Chapter 33
thirty-three
My room feels colder than usual. Shadows stretch longer across the walls, fingers of darkness creeping toward me. I stare at my phone, the screen blank and accusing. Valen’s silence echoes louder than any scream could.
I try to ignore it, but desperation gnaws at me. This is like waiting for Hunter to contact me on Sunday mornings all over again. Not knowing where he was or who he was with the night before…
Except Valen doesn’t seem like that kind of guy. No, he’s different.
He’s never texted much, preferring the enigmatic persona of Vanq. So maybe I just leave it at that. This is fine. He’s just…not one to contact me.
My fingers hover, hesitating, before finally dialing the number I know better as Elliot’s.
Ringing. Endless ringing. Voicemail again.
“Hey, Elliot—um, Valen. It’s Olivia. Please, call me. I just… I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
As I hang up, my heart sinks deeper into uncertainty.
What if the president sent someone after him other than me?
It’s probably him just sleeping in on a cold November weekend morning. That’s all it is. Right?
Visions of taking my Viscount to family dinner today are squelched immediately.
Could I ever show up at my parents’ without my brothers wanting to hurt him?
I mean, Dad already agreed to my appointment whenever we can get it formally approved, so they’ll have to agree.
If they tolerated Hunter, surely, they won’t mind Valen.
I hope.
After tidying up for the day, I grab my tote bag and stroll toward the parking lot in front of Omega. My feet feel like I ran over rocks from serving food at the homeless shelter most of the day before, but my pink pumps were necessary to look good. That’s what’s important.
“Olivia!” Hailey’s blonde hair floats behind her in the chilled breeze as she catches me at the door of my Mercedes.
“Hey, Hailey. Sorry, I’m heading out to—”
“Your parents, I know. I just wanted to ask you something before you left.”
“I’ll be back for the meeting tonight. We’ll talk strategy for Wicked Wednesday then.”
“This is, um, a private matter. It won’t take long…” She glances over her shoulder.
Tossing my bag into the car, I pause and pull the neck of my wool coat up higher. Maybe it’s more boy trouble. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”
“Can we step over here to talk for a minute? And…leave your phone.”
My frustration level rises as she points toward a grassy patch nearby that doesn’t have cameras around. What’s she so worried about?
Avoiding the mud, I step onto a drier area and cross my arms. “Okay. Want to tell me what’s going on?”
She swallows and studies my face carefully.
“You know how I said I was happy about Josh? I wasn’t.
Then, I was going to sleep with Carl, but he— Never mind.
Anyway, I used them all to get someone else…
Someone better. Things were going perfectly.
” Her voice drops as she mumbles, staring at the ground.
“I thought it would happen on Red Night.”
I don’t hide my deep sigh. “What’s this about, Hailey?”
“Can you put in a good word for me with Aiden?” It tumbles out of her mouth.
My jaw drops, but I stop myself from gasping. “With…my brother Aiden?”
“Yes. You see, I think we’re supposed to be together.”
Her big blue eyes hold a frame of tears on the lower lids, and my heart immediately aches for her.
For several reasons that are difficult to explain in less than a minute.
Part of me wants to just put her off and tell her I’ll do what she asks.
But perhaps there’s a way to get through to her.
Save the wreckage she’d be attempting to tie herself to.
I brush some of her hair back over her shoulder. “Um…my sweet little sister. I say this as lovingly as I can. I would stay far, far away from my brother—”
She tries to interrupt, but I continue.
“Shh. Not because of you. But…Aiden isn’t…”
How do I explain him? He’s probably got a full list of diagnoses sitting in his childhood psychiatrist’s files. But the one my parents sent him to said there was nothing that could be done. So…
“He’s just Aiden. He’ll have to choose you, but honestly, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
Her chin quivers, and she drops her voice to a whisper.
“But I think he did something to Carl after Red Night so that I could be his. Aiden found out I was appointed to Carl and…” She smirks like she has a plan.
“He found out we were hooking up one night. Or about to before he... Doesn’t that mean he’s made his choice? ”
If she’s going around telling people about my brother’s extracurricular activities, that would be dangerous for her. Not just with Aiden himself, but Theta and the society wouldn’t like it one bit.
“I highly doubt that Aiden touched anyone that way.” It’s partially the truth; Aiden would send someone else to do his dirty work. “But also, we’ll definitely find you someone worthy.” My mind focuses on the one person I’ve been avoiding thinking about… “Oh! I got it! Nick!”
She grimaces. “Nick? Nick Veldt?”
“You two would be perfect!” Yes, this will work. “He’s in Theta. Finance major. You’ll love him.”
“I think I made out with him freshman year, but…okay.”
Phew. Saved a devoted fan. Maybe broke her brainwashing. She has no idea how many followers Aiden strings along like a pack of devoted warriors ready to rip anyone’s head off for speaking ill of their human god. It’s disgusting.
Nick better be good enough to fuck her mind away from my insane brother. Now that I think of it, maybe I should give Hailey a knife.
Just in case.
The drive is a twenty-minute anxiety-filled car ride from Omega house to my parents’ cabin in a gated neighborhood.
Sprawling estates caress the edges of a vast man-made lake, golden, orange, and yellow trees surrounding the area.
Most have now lost their splendor, but the colors are still breathtaking.
Winter seems imminent with Thanksgiving in just a few weeks. The blue water behind the hill where the cabin sits is a deeper shade of indigo, almost black. A bright mid-afternoon sun only bounces off the cold surface as I step out of my car.
Upon entering the foyer, laughter spills from the kitchen, my brothers’ voices carrying on far too cheerfully. Ryan’s enthusiastic bellow blends with Aiden’s dry chuckle. Dad’s voice isn’t there—probably observing, silently enjoying the moment when he thinks no one notices, but Mom.
“O? Get in here! Your date has arrived!” Ryan yells.
A flutter interrupts my heartbeat. Date? Who could he mean? I shrug off my coat and hang it on the hall tree, dreading every step toward the open living room.
My breathing stops when I spot Nick, the sacrificial lamb. One that my brothers seem intent on thrusting at me. Nick, with his fake dimpled grin and too-perfect manners.
Nick, who’s annoyingly always near me.
“Hey, Olivia,” Nick greets smoothly as I enter, the smile on his face polished to a gleam.
Ryan slaps Nick’s back, jostling him. “He’s been asking about you all week.”
Snickering from the table, Aiden sips two fingers of bourbon. Dad is seemingly unshaken, his nose tucked into a book near the fire. Glancing up, his blue eyes scan the room with a calculated gaze.
I force my face not to look like I feel, folding my arms defensively. “Wonderful.”
At least Ryan’s appointed, Pippi, is here. Maybe she’ll be able to distract my brother from the setup that this clearly is.
Mom bumps my shoulder with hers. “Nick’s cute,” she whispers as she passes me on her way to the kitchen to finish setting the table.
“No, he’s not,” I tell her. “Where’s Alice?”
“Cheerleading camp this weekend. They aren’t getting back until later tonight.”
One less person to place between my seat at the dining table and Nick, who hurriedly takes up the spot Alice normally would.
“So, about that date, babe,” Nick murmurs low as he leans closer, and my skin itches as he does. “How about next weekend? We could take my father’s yacht somewhere…”
The mention of a yacht? It almost makes me lose my appetite. And I can smell that Dad cooked his pot roast, one of my favorite comfort foods. As if he understood the mission, Dad slyly slides me a full glass of red wine. Even tops it off with a careful gaze into my eyes.
“Thanks,” I say, giving him a grateful smile.
Then, he pours one for himself and Mom. Ryan pops open a beer for him and one for Pippi. Nick takes the passed dish and serves himself, then scoots even closer to me on the bench. When he opens his mouth to speak, he’s interrupted.
“Is Omega ready for Wicked Wednesday? I heard it’s going to be a blowout this year. At least…that’s what my brother, Oz, says,” Pippi asks, as if she’s starting a war at the dinner table.
All three of my brothers’ shoulders stiffen, even Nick’s do for a moment. It’s then that I realize exactly what she’s doing. Her light-brown eyes hold my face in a tight stare.
“Oh, yeah? They say the house always wins…” I flirt with danger, goading the Thetas into an argument before shoveling in a big bite.
“Fuck Delta!” Henry shouts, dropping his fork onto his bowl.
“Henry! None of that at the table,” my mom casually says, as if she only half means it.
“No, he’s right, Mom. Fuck them. They’re going to try to use their hackers to rig the games… Not this year.” Ryan laughs.
Pippi smiles sweetly and bounces in her seat like her causing the ruckus was just a little innocent game. I think I fall for my future sister-in-law right there.
My brothers continue arguing about who’s better, Nick joining in among them to pipe up about Theta superiority, while Pippi winks at me.
Oh, yeah…she’s Valen’s cousin. I wonder if she knows anything about his whereabouts or about him and me. Surely not. It seems Valen has kept things close to his chest.
Finally, the meal is over, and Dad rubs my shoulders for a moment before asking his eternal question. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
“You’d tell me if you weren’t, right?”