Chapter 19
Ineeded proof. After my conversation at lunch with Luce, the suspicion had lodged itself in my brain like a parasite, growing with every passing hour.
If Ryder had been drugging me with his "special hot chocolate" the same way his mother had drugged him, I needed to know what he might have done to me while I was unconscious. The thought made my skin crawl, but I pushed past the revulsion. I’d come straight home from lunch to try to figure out what I was going to do.
Part of me felt hope. If I could find evidence that Ryder was doing something that broke the rules of the contract, it could be my ticket out of here.
But then the idea of it happening, even if it meant my freedom, made me sick to my stomach.
I needed to get into his room, that was where he kept all his camera stuff.
If he was doing something, then he would have recorded it, surely.
I'd waited until the house was quiet, until I was certain Ryder was occupied elsewhere. I’d seen him go into Cole’s room a couple of hours before and so far hadn’t heard him come out.
When I was sure that no one was around, I crept down the hallway to Ryder’s room and knocked softly.
When there was no answer, I tried the handle.
His bedroom door wasn't locked, a surprising oversight for someone so obsessively private.
Perhaps he believed no one would dare enter his personal space.
Perhaps he was right to believe that until now.
I slipped inside, my heart hammering against my ribs.
The room was dimly lit, shadows pooling in the corners.
Unlike the rest of Covenant House's overdone luxury, Ryder's room had a sparse, almost clinical feel to it.
The large desk against one wall was dominated by multiple computer monitors, their blue glow casting eerie shadows across the space.
I sat in his chair, already feeling like I was the one violating his space.
I had to be quick though; I had no idea when he would return and the last thing I wanted to do was to give him a chance to destroy the evidence if he knew I was looking.
I moved the mouse, and the screens flickered to life.
No password protection, another surprise.
Either Ryder was overconfident, or he wanted someone to find whatever was here.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I scanned the desktop, looking for anything labelled with my name or room number.
I certainly hoped it was that obvious, because otherwise I was screwed.
I was about to start clicking around but then my attention was caught by a window minimised at the bottom of the screen.
I clicked on it, and the screen filled with a video from what I recognised as Cole's bedroom.
Cole was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands.
Ryder stood in front of him, saying something I couldn't hear without the audio. There was an intimacy to their body language that made me pause, a sense that I was witnessing something private. I should have closed the window immediately, but a morbid curiosity kept me watching as Ryder knelt in front of Cole, his hands coming to rest on Cole's thighs. What was this? I knew the guys were close, but I had no idea they were this close. I looked at the title for a timestamp to see when this was and saw that this wasn’t a recording but a live feed. Shit, was this happening right now? I knew I should turn it off; it felt private and intimate, but I couldn’t bring myself to click away.
"Now, now, what a naughty little Princess you are."
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the voice in my ear, so close I could feel warm breath against my neck. I whirled around to find Logan standing directly behind me, his hazel eyes gleaming with amusement and something darker, more dangerous.
"I-I was just-" I stammered, frantically trying to close the window, but Logan's hand shot out, gripping my wrist painfully.
"Just what? Breaking into Ryder's room? Snooping through his things? Spying on our housemates?" His voice was low, controlled, but there was an edge to it that made my stomach clench with fear. "I never took you for a voyeur, Princess."
"I wasn't-" I tried again, but the evidence was right there on the screen. Cole's head was thrown back now, his eyes closed as Ryder's hands moved higher up his thighs. I couldn't tear my eyes away, and Logan noticed.
"Oh, but you were," he said, his grip on my wrist loosening slightly as he leant closer, his chest pressing against my back, while caging me in against the edge of the desk.
"Did you know they liked each other that way?
Does it excite you to watch them?" Heat flooded my cheeks, partly from embarrassment, partly from something else I didn't want to examine too closely.
"I didn't come here for that," I insisted, finding my voice at last. "I was looking for-"
"For what?" Logan interrupted, his tone sharpening. "What exactly were you hoping to find in Ryder's private space, Princess?"
I swallowed hard, knowing I couldn't tell him the truth. That I suspected Ryder had been drugging me, violating me while I slept. That I was desperate for evidence, for confirmation of my worst fears.
"I was curious," I lied, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "About the surveillance. About what you all might be hiding. I wondered if there was anything on my attacker, or something." Logan's laugh was soft, menacing.
"Curious, are you? Well, why don't we satisfy that curiosity properly?"
Before I could protest, he had hauled me to my feet, his grip on my arm unyielding as he dragged me toward the door.
"Logan, stop! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" I struggled against his hold, but it was like trying to break free from iron shackles.
"To give you a better view," he said simply, marching me across the hallway toward Cole's room. My heart stuttered in my chest as I realised his intention.
"No, Logan, please- I don't want to-"
"But you do," he cut me off, his voice silky and dangerous. "I saw the look on your face while you were watching them. You're curious. You want to see more."
"I don't!" I protested, but even to my own ears, the denial sounded weak. There had been something captivating about watching the two of them together, something that stirred a heat too low in my body that I didn't want to acknowledge.
Logan paused outside Cole's door, turning to face me. His expression was a mixture of cruelty and something that might have been concern in anyone else.
"You need to understand something, Princess. This isn't just about punishing you anymore. This is about protecting you."
"Protecting me?" I repeated, confused by the sudden shift. "From what?" Instead of answering, Logan pushed open Cole's door without knocking. The scene inside froze like a tableau: Ryder on his knees in front of Cole, his hands on Cole's belt, both of them looking up in shock at our intrusion.
"Don't stop on our account," Logan said, his voice casual as he pulled me fully into the room, closing the door behind us.
"Our Princess here was enjoying the show from Ryder's surveillance feed.
I thought she might appreciate a closer view.
" Cole's eyes widened, darting from Logan to me and back again.
"What the fuck, Logan?"
"She was in Ryder's room, watching you two on the monitors," Logan explained, his hand still gripping my arm tightly. "Figured if she's that interested, she might as well get the full experience." Ryder's surprise morphed into a slow, predatory smile that made my blood run cold.
"Is that so, Poison? Were you spying on us?" His blue eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "Did you like what you saw?"
"I wasn't-" I started to deny it again, but Logan's grip tightened painfully on my arm.
"Don't lie, Princess. I caught you red-handed."
I fell silent, shame and confusion warring within me.
I hadn't come to Ryder's room to watch them, but I couldn't deny that once I'd seen the feed, I hadn't immediately looked away.
There was something about their dynamic, the way Ryder knelt for Cole despite his usual dominance, that had captivated me.
"Since she's so interested," Logan continued, "I thought we might give her a proper demonstration.
Carry on, Ryder. Show our Princess what she's been missing out on.
" To my horror, Ryder turned back to Cole, his hands resuming their work on Cole's belt.
Cole hesitated, glancing at me with an unreadable expression before nodding almost imperceptibly to Ryder.
"Logan, please," I whispered, trying one last time to escape this situation. "I don't want to watch this."
"But you need to," he replied, his voice dropping to a murmur meant only for my ears. "You need to understand what's at stake here. What we are to each other. What you could be to us."
Before I could respond, Ryder had successfully unbuckled Cole's belt and was unzipping his jeans.
I should have closed my eyes, should have turned away, but I couldn't. I watched, transfixed, as Ryder pulled down Cole's jeans and boxers in one fluid motion, revealing his already hard cock.
Cole's head fell back against the bed, his eyes closing as Ryder took him in hand, stroking him slowly before leaning forward to take him into his mouth.
The sound Cole made a deep, guttural groan, sending a shock of heat through my body, pooling between my thighs.
Logan moved behind me, his chest pressed against my back, his hands coming to rest on my hips.