Chapter 28
twenty-eight
It’s Halloween. And normally, I’d be dressed up, ready to party. On some fraternity brother’s arm. Hoping I pleased him enough that he’d want me to be his appointed.
Not tonight. I’ve turned into the rebel I always hated, except now…
I finally like myself.
But I do hate being late. It’s unladylike. Not something an appointed would do. That’s my first thought.
My foot won’t press on the gas… Because I don’t know which way to turn.
I’m stranded at a literal crossroads, neon flickering like indecision above an old diner. One route leads to a romantic hotel restaurant on the edge of town that Elliot has probably spent student loan money reserving. The other…to a deserted two-lane country road and pitch blackness ahead.
An old oak tree stands in the middle. And I think I’ve seen a picture of it somewhere, but I’m not sure where. Perhaps it was one of Mom’s.
She’s the one I want to call up right now. Not Dad. He won’t give me the advice I need. How do you choose between two men you may be in love with? If you have to choose?
I’m kind of mad at both of them for forcing me into this decision.
But my heart won’t let me leave them.
If I veer to the right, I’ll end up as the woman who stabbed Reggie Blackwell. Dangerous. Perhaps running from the society for the rest of my life. Never knowing who will be coming after me.
A Monarch.
If I choose the left, I won’t be safe either. Forgoing my appointed, whoever that may be, will not only bring the society’s wrath, but would go against everything Caliphylla stands for.
However, Elliot and I could lead a normal life somewhere. Away from the craziness of NU. I could be his wife. Bear his children. Raise them some place far away. We’d be poor, but happy.
Although I could probably never see my family again.
To the right is treachery. Rebelling against Seventh Society. Clandestine nights. Dark days with Valen Von Dovish…
My eyes clamp shut, Valen Von Dovish’s name echoing like a curse and a prayer. Here I was, always worried about someone being rich enough for my father’s standards, only to be stalked by the one guy at school who has more wealth than all of us.
But why the mask? Why has he hidden himself away from everyone? When I looked into him, it was a known fact that no one on campus had ever seen his face.
He was homeschooled. Isolated with his family on Von Dovish grounds. A mystery, even though his name is known. Eldest of five. A genius. But a stoic shadow behind his father’s throne.
And I have to kill him. If I don’t…they’ll end me.
With all those thoughts floating through my mind, I call my mom.
“What’s up, my girl?” she answers cheerily, and the sound of her voice almost makes mine crack with vulnerability.
“Mom? Have you ever had to make a tough decision? Like one answer is safe. And you’d get what you want. Though not everything. The other, however, would lead to danger, but there’s something about it that draws you in…”
She’s quiet for a long time. “Is this about a boy?”
“No.” I swallow. “Yes.”
The sound of her shuffling about comes through the car’s speaker, and I know she’s probably trying to ditch my father for some privacy. As if that’s a thing. “Honestly? I have. When I chose your father.”
“You mean—”
“I mean, he wasn’t a safe choice, not by any standard.
But you know me. Once I make up my mind, that’s it.
And I knew he’d be, um, dangerous. But he’d also fight for me.
Take care of me. And our family. He did not make it an easy decision…
” Her tone warms, as if she’s reminiscing.
“But he was exactly who my heart was drawn to. I couldn’t say no.
And not just because he wouldn’t leave me alone. ”
I release a chuckle. He hasn’t changed. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Did that help?”
“I’m not sure… But I think so?”
“Nothing!” she yells behind her at my father, who’s saying something in the background. “Mind your business!”
“Will you not tell Dad?”
She huffs a sigh. “I’ll try.” There’s a struggle through the speaker, then, “No, you cannot have the phone. Because she wanted to talk to me. Sweets, I gotta go. I love you!”
“Love you, Mom.” But she’s already ended the call. I chuckle to myself, knowing my dad is probably trying to get every piece of information out of her right now. My mom is the only one who can hold him at bay.
What do I truly want?
Shoulders straight and chin up, I put the car in drive and pick a route. I’m confident. This is the way.
For the next few months, I can gather cash from my trust and purchase a home far from here. We can run. Maybe Elliot has family. I could choose a new name. Be someone different. A woman who hasn’t murdered her enemy. I’d be clean again. Whole.
I’d be redeemed through all the good deeds I could do in some small town somewhere… I hear Crystal Frond is nice.
Yes, this is the right decision. I could be Mrs. Elliot…
I gasp.
I don’t even know his last name.
Through deep inhales, I try to steady my pulse. Still...I am making the right decision, I know. Here I go. Yes. This is it.
The night air is crisp when I step out, the gravel lot almost empty, except for a few older sedans. I wonder which is Elliot’s.
Despite the thumping of my heart, I freeze.
From the breeze out of my open car door floats a page from my diary. A scrap of a Monarch drawing that Vanq did for me when we were lying in my bed…
The sight draws tears to my eyes. She’s beautiful. Strong. Everything she went through was worth it. It’s night, but she’s here and knows exactly where she’s going. She’s not stressed about making the wrong decision because she’s confident in who she is.
I can deny it all I want to.
But I know where I belong.
To who I belong.
And I know exactly where my home is.
It’s written in my DNA.
Hurriedly, I jump back into the car. Elliot asked me to meet him at eight, and Valen’s note on the back indicated nine. The directions on my navigation system lead me about an hour down the country road.
There’s just enough time to make it.
I allow myself one sob to escape. A goodbye to Elliot. A farewell to a normal life and possible sunshine. No more Caliphylla servant. White dresses and West Coast ski resort towns are gone.
Valen was right.
I belong to the night. To the shadows, to the whispers of the dark, to the thrill of uncertainty.
I think we’re a lot alike.
Thunder crashes through the sky, navy ink clouds rolling across the moon. Fat raindrops splash across the windshield, then in a flood of a downpour as I make my way toward an unknown future.
Eventually, I reach my destination. Through tall twin abandoned guard towers in the fence, a small lane juts off the muddy route. I worry my Mercedes won’t be able to traverse it, but I have to try. Fortunately, the weather clears until it’s only a shower of wetness that sprinkles across the glass.
As I pull into the drive, my hand digs into my purse and finds a gun. One of my brothers’ weapons. I figured the knife wouldn’t help me. Valen would see me coming from a mile away. But a bullet in his back… His head… His heart…
That’s what my plan was.
Now, it’s been replaced by something else. Something different.
If he and I were able to kill Representative Blackwell…
What else can we end?
The foliage opens up, revealing an enormous stone structure that blocks out any light the moon can afford.
It was probably once a glorious mansion. Gothic.
And absolutely terrifying.
A three-tiered fountain in the front is a rubble of rocks. Part of the roof has sunken in on one wing and is completely gone in sections. Spires are missing iron spindles. And the glass is broken in most of the leaded windows.
The only evidence that this is the right place is a flickering yellow glow coming from somewhere deep inside. It’s calling me.
Calling me home.
I feel overdressed in my pale pink satin off-the-shoulder cocktail dress and fancy overcoat. Strappy heels as high as my heart rate. And a sequined bag. Underneath is lacy white lingerie.
I’m dressed for an erotic evening with Elliot…
Not vengeful villainy with Valen.
But here I am. Standing at the threshold of a new path…the way of the queen.
A great creak interrupts the peaceful patter of rain as I lift the iron fox head door knocker and slam it down. It echoes into the bowels of the house beyond. There’s no answer, but the heavy mahogany door swings open on its own as if welcoming me inside.
Like it’s mine.
One tealight candle glows on the checkerboard floor, pieces of old marble tiles crunching beneath my steps. It leads to another down the long entry hall. Then another. At the end, two large sconces light up a doorway.
And when I approach, my breath is stolen from me.
Arched floor-to-ceiling windows look into an overgrown conservatory. Before that are lanterns with candles. Tall, golden candelabras. Dancing flames aglow, illuminating an arch of pink ranunculus and ivy that has crept in from the outside, hanging in swags from the ceiling.
Beneath the canopy of fragrant florals and flickering lights stands the man I once feared. Wearing an all-black suit and topped with his signature mask. I’m struck with awe at the beauty of the space and him.
The reality of it all settles in. I’m here…and I know I made the right decision.
“I knew you’d come,” he says, voice smooth.
I pause ten feet from him and behold the sights. “I did.”
“Do you regret it?” he asks, a hint of vulnerability slipping through his still demeanor.
“My choice?”
Barely above a whisper, he answers, “Yes.”
I take a deep breath, and the smell of rain, autumn, and something like summer sunshine filters through me. It’s warm wherever he is, and I don’t know how he makes me feel like my heart is wrapped in a heated blanket.
Cautiously, I step closer to him and gather one of his gloved hands in mine. His gaze follows where I lace our fingers together, then press my other palm to his cheek.
“No. Not at all.”
“You don’t even know who I am,” he murmurs, and for once, his voice shakes.
“You think that matters?” If he’s suddenly concerned with what he looks like, I need to teach him a lesson. I step even closer. “You saw me when no one else did. Held me when I wanted to disappear.”
His fingers tighten around mine. “And still…when you see me, it might ruin everything.”
I shrug, swallowing roughly. “Then let it.”
Gently, reverently, I slip my fingers beneath the edge of his mask, holding my breath as my pulse drums loudly in my ears. This time, he doesn’t flinch or draw away.
He just lets me.
His breath shudders as he waits, poised between fear and hope, for the mask to fall. Structured jaw covered with a tiny bit of stubble. Sculpted cheeks. Straight nose. Maybe a dusting of freckles.
And then…
My heart halts as I gasp.
Bright green eyes pierce mine, holding the weight of the world behind them. Head topped with sandy hair. The same I held on to as I rode his face on my bed.
Everything crashes in around me—the mask, the betrayal, the thrill. My two worlds collide violently into one face, one man, one impossible truth.
“Elliot?”