumbled through him. “Yes, well, I cannot be perfect. Let’s get you out of here.” I leaned into Gregory as he whispered, “Don’t look up.”
Time collapsed upon itself as Gregory guided me through the ballroom. My frantic heartbeat drowned out the idle chatter of everyone around us.
I glanced up only once to see Collin with a woman in a red dress standing close to him, her hand on his chest. My stomach filled with lead as shock ripped through me. When had he returned?
Gregory ushered me into the waiting Pod as footsteps hurried after us. I looked up to see Nora holding my clutch. I had forgotten all about it. I looked down again as Gregory turned to intercept her.
“Is she okay?” Nora demanded. “I looked for her but couldn’t find her. Eve is all over Collin. The Press is having a field day.”
Eve. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place where I had heard it.
Nora attempted to push past Gregory, but he didn’t let her pass. “Why won’t you let me see her?” she demanded.
“I was told to get her to her living quarters, no theatrics. I have her.” Nora stopped fighting him as music swelled from the other room. “The last number is next. William will be expecting you. Thanks for the clutch.” Gregory turned, stepping into the Pod and sitting beside me. Dismissing Nora.
The doors closed. Right before the Pod took off, I looked up to see Nora wipe wildly at her face before turning away.
Gregory scooted away from me, sighing as he lay back.
“Why do you always do that?”
Gregory remained quiet for a moment. “Because it makes the stars look different. You should try it. You don’t have to worry about ruining your gown anymore.” I glared at him before moving to the Pod’s other side to lie down.
He was right. The stars swirled like the Starry Night painting as the Pod shot through the sky.
“Do you want to tell me who matters so much that you are willing to risk your life for them? Collin is an Illum. Not just any Illum, Emeline. Your choice is stupid.”
“Do you want to tell me what you’re going to do about Nora?” I shot back, frustrated.
“So, you heard that?”
“Yes.”
“Should I be concerned about who you were with hearing that?”
“No, your secret is safe.” When Gregory didn’t answer my question, I hesitated. The Pod dropped before shooting onward. “Who’s Timothy?”
“My offspring. He’s five. At the Academy. My old Mate hates me, not without reason. She has kept him from me as much as possible.” I glanced over. His right hand hung off the bench. His knuckles were swollen and bloody.
“Tell me about Lola,” Gregory said as he watched the stars.
“Lola?” I repeated, confused.
“The Minor, my intended Mate,” Gregory clarified. “She said she knew you.”
“Oh, Lo. She desperately wants this contract to work. She has dreamed about it since I first met her. She’s funny, intense, and beautiful. She’s a good person.”
“Hmm,” Gregory mused.
The Pod came to a stop outside my building. I stood, grabbing my clutch.
“Thank you,” I told him, leaving him to his vigil with the stars.
“Emeline, if you care about the person you were with at all, never see them again.”
Our gazes met. “You, of all people, have no room to talk.”
“You will regret it,” Gregory warned, coming to sit, his eyes haunted.
“You will regret loving someone you cannot have. It will destroy you. You will spend your entire life fighting. Fighting to keep a secret. Fighting to hide your feelings. Fighting for someone you cannot have. You will never find peace; all you will have are fleeting moments in secret. The goodbyes will lurk and ruin you, cutting you down each time. And the Illum will find out, and they will not allow it. They will ensure you never get it.”
“And what will you do?” Because I didn’t want to talk about me.
Gregory looked at the building behind me and then the stars again. “Whatever it takes to keep her safe.”
“You’ll let her go?”
Gregory laughed. It was humorless and raw, seeped in bitterness. “All I have ever done is let her go. It is as known to me as breathing. Good night, little sister.”