Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
FRANKIE
We leave the guys to conduct a thorough search and head straight for the medical room to check on Siri.
As we walk, Cassie is silent and I’m guessing her ego is bruised, as well as her wrists and ankles. I wasn’t careful when I claimed her and she looks as if she was dragged through the dirt a thousand times.
I don’t offer her any reassurances because there aren’t any, and as we walk, we both remain silent for the entire time.
As soon as we reach the medical room, I notice Jack and Siri exiting and Cassie runs toward them.
Siri’s smile lights up her face and my relief is enormous. Thank God I won’t have to endure my uncle’s anger because he would definitely blame me if anything happened to his little girl.
“I’m okay.” She smiles at me as I approach. “It’s just a scrape, but the nurse was concerned about infection, so I’ve been given some meds to counteract that and she patched up the wound.”
“What did you tell her?” I’m curious because if the staff learned what went down tonight, that would be the first and last Claiming challenge.
“I told her we were walking in the woods and Siri tripped.” Jack replies in a low voice. “She bought my story, so it’s all good.”
“How did you explain the fact you’re both wet through?”
I note they are both wrapped in a towel over their soaked clothing, and Jack grins.
“I told her Siri slipped on the riverbank and I went in to rescue her.”
I’m impressed with his handling of the situation and jerk my head toward the door.
“We’ll head back to the house for a debrief.”
Siri and Cassie are behind us, their heads together as they link arms and as we walk, Jack says in a low voice. “She was lucky. It could have been worse.”
‘’I guess but we have another problem.”
“What problem?”
I fill him in and he shakes his head in confusion. “She wasn’t in the tunnel with the girls. That is the only way out unless she retraced her steps and slipped past Ali at the door.”
“How could she without him seeing her and why would she? Kennedy made a valid point when she said they signed up for The Claiming for a reason and it wasn’t to end up single at the end of it.”
“I suppose.” Jack sighs. “Hopefully, she’s back at the girl’s house and will have a reasonable explanation in the morning.”
* * *
We soon reach the house and as we make our way inside, we head for the communal kitchen. As I set about preparing some coffee, Jack says, “I’ll head to the shower.”
He turns to Siri, “You can use the guest room if you like. You must be freezing.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes light with gratitude and he adds, “I’ll find you something to wear and leave it in the room.”
“Thanks, Jack and–” She hesitates and after a triumphant glance in my direction, adds, “Thanks for helping me in the river. I doubt I’d have reached the other side without your help.”
She stabs me with a triumphant smile.
“So, Frankie. It appears that I won and am now subsequently free to enjoy the semester with no restrictions.”
“Why do you think you’ve won, Siri?”
She shrugs. “Because I made it out of the tunnel.”
“But not to the other side.”
Her face falls as I grin. “You said yourself that Jack helped you to the other side. That means he caught up with you and even if one of his fingers landed on you, it counts as a win.”
“No way. You’re making that up,” Siri gasps.
Cassie’s eyes flash as she hisses, “You are a cheat, Frankie. There is no way Siri lost that challenge.”
“Did she make it out without a centurion helping her?” I state the obvious, and Jacksmiles.
“I guess it’s a gray area. Perhaps we should talk about this after Siri has warmed up. She doesn’t want to catch a chill to add to her problems.”
He nods toward the door. “Come on, darlin’, I’ll show you where the guest room is.”
As soon as they leave, Cassie turns to me, her eyes blazing.
“Siri won fair and square and you are altering the rules to suit your own agenda.”
“Think about it.”
I hand her a mug of coffee as I add, “If Siri didn’t have Jack’s help, she would have been stranded at the tunnel entrance. The rules were she must make it to the other side, where Jesse was waiting to declare her safe. That didn’t happen, so whether you like it or not, Siri is now Jacks’ woman and she will be controlled by him for the entire semester.”
“You’re a fucking prick, Frankie.”
Despite her anger, she snatches the coffee from my hands and turns her back on me, as she comes to terms with a very bad outcome for her and her friend.
I take the barstool and watch her deal with the situation, and then Santi and Ali head inside, their expressions grim.
“Nothing.” Santi sighs as he kicks a stool away from the counter and sits astride it, and reaches for the mug of coffee I poured for him.
Ali nods. “There is nothing in there but the creatures that call it home.”
“Did you check the iron door again?” Cassie turns as natural curiosity replaces her anger.
“Several times. We even checked the floor for signs of any disturbance, but it appears the door hasn’t moved for centuries.
“Then she must have made it back to the house.” Cassie ponders and Ali shakes his head.
“Not unless she was fucking invisible. The only way out of that place is via the river or the door I was guarding.”
“Did you see anything unusual while you were waiting?” She asks him and he shakes his head.
“No. There were a few students lingering around after you entered the dungeon, but they soon got bored and left me to wait in the darkness.”
“Are you sure?” She stares at him with a thoughtful expression, and Ali hesitates before shrugging.
“I didn’t move from the door, but I may have been momentarily distracted when Susan Harper decided she had a thing for masked men.”
“Fuck, Ali.” I groan. “Are you sure you never left the door unguarded, even for a second?”
He shrugs. “What was I to do? I banged her against the fucking door, so I’m pretty certain Abigail can’t walk through iron and flesh for freedom.”
Santi laughs out loud. “I’m calling door sentry next time.”
Cassie’s eyes meet mine and the expression of disgust on her face is enjoyable to behold because if she thinks Ali banging a girl against the door is bad, she doesn’t know what I’m capable of.
I head her way and note her sullen expression as I lean down and whisper, “You can hate this all you like, baby girl, but the result is the same. Get used to being my girl and all that involves, unless you want to suffer the consequences of betrayal.”
She hisses against my lips, “You won the challenge, Frankie, not my soul, so be careful what you wish for. I’m nobody’s property and you would be advised to deal with that from the outset.”
“Or?” I raise my eyes and she shrugs.
“Or face humiliation in front of the entire school. It’s your choice.”
I push her from the room and she hisses, “What are you doing?”
As I grab her hand, I pull her into the laundry room and close the door, loving how she faces me with fire in her eyes that quickly turns to surprise when I stroke her face lightly, noting how she doesn’t flinch as I whisper, “I only have your best interests at heart my little spitfire. We can do this the hard way, or the, shall we say, more pleasurable way. You will soon realize that being my girl comes with a load of privileges, so can the attitude, suck up the loss and make the best of a situation I couldn’t be happier with.”
Her eyes darken as I continue stroking her face, staring into her eyes with desire lighting mine, reeling her into my web. I have always found seduction a far more effective weapon than force, and she is no exception to the rule as she visibly relaxes.
“What happens now?”
I smile softly. “I’ll escort you back to your dorm, and we’ll grab some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day and nothing will change, except for our commitment to one another.”
“Our commitment?”
“I will have your back and we will spend time together safe in the knowledge nobody will come between us. It’s a breathing space if you like. A time to let the dust settle and learn about one another without the added pressure of guys hitting on you.”
“What if I want my freedom, Frankie?”
“The only freedom worth having is the one earned through making mistakes.”
“Is that what this is? A mistake?”
I stare deep into her eyes and whisper, “Only time will tell. But I control my destiny and choose it wisely. What is the point of waiting for something to happen naturally that you already know will be amazing? Why place all your hope on chance when you can engineer the desired result and move on? Life is too short to waste a second of it and this will be amazing, Cassandra King, because I feel it in my soul.”
Her eyes darken and she can’t tear her gaze away and I seize the moment and touch my lips to hers, sliding my hand around the back of her head as I kiss her deeply. I don’t rush the moment—I savor it. This is my reward for a well-orchestrated plan and as she returns my kiss, everything slots into place.