Covenant of Lies (Tri-Rule #1)

Chapter 1

“ C ade.” I looked up from my textbook as my best friend Luce walked across the university main quad where I was sitting, towards me. I smiled, happy for the distraction from the piss awful Maths homework that I was trying, and likely failing, to finish.

“Hey,” I said as she sat down at the picnic table, her blonde hair catching the sunlight. Luce’s blue eyes, a shade lighter than my own, held their usual mix of concern and determination as she pushed a package towards me with a smile.

“Eat,” she ordered sternly, before pulling out a bottle of Diet Coke from her bag and placing it next to the package. I rolled my eyes as I opened the brown paper to find a ham and cheese sandwich inside. Luce was always trying to feed me, and at this point in the school year, I was especially grateful for it.

With only a month left of the school year, I had very little of my living allowance left over. I was thankful that the scholarship I had afforded me any sort of allowance, since my class schedule made any sort of employment practically impossible.

I still managed to get a few hours in at the University union bar on weekends, but the number of students needing extra cash far outweighed the available hours. I sighed, and wondered if my mother had dealt with all this bullshit. She’d attended Regents years ago and our family wasn’t exactly loaded like the average student here. So, she must have struggled as well, not that I could ask her. I didn’t just come here for the prestigious scholarship or the promise of a better future.

Deep down, I’d hoped that coming here might help me uncover some information about her. I didn’t have much to go on, and I didn’t like bringing the subject up with my grandparents, I was too worried that it would be hurtful to them. But despite being here for almost a year, I hadn’t found a single lead or any information about her. The disappointment weighed on me, almost as much as the apprehension of what I would find out. After all, there couldn’t be many good reasons for abandoning your five-year-old daughter.

I smiled at Luce in thanks as I bit into my sandwich, making sure not to spill crumbs onto my school work.

“Thanks,” I said around a mouthful of food. “There was no way I was going to be able to get this done and still have time to eat.” Luce frowned down at my books and then back at me.

“You are pushing yourself too hard,” she said and I rolled my eyes in response, feeling a mixture of frustration and exhaustion wash over me.

“She’s not lying.” I looked up to see my other friend Damien smiling down at me, his dark hair slightly tousled. He sat down and pulled my notebook away, his brow furrowing as he began looking through my work. “And it’s also wrong,” he said with a grimace that made my heart sink.

“What?” I asked, my voice rising in pitch. “Are you sure?” I really thought I had gotten it this time, but the look on Damien’s face confirmed my worst fears. I dropped my head in my hands and groaned.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered before looking back up at my friends, my faded purple hair falling into my eyes. “Well, I might as well pack my shit up now, it’s not like I’ll be back next year.” I could feel the panic rising in my chest, threatening to overwhelm me. Damien rolled his eyes at me, clearly unimpressed by my pessimism.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” he said with a huff, his tone a mixture of exasperation and concern. “You know we’re here to help you, Cade. It’s just a setback, not the end of the world.”

“If I don’t pass this class, then I can say goodbye to my funding,” I moaned, feeling the weight of my academic struggles pressing down on me. I fucking hated maths with a passion, but it was a requirement for my tuition, and was more than worth it to be able to do the Literature program that I was on. Plus, a qualification in anything from Regents led to all sorts of opportunities. Opportunities I desperately needed if I ever wanted to make something of myself.

“Don’t worry,” Damien said, running a hand through his black hair, his brown eyes filled with concern. “I’ll come by yours tonight and we can work on your assignment. We’ll get you through this, Cade, I promise.”

“Only if you’re sure,” I gave in, feeling a mixture of relief and guilt. I knew I needed the help, and Damien was practically a genius with numbers. He flashed me a smile that would melt the panties off most girls, and I couldn’t help but feel a small flutter in my stomach, despite my best efforts to ignore it. “I’ll even bring dinner,” he said with a wink, his tone light but his eyes intense. “Can’t have you fainting from hunger while we tackle the dreaded maths monster, can we?”

“Luce?” I asked, fiddling with the strap of my bag, “What do you think, study session tonight?” Luce’s eyes flicked towards Damien before darting away, her discomfort palpable. I turned to look at him just as his features smoothed out, but not before I caught a glimpse of what looked suspiciously like a glare.

“Sorry,” Luce mumbled, her voice barely audible. “I can’t anyway. I’ve got the dinner tonight. But you two enjoy yourselves.” She seemed almost relieved to have an excuse.

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” I shot her a sympathetic smile, remembering the tedious social obligation she’d mentioned earlier in the week. Poor Luce, always getting roped into these things.

“Dinner?” Damien’s eyebrows shot up, his tone dripping with mock surprise. “Does Luce have a hot date? I didn’t know you had it in you.” His words held a sharp edge that made me wince internally. Luce glanced up at Damien, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson that clashed with her fair hair.

“No, it’s not a date,” she spat out at him, her usual sweetness evaporating. “It’s the announcement dinner tonight.” The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

“Oh, elite bullshit,” Damien scoffed. His disdain for anything related to the upper echelons of society was clear in his tone. He stood up abruptly, towering over us, and grinned down at me. “Even better, I get you all to myself, Turner.” He winked at me again, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. “See you tonight, beautiful.” Before I could formulate a response, he shot Luce a look that I couldn’t quite decipher before turning on his heel and sauntering off towards the Economics buildings.

“What was that about?” I asked Luce after Damien had disappeared into the building. She shrugged as she picked at her own sandwich.

“What was what about?” she asked, feigning ignorance. I rolled my eyes again, knowing I wasn’t going to get anywhere with her. I knew Damien had issues with certain people at the University, namely the ones in the club houses. There were four clubs on campus: the Covenant, the Syndicate, the Archive, and the Courts. We all knew them. They walked around like they were god’s gift, and we should all bow to them. Luce had the unfortunate occurrence of being related to one of them. But she was nothing like the vapid bitches that frequented the Courts, or the egotistical dicks in the other three houses.

“So, you really have to go to this thing tonight?” I asked, changing the subject. Luce grimaced and nodded.

“Yeah, my dad said it’s mandatory,” she said. “Especially since it’s the naming of the new Regents tonight, and he said that Ryder is certain to be picked.” The club houses each had three extra dickish arseholes that ruled over all the others in their house. Ryder was Luce’s cousin and from my limited contact with him, he didn’t seem as bad as some of the others. Even so, I couldn’t imagine what it was like for Luce to be connected, but still from afar. The mean girls in the Courts seemed to target her more than anyone else.

I watched as Luce’s face fell, her eyes fixed on a point behind me. Turning, I saw what had caught her attention. Her cousin Ryder, and the guys he always seemed to be with, Logan Bale and Cole Bowers, had just entered the quad, surrounded by their usual entourage of sycophants and hangers-on. My stomach clenched at the sight of them, a mixture of annoyance and unease washing over me. Julia, the self-proclaimed queen bee of the Courts, practically draped herself over Logan like some sort of human accessory. Her bleached blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight as she tossed her head back, laughing at something Logan said. The sound grated on my nerves, high-pitched and artificial.

“Looks like the circus is in town,” I muttered, turning back to Luce. She gave me a weak smile, her discomfort evident.

“I should go,” she said, gathering her things. “I’ve got to get ready for tonight.” I nodded, understanding her desire to escape. I watched her pack up, a pang of sympathy for my friend tugging at my heart. As she stood to leave, I glanced at my watch and realised I was cutting it close for my next class.

“Hey, wait up,” I called, hastily shoving my books and the remains of my lunch into my bag. “I’ll walk with you. I’ve got class in ten minutes, anyway.” Luce paused, a grateful smile flickering across her face. “Thanks, Cade.”

We set off across the quad, skirting around the edges to avoid the commotion caused by Ryder and his cronies. I kept my eyes fixed ahead, determined not to give them the satisfaction of my attention. As we neared the path leading to the English Literature building, I heard Julia’s shrill laughter pierce the air once more. I rolled my eyes, about to make a snarky comment to Luce, when suddenly, a solid mass collided with me. Hot liquid splashed across my chest, and I stumbled backwards, a startled yelp escaping my lips. The scent of coffee filled my nostrils as I looked down at my now-stained shirt, then up into the face of Logan Bale.

His hazel eyes, usually filled with arrogance, now widened in surprise. Coffee dripped from his perfectly fitted white t-shirt, forming a dark stain that spread across his chest. I couldn’t help but notice how the wet fabric clung to his well-defined muscles, and I felt a traitorous flutter in my stomach.

“Shit,” he muttered, looking down at himself before his pissed off gaze snapped back to me. “Watch where you’re going!” I felt heat rise to my cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment, anger, and something else I didn’t want to acknowledge.

“Me? You’re the one who wasn’t looking!” Logan’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. A lock of his dark, tousled hair fell across his forehead, and I had to resist the urge to reach out and brush it away. The thought shocked me, and I pushed it aside, focusing on my anger instead.

“Oh my God, Logan! Are you okay?” Julia glared at me, her blue eyes cold as ice. “You clumsy bitch, look what you’ve done!”

I opened my mouth to retort, but Luce grabbed my arm, her grip tight. “Come on, Cade,” she murmured. “We’re going to be late.” I felt my blood boil as Julia’s words hit me. The urge to back down, to slink away with my tail between my legs, was overwhelmed by a surge of righteous indignation. I wasn’t about to let this bleached blonde bimbo and her arrogant boy toy push me around.

“Clumsy?” I scoffed, shaking off Luce’s grip. “If anyone’s clumsy here, it’s this dickshit right here. He practically bulldozed into me!” I waved angrily at Logan. Logan’s eyes flashed dangerously, his jaw clenching so tight I thought he might crack a tooth.

“You’d better watch your mouth,” he growled, taking a step closer. I stood my ground, tilting my chin up defiantly. The movement brought me closer to him, close enough to catch the scent of his cologne beneath the smell of spilled coffee. It was intoxicating, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

“Or what? You’ll spill more coffee on me?” Julia let out a sound that was half-gasp, half-shriek.

“How dare you speak to him like that! Do you have any idea who he is?”

“Oh, I know exactly who he is,” I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Logan Bale, campus royalty. Doesn’t mean he gets to trample over people and then act like it’s their fault.” I could see Logan’s anger building, his fists clenching at his sides. The rational part of my brain was screaming at me to shut up, to walk away before this got worse. But I was too fired up to listen.

“You know what?” I continued, gesturing at my stained shirt. “I think you owe me a new top. This one’s ruined thanks to your inability to walk and carry coffee at the same time.” Logan’s eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed to slits. The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he snarled, taking another step forward. I refused to back down, even as I felt Luce tugging urgently at my arm. The space between us crackled with tension, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to slap him or...something else entirely.

“Cade, please,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Let’s just go.” Julia’s eyes narrowed on me.

“Watch your tone, scholarship,” she spat, her voice dripping with disdain. “You should show some respect to your betters.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“My betters? That’s rich coming from someone who can’t even dress herself without daddy’s credit card.” Julia’s face flushed an ugly shade of red, but before she could respond, Ryder stepped forward, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Now, now, ladies. Let’s play nice, shall we? How about we all just kiss and make up,” He winked at me as he spoke.

“In your dreams, fuck boy,” I snapped, only causing his grin to widen.

I turned to walk away, much to Luce’s relief.

“I’ll send you the bill for my clothes,” I called over my shoulder. The smug bastard had the audacity to smirk as he looked me up and down.

“Please, as if that cheap shit you’re wearing could be ruined by anything. It’s probably an improvement,” Logan sneered.

I saw red. Luce tugged at my arm, her voice urgent.

“Cade, come on. We need to go.” But I couldn’t let it slide. The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“Fuck you, Logan.”

The quad went silent. I could feel every eye on us, waiting to see what would happen next. Logan’s expression shifted, his eyes darkening with something that sent a chill down my spine. He took a step closer, invading my personal space.

“Careful, princess,” he purred, his voice low and dangerous. He leaned in closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep.”

My heart raced, a mix of anger and undeniable attraction coursing through me. This close, I could see the flecks of gold in his hazel eyes, the strong line of his jaw. He was infuriating and intimidating, yes, but also maddeningly attractive. I opened my mouth to retort, but no words came out. Luce’s grip on my arm tightened.

“We’re leaving. Now,” she hissed, forcefully pulling me away from Logan and the growing crowd. I allowed her to drag me away, my cheeks burning with a mixture of rage and embarrassment. As we hurried across the quad, I could feel Logan’s eyes boring into my back, and I resisted the urge to turn and look at him one last time.