Twenty-Seven
SCARLETT
S yrup. Sweet and decadent syrup. A sticky, sweet and delicious concoction of sugar which has always been one of my favorite foods. Syrup on pancakes. Syrup on waffles. Syrup on bacon. I can smell it from a mile away. And I smell it now.
I slowly tear my eyes open and find Jade hunched in front of me, a plate of pancakes drenched in syrup in her hands. I lick my lips and can almost taste it with just its honeyed aroma.
“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.”
“More like wicked witch,” I grunt, and she raises a brow at me quizzically.
“Sit up and move over,” she says as she climbs in beside me. Just as I do Stella comes in with a tray of strawberries, coffee, milk, and orange juice.
“Wasn’t sure what you girls wanted, so I brought it all,” she says, setting the tray on my comforter and sitting at the edge of the bed.
“What’s all this for?” I ask, grabbing a cup of coffee from the tray. Black, just the way I always drink it. Black, now mirroring the color of my soul.
“Well, you won’t tell us what happened last night, so we figured we’d bribe you with sugar and extract the information we need.”
My face pales as Jade takes a bite of pancake in her mouth.
“Relax, Scar, I was kidding,” Jade says, eyeing me suspiciously. “What the hell happened that has you on edge?”
“Nothing,” I say, cutting a piece of the syrupy pancake and shoving it in my mouth. I moan as the sugar hits my tongue, and it tastes like heaven.
“Okay now, it’s just a pancake, no need to get all hot on us,” she says with a smirk. I roll my eyes at her and take in another bite. “No, but seriously, sis, what gives?”
“Nothing happened, Jade, okay. I just ran into Agent Servite and well, I realized I needed to get out of there. He creeps me out, and I didn’t want to be in the same place as him.”
“That’s a load of bullshit, Scar,” she shouts as she stands up abruptly, nearly spilling the plate of pancakes on my bed.
“What the hell, Jade!” I cry out, catching the plate before it topples over.
Jades is angry, I can tell by the way she’s standing before me with her hands on her hips. “Why are you lying to me? After all we’ve been through together, this is how you act. I thought we were sisters, that we trusted each other, and told each other everything.”
“Jade…”
“No, Scarlett, I’m tired of you keeping things from me. First, I find out you kept things from me about when we were taken to the foster home and that I get, for some reason you thought you were protecting me. But this. Ever since we got here, it’s like you’re another person. I find out that Agent Servite has been harassing you only because I followed your ass after you got yourself kidnapped, and now you take off for hours and don’t even answer my calls. And when I ask you about it, you come up with some half-ass excuse. You always were a terrible liar.”
“Jade, please don’t,” I plead.
“I think I should give you guys a minute,” Stella says, looking awkwardly between us.
“No!” we both shout as Stella stands up.
I look around nervously debating whether or not I should come clean to them. I know they won’t judge me, but somehow saying it aloud makes my betrayal all that more real.
“Do you even know what happened last night? Why we were so fucking worried!” Jade shouts, and I’m unsure what to say. “There was a fire, Scarlett! Inside Servite Manor. A fire inside the mansion and someone said they saw you go inside.”
“What are you talking about, Jade?” I ask anxiously, not understanding a damn thing.
“They escorted us out of the party because there was a fire that started in one room on the third floor, an office or something. They were able to contain it, but I was terrified because I couldn’t find you.”
Shit . A fire on the third floor. Agent Servite’s office. That can’t be a coincidence.
“A fire just like there was all those years ago on Halloween night,” Stella says with a terrified look on her face. “I told you the academy, the Servites, we’re all cursed,” she adds, shrugging her shoulders and taking a sip of her coffee.
“Did they find out what happened?” I ask, and they both shake their heads.
“I called my aunt this morning, but she didn’t have any details. Apparently, she said they think it was a curtain that caught fire on a cigarette bud that wasn’t put out correctly but they’re not sure.”
A cold shiver runs through me, and I don’t know what to make of this. What if someone purposefully set that fire knowing what was going to go down last night? Was it meant for my mother, or for me?
“Is Ruby here?” I ask, and they both shake their heads. The last thing I need is for Drake to find out what happened between Ace and me from his sister.
“She stayed over with the guys’ last night.”
“You guys need to sit down for this.”
And they do, both climbing on the comforter in front of me, a look of fear flashes before their eyes. They’re nervous about what I’m going to say. Scared even. And they should be.
“The night Agent Servite made the guys kidnap me he told me he needed me to do something.”
“Wait, the Horsemen kidnapped you?” Stella asks, horrified, and I realize Jade and I never shared that piece of information with anybody.
“Well, not really. Long story short, Ace just drugged her, tied her up to a chair to interrogate her, then I came to the rescue, only to be captured and tied to the chair next to her, only to have Agent Servite join us and threaten to do something to us if we didn’t help him find Scar’s mom Lilith, who he apparently knows,” Jade says, but Stella doesn’t seem any more at ease.
Instead, Stella just sits and takes it all in. “Wow.”
“Like I said, you needed to sit down for this. Anyway, he threatened me. Told me I had to help him find my mother or he’d make sure you all would be expelled and sent to who knows where now that the foster home won’t take us back.”
“That motherfucker!” Jade shouts, and we both laugh. “And I say that literally. We think he’s involved with Lilith. Intimately involved, or at least was.”
“Wait, Agent Servite knows your mom?” Stella asks, and I nod.
“I obviously agreed because I’m not going to let him hurt you guys because of me.”
Jase reaches for me and smacks me hard on my arms. “Scar, why the fuck would you do that?”
“Ow, Jade. I will let nothing happen to you guys. You’re my family. I need you all by my side and he threatened that. There was no other way.” She sits back on the bed, quietly contemplating what I’ve said and I know she knows I’m right. “Drake, Kai, Jax, even Ruby, they don’t deserve to be in this mess. It’s my mother and your father who are the ones to blame. And I won’t let him hurt you.”
Jade leans closer to me and takes my hands in hers. “How many times do I need to remind you we are only three months apart? Stop acting like you need to protect me from the big wicked man. I can protect myself,”
“But you shouldn’t have to. It’s my mom he’s after. Two weeks ago, after the Gods and Monsters party that Drake and I didn’t go to, Agent Servite summoned me. He told me he’d received information my mom was in town and was going to the masquerade ball. He said it was her favorite, like she’d gone to it before. He told me I needed to lure her out so he could talk to her.”
“Why did he think she’d risk getting caught?” Stella asks.
“He said she’s out of money and she’d do anything to get it. When I told you, Stella, that I was going to the bathroom, I actually snuck up to his study where he told me she’d go looking for the money. But when I heard her come in, I panicked and hid under his desk. The thought of seeing her again scared the hell out of me. I heard her going through the drawers, but she couldn’t find the money because I hadn’t unlocked the drawer like he’d asked me to.”
“Oh my god,” they say in unison.
“That’s not the worst part. Ace came in and found her going through his uncle’s things. He threatened to call security if she didn’t leave and he found me under the desk. He said nothing till she ran off. But then, Agent Servite came in and was pissed I hadn’t followed through with his plan. He was furious, and I took off running.”
“Scar, the fire!” Stella shouts out. “Do you think it was in Agent Servite’s study?”
“It can’t be a coincidence. What if someone knew my mother would be there? ”
“That someone is obviously Servite,” Jade snickers annoyed.
“So, what happened when you left, did you come here?” Stella asks, but I shake my head.
“Ace led me to a back house he lives in and we,” I stop, not being able to bring myself to say the words.
“Oh, Scar,” Jade mutters as the realization hits her. She scoots closer to me and embraces me in a hug.
“I didn’t mean to. I can’t believe I did that. I cheated on Drake, Jade. When he finds out he’s going to hate me. Worse, he’s going to retaliate,” I say, nervously.
“He won’t find out, Scar. You can’t tell him. You know how fucked up Drake is, and how much he hates Ace. He can’t risk getting in a fight, he already has a strike against him,” Jade says.
“I know, but how can I face him again after what I did?” I say, as Jade looks over to Stella who’s just realized that what I meant to say is that I slept with Ace. That I practically cheated on my loyal boyfriend with the asshole.
“You didn’t cheat. You guys broke up, you agreed to take a break. You told me so yourself. You just need to make it permanent now, end things for good. It’s the only way to make sure he doesn’t find out. Break up with Drake, tell him it’s over, and then you need to date Ace,” Jade states, anxiously running a hand through her hair.
“What? Are you crazy?” Stella and I say at the same time.
“It’s the only way to keep him out of this. If you end things with Drake, Ace doesn’t have any reason to tell Drake what happened between you two. And if you get together with Ace, Drake will know you’ve moved on and back off. Besides, you still need to use Ace to find out why Agent Servite wants to contact Lilith. He seems to be willing to go to extremes to find her and that can’t be good. Scar, you need to help him find your mom. I need to know what happened to Chaz, not because I care about the asshole, but because I need to find my brother. I need to know that Roman is okay and finding Chaz is the only way. I know my father knows where he is. He always has.”
“Jade, I…”
Jade nods, her tears filled to the brim with tears she’s trying so hard to hold back. “I know what I’m asking of you, Scar. It’s selfish and cruel but you’re my sister and I need your help. You obviously like Ace or you wouldn’t have slept with him. I can see the attraction you two have to one another. It’s electrifying, magnetic. Like Stella said, the sexual tension when you two are in a room together is intense.”
“She’s right,” adds Stella. “I’ve never seen Ace react this way with anyone else. The way he looks at you, the way he responds when you stand up to him, when you challenge his power. You throw him off his horse, literally. He seems out of control when you’re near, almost human, not the ruthless robot they’ve trained him to be.”
“I…” I stutter unsure of what to say.
“It’s the only way, Scar, to beat Agent Servite at his own game. By turning his most loyal soldier against him,” Jade tells me, taking my hand in hers.
“A whole new meaning to sleeping with the enemy,” I whisper softly, unsure of what I’m about to agree to.
The next morning, as I am eagerly walking toward Westerly Hall, the thing I’ve dreaded most occurs. I run into Drake. I had purposefully left twenty minutes early in case he was outside the girls’ house waiting for me. He hadn’t texted me since the party, but Jade mentioned he had been eager to get in contact with me. She was able to convince him to give me some space when they had arrived back at the academy the night of the masquerade ball. I’m not sure what excuse she had given him, but I was thankful either way. I couldn’t face him right now. Not after what I’d done. Not after what Jade asked me to do.
You need to end things for good. It’s the only way to make sure he doesn’t find out. Break up with Drake, tell him it’s over, and then you need to date Ace.
I knew she was right, but that doesn't mean it would be easy.
Drake was a curious soul. He needed to know things, and I was terrible at hiding them from him. The only way to keep him safe, and away from all this trouble with Agent Servite and my mom was to make him believe we were over, and I’d moved on. I hated I was going to hurt him, break his trust, and ruin what was possibly the truest relationship I have ever had. But it had to be done. I owed it to him. I needed to end things before I betrayed him further. I owed it to Jade to help find her brother. I needed to stop being so selfish.
I see him walking toward me in his uniform minus the blazer, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up just below his elbows. Dark, wavy hair tousled atop his head and I can emerald eyes darkening the closer he gets to me. They are looking right through me.
What was I thinking? I can’t just break up with him and walk away. No, this is going to be harder than I thought. Drake is my guardian, my closest confidant. He’s going to see right through this fake facade.
“Scar, we need to talk,” he says as he stands in front of me, blocking my way.
“There is nothing that can’t wait till later. I need to get to class, Dragon. Macallan hates it when I’m late,” I say as I try walking around him.
He reaches out for me, gripping my wrist tightly. “Bullshit. You’re avoiding me and I want to know why.”
I turn back toward him looking directly between his hand and its tight grip around my wrist. “Let go of me, Drake,” I say, but he doesn’t loosen his hold on me.
“Not until you agree to talk. ”
“I don’t answer well to threats, Dragon. You, better than anyone, should know this. A threat makes you the enemy and we both know that’s not what you want.”
He gazes into my eyes for a moment before letting go of my wrist and steps back slightly, running a hand through his raven locks.
“What I want is for you to stop bullshitting me and tell me what the fuck is going on,” he says, stepping closer to me.
“No can-do, Dragon. I’ve got to get to class.” I try once again to step around him and almost make it to the front doors of Westerly Hall before he grabs me again.
This time he hooks a hand around my waist turning me flush against him. “Scarlett, for the love of…”
“What god?” I say laughing. It is now or never. Drake will not stop digging unless I make it clear that I am done. Done with us, done with him, done with everything; not until I convince him that this place has changed me for the worse. He won’t stop trying to figure me out until I give him a reason to want to stay as far away from me as possible. It is time to break up with my boyfriend if I can even still call him that. He’ll surely hate me after this, but it is the only way to keep him safe. Like I said, Drake needs to know things. But the things here are too dangerous for him to know.
“There is no god, Dragon. Least of all here. All the devils are here and we’re all walking amongst them, and I’ve never felt more at home.” He loosens his hold on my waist slightly and I step back from him. “This,” I say, motioning between us, “This is over. I’m tired of your incessant questioning for any and every little thing I do. I told you I don’t answer to anybody, least of all to you. And you need to understand that. I was right before. This was a mistake. I should have never started a relationship with you, but I did. And you were right. I did it out of spite. Because Ace Servite was getting under my skin and I needed to prove that he couldn’t control me. That I can kiss whoever I want, and fuck whoever I want, and he isn’t going to tell me otherwise.” Bile threatens to make its way up my esophagus at my words.
My dragon, he looks torn up, broken, and confused. He runs his fingers through his hair once more.
“You’re a horrible liar, Scarlett. But fine, you don’t want to tell me what’s really going on. Fuck it, I can’t make you. You need to bullshit yourself with this lie for some reason, so be it. I’ll just have to figure it out on my own,” he says before turning and walking away.
I almost stop him. Almost. I need to let him walk away. Maybe Jade will be able to stop him from digging. Or Ruby. I’m sure she’ll hate me and want to keep her brother as far away from me as possible. Yes, I need to convince her to stop him.
I turn toward the doors, but before I can open them, I hear a loud clapping coming from behind me. And to no surprise of course, Ace stands at the edge of the building, a cigarette in his mouth, a smug grin plastered on his stupidly perfect face. Clearly, he witnessed my breakup with Drake and the smug bastard that he is, I’m sure he believes it’s his doing. Not wanting to listen to whatever childish remark he’s going to make, I ignore him and walk into the building heading into my homeroom class.
Inside, Macallan is seated at the front of his desk, and he eyes me warily as I make my way to my seat, throwing my bag on my desk and falling back into my chair with a loud thud. As I take a seat, I turn back to the front of the class and notice Ace has walked in with the lit cigarette still between his lips. I lock eyes with him as he walks toward me.
“Hem,” says Macallan, clearing his throat, as he holds out the trash bin beside his desk toward Ace. Ace turns to him reluctantly tossing the cigarette into the bin, then slowly making his way to the desk beside me falling into his chair with a thud. He turns to me, those ocean eyes locked on mine and a shrewd smirk taking over .
“I must admit I didn’t think you had it in you, Red. That spitfire.”
I ignore him and instead pull out my MacBook and keep my gaze on Macallan at the front of the class. I remember Jade’s words telling me I need to keep Ace on a short leash and use him to gain access to information about my mother and Chaz. I need to make him believe I broke up with Drake because of him. That I chose him. There is nothing more alluring to a condescending asshole than making him believe he’s won. That he’s gotten something Drake had. Me.
“It was past due,” I say, batting my eyelashes and turning toward him. “Drake and I, we just weren’t clicking anymore. The sex just wasn’t enough. Nothing compared to you and me.”
He sits up straight, a smug look plastered on his face.
“What can I say, Dragon Boy just doesn’t know you the way I do.” His smile widens, a cocky twinkle in his eye, and fuck if it doesn’t get me hot.
“Oh really, now I’m intrigued. Why do you say that?”
“He sees this damsel in need of saving. I see a warrior cloaked behind a coat of steel armor. A devil disguised as an angel. The real you.” His response, serious and unexpected, catches me off guard and for once in my life, I have no idea what to say.