Chapter 20
The brownies are in the oven, and Honey is making popcorn on the stove.
“So you’re seriously getting married,” she says, shaking her head like she can’t believe it.
“My father says I have to do it. He’s in trouble. Everyone thinks he poisoned some mafia don. It’s a whole thing.” I wave my hand.
“Who do they think he poisoned?” Raine asks.
“His name is something cheesy… Alfredo.” I snap my fingers.
“Alfredo Vesuvio?” Honey glances at Raine. “Son of Dominus Vesuvio?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
Honey keeps looking at Raine, biting her lip.
“I need chocolate,” Raine mutters.
Honey takes the popcorn off the stove, marches to the pantry, and returns with a basket full of candy bars.
“What?” I’m missing something. “What is it?”
“Raine’s from the Vesuvio family,” Honey tells me.
“Wait, really?” I lean in so fast I almost knock the candy basket off the island. Cool, Bella, be cool. But I can’t keep the interest out of my voice when I ask, “You’re a Vesuvio?”
Raine groans. “I’m not. I mean, I am, but not really. Veronica—that’s my mom—was a rebel and pretty much an outcast. Dominus is her uncle.”
“Dominus?” Tingles run down my arms when I hear his name.
“He’s the head of the Vesuvio family. Big, bad mafia don,” Honey explains as if I don’t know who he already is. I don’t say anything. As far as everyone’s concerned, I need to be a clueless schoolgirl and a pawn in the game between my father, Fraternitas, and the Vesuvios.
“He’s the worst,” Raine confirms. “My mom tried to escape the family when she was younger. Ran off, had me. She got lucky; Dominus never recognized her as part of the family. Then her luck ran out.”
I make sympathetic noises, my mind whirling. “What happened?”
“Dominus sent some men to get Veronica and bring her back into the fold so he could marry her off to secure an alliance.”
“Your mom had an arranged marriage?”
“Yeah. Dominus made an alliance with the Saint family and made her marry my stepfather, Calix Saint. And then shit went sideways… It’s actually kind of a cluster right now.
But long story short, I’m not really a Vesuvio anymore.
I’m considered a Saint now.” She sighs and lifts the silver chain she’s wearing around her neck.
It has a small charm in the shape of a cup or chalice, decorated with blue stones.
Silver and blue, the colors of the Saint family.
We’re learning about this in our orientation classes. The Saints were one of the four families that helped found the university. I’m wracking my brain, trying to remember more about them, when Honey says to Raine, “So you could live on Blood Quad.”
“No, thank you. My stepbrother won’t allow it.
Even if he did, I wouldn’t want to.” Raine shudders.
“I don’t want anything to do with the Houses.
” She’s still fiddling with the cup charm on the end of her necklace.
Both Honey and I stay quiet. We all know that, as the daughter of two different Houses, Raine is already involved as much as anyone can be.
“Remind me who the families are again?” I say. “And which House is which? I just remember the bull and snakes or whatever.”
“The Bulls, the Swords, the Saints, and the Serpents,” Honey rattles off. “Those are the Houses. The Bulls are led by Dominus Vesuvio and the Vesuvio family. The head of the Swords is Royal Regis. Then there are the Saints led by…” She hesitates and looks at Raine.
“It’s in transition,” Raine says. “TBD.”
“And the Serpents are led by the Serpente family,” Honey says.
“Right, right, that one’s easy,” I say. The four families have their crests and insignias all over campus. Stained glass, tapestries, statues, and artwork depicting bulls, swords, chalices, and snakes—anywhere they can stick a symbol. “What about you, Raine? Are you in danger of being married off?
“Nah, my stepbrother would never allow that to happen. That’s one good thing. He’s protective.” Her face turns dark as it always does when she mentions her stepbrother. “Let’s talk about something else.”
I want to ask more about the Vesuvios, but I don’t want to be too obvious about it. Besides, Raine isn’t in their House anymore, and it doesn’t sound like she was close to any of them before. Once the fall semester starts and more students are on campus, I’ll be able to get more intel on the Bulls.
I’m still a supervillain-in-training, and besides, I have to deal with Fraternitas first.
“Wanna see my future husband?” I pull out my copy of Viking Thunder.
“Tada!”
Honey and Raine stare at the cover.
“Oh, wow,” Honey says.
“So… he’s a cover model?” Raine asks. “For romance novels?”
“No, he wouldn’t let me take a picture, so this is the next best thing. He looks like this, just with more tattoos. And less bulky, more… buff. Hard.” I realize I’ve zoned out imagining Kaiser’s abs, and stop before I begin drooling. “I mean, so many muscles. It’s… gross.”
“Yeah, so gross,” Raine deadpans.
“Shut up.”
She smirks. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. It still sucks. I’m trying to get out of it, but...” I shrug. “We’ll see.”
“What’s his name?” Honey asks. She’s got that thoughtful look on her face, again, like she’s worried about me.
“Kaiser.”
She sighs, like she already knew. “He’s the scary twin.”
“Wait, he’s a twin?” Raine grabs my book and takes another look.
“Yup. You want to meet him?” I tease. “We can have a double wedding.”
“My stepbrother would lose his shit,” she says with an evil smile.
“Jaeger’s taken, actually,” Honey says.
“That’s fine,” Raine says with a wave of her hand. “I’ve got enough scary ass men in my life.”
“So, Kaiser’s the scary twin?” I ask.
“Everyone in Fraternitas is brutal in their own way. But some of them can be nice. Sort of.” Honey explains to Raine that she worked at a club run by Fraternitas.
“Did you ever date any of them when you were there?” I ask.
“They don’t date,” Honey says. “They stake their claim.” I suppress a shiver, imagining Kaiser claiming me. “And no, they never were interested in me.”
“Did you want them to be?” I ask. I’m not judging, just curious, but she flushes, which gives me my answer.
“I had a boyfriend at the time anyway,” Honey says, “so it doesn’t matter. We’re not talking about this. My life isn’t as interesting as yours.”
“Agree to disagree. Next sleepover, we’re diving into your guys’ lives. But tonight, I need all the help with Fraternitas I can get.” I tell them about my bullshit marriage counseling session with the “hot priest,” as Honey calls him. “I asked Kaiser when he started fighting, and he said thirteen.”
“That can’t be right,” Raine whispers.
“I think it is,” Honey says. “They were super young. I heard that they were in the underground fighting rings. They were champions. Rumor is they killed their own trainer.” She shakes her head. “But I don’t know.”
I frown. I’m greedy for more information about Kaiser, but I don’t think anyone has the full story except him. “Do you know if he still fights?”
“Not that I know of, but that’s how Fraternitas started. In the underground gambling and fighting rings. They ran the books and also made money from their own bets on the side. St. James was the mastermind behind it. He’s a genius.”
“How old were they?”
“Just kids. Teenagers. But now they have their hands in everything. They used to use the tunnels under New Rome to run guns. Then they took over the city. Assassinated the dons, slaughtered the soldiers. There were whole gangs wiped off the streets.”
I suppress a little wriggle. My friends won’t appreciate that I’m perving on my soon-to-be husband while hearing about how he and his friends went on a murder spree through the city.
“They have a place under the city where they go. They call it the Abyss. They take their victims down there to torture them and then dispose of their remains. They own the underground. It’s the source of their power from when they were street kids, running free under the city.”
“How do you know so much about this?” Raine asks.
“When I worked for them, I heard things. I kept my head down and my mouth shut. Wherever I am, I try to blend in. It’s safer that way.” Honey gives us a warning look. “None of this can leave this room.”
“What happens at sleepover, stays at sleepover,” I vow, and Raine nods.
“They were always gentlemen to me,” Honey says.
“Lucy runs the club, and they respect her. She wears a ring, so she’s their equal.
After shifts, she would send us home with an escort.
Mine would drive me home and drop me off right at my door.
He never tried anything.” She looks almost disappointed. “Not once. But maybe it was just me.”
She’s doing that thing again where she’s down on herself.
I think maybe an ex-boyfriend was one of those shitty people who tear people down to feel strong.
The thing is, he’s gone, but she still believes his lies.
And apparently, none of the Fraternitas members ever took an interest in her, which I don’t believe, but what matters is that she’s making up stories of rejection and using them to beat herself up.
“Honey,” I say. “Listen to me carefully. You are the hottest person I’ve ever seen. If you were my type, I would fuck you in a heartbeat.”
“I think that’s a compliment,” Raine says dryly.
“Thank you.” Honey’s blushing again, which only makes her look more beautiful.
“Damn it. You want to know the worst thing about this arranged marriage? Kaiser is exactly my type.” I hold up Viking Thunder. “I’m such a cliche.”
“We can’t change who we’re attracted to,” Raine says glumly. “Even if we wish we could.”
“Maybe you’ll like being married to him,” Honey suggests with a wistful smile. She’s so sweet, of course, she’d wish for a happy ending for me.
“Whatever. I’ll think about it tomorrow. Right now, I have brownies and butter popcorn. I feel no pain.” I grab the brownie pan and make a selection.
“Should you be taking more edibles?” Raine asks.