Chapter 26
twenty-six
Stuck in a room on Wednesday with Nick and Elliot’s hurt puppy-dog eyes?
I can’t take it. Especially after the night I had.
The white of the walls is too much. And when Nick stretches back and places his arm around my shoulders again, and the look of fire blazes across Elliot’s face, I’ve had enough.
“I think they have a reference book in the stacks. I’ll go check. Be right back.” My voice is steady, though I’m shaky inside.
“I’ll go with!” Nick jolts to a stand, and my mouth goes dry. Better than having to be near Elliot. I’m not sure what I’ll do if I have to be alone with him.
In a daze, I flow out the door and into the stacks, pretending I know exactly where I’m going.
As soon as I wander down a deserted aisle, the tomes on either side smelling of dust and disuse, he grabs my waist and shoves me against the bookcase.
“You felt it, too, right?” His belt shoves into my stomach, and I almost cringe visibly.
“Felt what?”
“This thing between us. Had to ditch the nerd to get with me, huh?”
I’m stunned. So much so, my jaw unhinges, but I quickly shut it as my face screws up with disgust. “Um… No. No, I didn’t.”
His eyes sparkle with amusement. “Sure, O. You’re cute when you’re protesting.” Without warning, he dives into my neck and sucks on the exposed skin near my throat as I gasp. Shoving against his chest, I try to fight him off, but he presses me against the shelf harder.
“Stop—”
My words are cut off as he covers my mouth with his in a bruising, ketone-flavored kiss. Like gin and pennies. Especially when I bite down, and he squeals, falling backward while holding a hand over where I just bit him.
“I said no.” Then, when I turn, he grabs my arm.
If only I had my knife on me right now.
Will I commit two murders only days apart?
“Come on, Olivia! This is what you want; I know it. Everyone thinks we should be together. I’m pretty sure your father probably wants us to be. And we can start by going to the Omega party as a couple this weekend.”
Nausea churns, bile rising hot in my throat. Would my father truly offer me up like some sacrificial lamb? Could he?
I spin to face him full on, narrowing my eyes and scanning his heaving chest as he gulps in deep breaths. Perhaps this is the man that the board would approve of me to be appointed to. A fantastic Hunter replacement. And he would make Olivia Cardell a fine match, I’m sure.
But I’m not that girl anymore. He doesn’t even scare me.
And looking at his face, even as he licks a drop of blood from his lower lip, I don’t think Nick Veldt wants me, either. He doesn’t look at me like…
Like Vanq…
Nor like Elliot.
Without a word or explanation, I turn back toward the group room, where the man I should want to be with sits. The one that a deep part of me yearns for. Even though it’s dangerous to do so, maybe in the privacy of that room, I could have something with him.
Just once more.
Elliot’s heavy eyes lift as I re-enter, his shoulders slumped and his mouth tight in a line. “Where’s our financial advisor?”
Nick brushes past me without a word and gathers his things, then heads back out the door.
“Um, we had a disagreement.”
Elliot’s eyebrows raise. “Oh?”
“Yeah…” I slide primly into the chair beside him, forcing my racing pulse behind a shy smile. “Nick recommended investing in cryptocurrency, but I told him I’m only interested in bonds with a pulse.”
Elliot gives me a tiny pity chuckle. Which makes me giggle. And makes him laugh.
Then, we’re both rolling with laughter that probably doesn’t fit my terrible joke, but it feels good. Tension shatters as we do.
“I’m sorry.” It’s quiet as I release it under my breath.
“Don’t,” he rushes out with such conviction, my heart stutters. “Don’t fucking apologize. I get it. I got rejected. And it fucking hurt. But you don’t need to say you’re sorry for stating what you want or not, Olivia.” His lashes flutter as he says, “Not with me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, though.” My nerves ball up in my stomach as I get ready to confess my sins.
The hope on his face makes me melt. “Hmm?”
“I-I don’t want to reject you. I want you… It’s just…”
Slowly, he nods. His hand strokes through his messy hair. “Society.”
And maybe it’s deeper than a kiss, but his green eyes latch onto my face, and we hold our gazes. Intimately. Both of us see a future we wish we could have, but can’t. Perhaps a heated tear begins to form in mine because he gently brushes my cheek with his thumb.
“Fuck society,” he says.
The subtle ferocity in his voice resonates deep within my marrow. A half-smile forms on my lips, carrying rebellion like whispered prayers. “Yeah… Fuck every last one of them.” It feels good to say it. And mean it.
Elliot pauses, his thumb lingering on my jaw, feather-soft yet possessive. “Sometimes I wonder who I could’ve been…who we could’ve been if we weren’t trapped here.”
My chest tightens, his words pulling at invisible threads. “And sometimes, I think about running—far away—just you and me, leaving everything else to burn.” I can’t believe I admitted that out loud.
His breath catches, a tender ache reflected in those beautiful eyes. “I’d follow you. Anywhere.”
Curling his hand around the nape of my neck, he threads his fingers into my hair as he pulls me into him, lips pressing tenderly before the kiss deepens, spiraling into one of desperation.
Breaths, heartbeats—our rhythms collide in a frenzied symphony.
My fingers tighten in his hair, anchoring me to this perfect chaos.
Time disintegrates, replaced by raw, aching need, whispering promises neither of us can keep.
He breaks the kiss for a moment, his comforting air seeping between my parted lips. “I-I want to take you out again. Will you let me?”
I need Elliot’s calm, but I crave Vanq’s storm.
While my body aches for Vanq…my soul yearns for Elliot.
So at this fragile moment, I let myself accept what I truly desire.
“Yes.”
His smile is wide and warm. “Good… If we keep going like this, I’m going to spread you out on this table. But I have class.”
I snort. “Fuck class…”
With a bent finger, he strokes under my chin. “I wish.” He sits back and holds my face, his sparkling eyes beholding me like a treasure. “But scholarship kids have to do their best.”
“Fine,” I relent, but tap my lips to the end of his nose to let him know I’ll just have to wait for the date like a good girl.
He gathers his stuff and smirks. “Don’t pout. Next time, I promise, I’ll spoil you rotten.” The air thickens as we stand up to head out. Before he opens the door, he blinks at me slowly. “Um…is there anyone else I should be worried about? Someone else who thinks you’re his girlfriend?”
My throat almost closes off. Purposefully, I shake out my hair behind me and lift my chin. “No.”
His stiff posture relaxes. “Good… Very good. Then I’ll pick you up Friday night at eight. Omega house front steps.”
“Perfect.” I gasp. “Oh, wait! I completely forgot… It’s, uh…”
How do I explain the Hallow’s Eve party? Normally, I’d just invite him, but the memories of Westmore bar come back, and I don’t want him to feel awkward again.
“That doesn’t work?” he asks, an amused smile on his face.
“Can I meet you somewhere?”
As if he’s thinking, his eyes search the ceiling for a moment. “Yeah. Absolutely. Meet me about eight, and I’ll text you the address.” He brushes his lips over my cheek before heading out with a little hop in his step.
I’m heated. Filled with longing for him.
But as I meander across campus, I wonder…
Am I falling for two men?
If only they would get along, my life could be a why-choose romance novel. Instead, I think I picked two possessive and jealous ones. Like polar opposites. Two magnets destined to repel violently, leaving only me caught helplessly between. Because, of course, this is my life.
And I’ll still probably have to be appointed to Nick.
For the rest of the day, I vacillate between extreme guilt for wanting both guys, then saying to myself, Who gives a fuck? Do what you want!
I’m young. Apparently, the rules no longer apply to me.
I guess Vanq was right. I’ve emerged from the cocoon and won’t clip my wings to fit back inside.
No matter how much he scares me.
Would he hurt me?
I hope only in the ways that matter.
I’m practically skipping across campus from the high of being around Elliot, then carefully slow my steps in case Vanq is watching.
The cheeriness only flickers when my phone vibrates with a news alert: the body of Representative Reggie Blackwell was found this morning in the marina.
So disfigured, they had to use dental records.
Vanq.
The police closed it as a horrific boating accident. No signs of foul play or further investigation… Likely something he also arranged somehow.
And just like that, it’s over.
I stand in the center of campus, phone in hand, gazing at the article.
The monster who ruined me is dead. And I don’t feel relief. I feel…blank. Maybe because no one will ever know what he did. Justice in the shadows doesn’t come with a trial or an apology. There’s no public outcry about his death for what he’d done. His legacy will continue without anyone knowing…
The afternoon is spent in my personal Omega office. I shut the door and stare at the final vote count. Two and a half weeks since Naomi’s murder, and I’m choosing her replacement.
It feels like a betrayal.
But the sorority must have a vice president. Even Beta chose their new president, Ayan Dutta, and secretary, my cousin, Logan Dawson. The game doesn’t stop just because our hearts do.
The silent vigil, the memorial plaques lining our halls—none of it feels like enough. No tribute can bring those girls back. And the campus “warnings,” the carefully crafted cover-up stories? They only make it worse.
When I look into my sisters’ eyes, I see the grief we’re not allowed to speak of. They see mine too. But we don’t cry. We don’t ask questions.
We know the cost.
Slipping up would mean disobedience, and the Seventh Society would make us pay.
Back in my room, I pause when I open the door, half expecting Vanq to be waiting with chloroform and a whip.
Instead, there’s another card laying on my bed, a cryptic note scrawled on it in familiar handwriting.
I approach it slowly as if it could tell the sins written deep in my heart.
Fear trembles through my fingers, dread coiling tight as I lift the note—like touching it might ignite the truths hidden deep in my heart.
One final step. A thread pulled tight.
Two paths emerge—shadow or light.
His gaze is warm. A steady hand.
A life of peace, a place to land.
But whispers call from darker things,
Where truth is bound in blood and strings.
If comfort calls, turn from the flame.
But if you burn—whisper my name.
Friday night, beneath the skies,
Choose my mask… I’ll shed the disguise.
But choose with care. Your fate is spun.
One road ends. The other’s begun.
The fucker is going to make me pick between them. And part of me wonders if it really is a choice. Will he hurt Elliot if I go to him? Will I be damned to live a life of crime and murder if I choose Vanq?
Who am I?
If only Naomi were here. I could tell her everything. She wouldn’t judge me. She’d hold all these secrets in her vault as though they were her own.
So I slump onto the mattress, still clutching the note in my hand…
Who do I go to?
Where do I belong?
A pounding on my door has me sitting up, hurriedly wiping tears from my face.
“Come in!”
Sora cracks it and shields her eyes with a hand. “Um, one of the president’s men is here to see you. Says it’s urgent.”
“President’s men?”
“Yes. Mr. Earl, I think.”
“Sora, I’m dressed. You can stop hiding.”
“No…th-that’s okay. Will you just come downstairs? He’s in the parlor.”
I’m not sure whether to laugh or sigh. So I sort of do both. “Sure. Maybe it’s about the party on Halloween and new rules or something.”
“I don’t know. Just, please hurry. He scares me.”
“On my way.”
When I arrive downstairs, I halt. The man’s stature is almost soaring, and he’s broad. Like a beast. Wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses, he looks intimidating.
“Miss Cardell? The president requests your presence for a special message. I’m to escort you over now.”
The way his body moves, it’s as if I have no choice. Instead of worrying about stupid sorority stuff, now I’m swallowing a heartbeat in fear that they know what I’ve done.
Is this it for me? Sentenced to death on Sin Sunday in front of the entire senate? My friends? My family?
By the time we reach the double walnut doors of the president’s office, I’m on the verge of having a panic attack. But, as I’ve been trained to do, I push my shoulders back and enter boldly as the enforcer opens them for me.
The president stands briefly with a nodding greeting, then waves at one of the russet wingback chairs in front of him. “Please, sit.”
Walking on shaky legs, I regret not wearing something more formal. My jeans and pink Omega sweatshirt seem out of place here. Typically, I’d be in a skirt suit. Or a dress. Lately, I just haven’t cared…
I swallow as I sink into the tough seat and perch forward. “Am I in trouble?”
His dark eyes scrutinize my expression for a long moment, and I think my heart will explode with terror. “Not yet, Miss Cardell. But we do know you have been spending time with the man who slaughtered your classmates. Your sisters… Your best friend.”
“He didn’t do it. I know this.”
The president sits back in his chair and crosses his arms. “I wish that were true, my dear. For your sake. For your father’s sake, I want to protect you. You’re a valuable asset to Northview University… Your future is bright. So bright… I’d hate to dim that light.”
My mouth remains closed. His words feel like a threat. I get the sense he does know that Vanq didn’t do it…
But he doesn’t care.
Vanq’s their fall guy, and he’s going to pay. Are they going to destroy me with him?
“I brought you in to do the right thing. Most sisters don’t operate with assignments like your brothers here. But you are very special. Unique. Valued. And I have a feeling you will choose what is right?”
My eyes dart toward the flames flickering in the tall fireplace. “And what is right? You want me to stop hanging out with Vanq?”
He slides a piece of parchment toward me, scrolled in midnight ink calligraphy. An assignment. I’ve seen them before… There’s a thumbprint at the bottom that appears to be smudged with blood.
“No. Miss Cardell, we want you to end Vanq Wysh Veil. To bring order back to Northview University. For the safety of everyone.”
My mind reels, unable to grasp his command fully. The parchment seems heavier now, a lead weight anchoring my soul in darkness. “End him?”
And with his next words, my world tilts on its axis.
“Your assignment, Olivia…is to kill Valen Von Dovish.”