Chapter 14
It takes me the entire walk back to the dorms to shake off the icy temperament of my professor. He acts like he’s had an icicle shoved up his ass.
When I open the door, I find Raven lounging on her bed, punk music blasting as she scribbles furiously in a notebook. She looks up with surprise when I step inside the room, but her expression quickly morphs into a frown.
“Damn it, Delilah.” She turns off her music and crosses her arms over her ample chest. “It’s the first day of class. Don’t tell me you’ve already fucked up in some way.”
“I haven’t, unless you count talking to Professor Ames about his signet ring after class.”
She slowly shakes her head, staring at me like I’m a terminal cancer patient. “What did I say about him? You know nothing, Jon Snow.”
I plop onto my bed with a sigh and toss my arm over my face. “This is all Ben’s fault.”
“Explain.”
“So, I grew up in the foster system. I’m not trying to get out my violin and play my sad song, but it was rough until my last three years. My foster mother Gloria is an angel. Before her, it was just me and Ben, my foster brother. There are also two little girls that came to live with us that are like my little sisters.”
I pause when my eyes prick with tears. After clearing the emotion in my throat, I continue. “They were my family and the only good things in my life. Ben got a scholarship to South Harbor, and he’s been here for the last three years. The long distance was hard on us, but I thought that would change once I started school here. Except he hasn’t responded to any of my texts or calls. It’s been days now.”
Raven nods solemnly. Then she gets to her feet and walks over to my bed, sitting next to me. “You’ll hear from him soon. It sounds like you were in the trenches together, and that kind of bond doesn’t disappear overnight.”
“Maybe it did over the last three years.”
She scoots closer on the comforter. “A ride-or-die doesn’t just continue on riding without you. So that leaves dying, which I would’ve heard about by now. Gossip travels through this place faster than a viral video on social media. So that means it’s either a possessive girlfriend, or he’s in an over-involved alumni group.”
I smile at her. “You’re brilliant. You know that?”
“Duh. Now tell me why.”
“Ben has been wearing a gold signet ring for a while now. It’s identical to the one Professor Ames wears, except there’s a different letter engraved on it.”
She taps her chin in thought. “And that’s why you talked to him and risked failing his class. The things we do for love.”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that between us. I only see Ben as my brother.”
“That’s cool, but love comes in many different forms. Whatever label you want to give it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that it’s strong enough to get you to take action, and with that comes risk.”
When I scrunch my forehead and give her a side-eye, she waves a hand in dismissal. “Anyway, what did Professor Ames say?”
“That it’s a family heirloom and part of the fraternity, the Obsidian Order.”
She tilts her head. “And you’re sure Ben’s not part of the founding families?”
“The what?” I frown. “Ben and I were orphans, so that just leaves the social club.”
“Hmm. What was the letter on his ring?”
“‘M.’”
Raven jumps to her feet and crosses the floor to grab her laptop. Unlike mine, it’s brand new and top of the line. She types rapidly, the clicking sound the only one in the room.
“Boom shakalaka!” she screeches. “Who’s your mommy?”
“Erm…”
I slide from my bed to walk over and peer down at her screen. “The founding families in South Harbor, Massachusetts are as follows,” I read quietly. “Gage, Kent, Shipley, Felton, Emerson, Paine, Barnum, Ames, Donovan, and McKenzie.”
My knees give out, and I sink onto the mattress beside my friend. “You don’t think that’s his real family?”
Raven shrugs. “It’s possible and an avenue of inquiry we shouldn’t ignore.”
“Avenue of inquiry?”
She grins at me. “You can call me Sherlock Fucking Holmes, baby.”
“If Ben found his biological parents, he would’ve told me.” I press my finger to my temples, applying pressure to ease the ache beginning to pulse there. “It’s too important for him not to.”
Like a group of scorpions gathered in the pit of my stomach, betrayal infuses its venom into my being. I hang my head in defeat. How could he keep this from me?
“We don’t know anything for sure,” Raven says. She places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s assume it was given to him for the sake of the fraternity, okay?”
I nod, unable to form words just yet.
“The Obsidian Order,” she mumbles. “Let’s see what this one is all about. I swear, everyone is in a fraternity or sorority now. For the students here, it’s a social status thing. Very elementary, my dear Watson.”
After a few keystrokes, Raven takes a deep breath. “The Obsidian Order, nestled in the shadowed fringes of a historical campus, this fraternity lies behind the imposing wrought-iron gates that lead to a castle. After years of restoration, the place that was once a battleground during the famous British invasion during the American Revolution is now home to a number of South Harbor University students. The Order is the source of many legends. Its members claim lineage from the ten founding families of the South Harbor colony, who still hold power and influence today. The Gothic stone mansion is rumored to be haunted by British redcoat ghosts, as well as those of American revolutionaries, but only those initiated know the truth.”
Raven looks at me, her gaze scrutinizing. “Okay, so I might’ve been wrong about the family lineage and all that, but I’m confident that Ben can explain everything.”
“Yeah.”
“You guys didn’t have a fight or anything, right?” she asks. When I shake my head, she purses her ruby-painted lips. “Then there’s only one thing left to do. We need to find him.”
Even if Ben’s feelings toward me have changed, there’s no way he would abandon the littles. They have nothing to do with our relationship, and he’s shut them out as much as he’s done with me. Maybe he found his real family and felt too guilty to tell us because we haven’t. And probably never will.
“I’m going to reach out to my contacts?—”
“You mean friends?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, that. Especially June. She dated one of them recently. The only guy she was faithful to. If anyone knows anything about the fraternity, it’ll be her. Besides, no one loves men more. And a whole castle full of them? Might as well put her on a spinning table with her legs spread so she can get?—”
“Oh, my God!” I shake my head. “It’s too early in the morning for this.”
“Honey, it’s never too early or too late to talk about sex.”
“This explains why June was so excited to see Xavier Donovan,” I say, attempting to change the subject. “He’s from one of the founding families. Does she just want to sleep with him, or is it like a revenge fuck against her ex?”
Raven glances at me. “Bingo. Tell her the prize she’s won, folks.”
“Makes sense.”
“Well, that and the fact that he’s gorgeous and forbidden fruit. Like a fly to a banana. And by banana, I mean?—”
I throw up my hands. “Yup. It’s too early in the morning for this.”
“It’s never too early to talk about dick.”
“I knew you were going to say that.”