Chapter 15
I was fucking exhausted. The night's events had left me utterly drained, both physically and mentally. It was well past 3 AM when we finally returned to Covenant House with our newly acquired Consort in tow. Despite my exhaustion, sleep eluded me. I tossed and turned for what felt like hours, my mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions.
Frustrated and restless, I abandoned the futile attempt at rest and made my way to the house gym, hoping that physical exertion might clear my head. But even as I stood before the punching bag, my fists wrapped and blooded and my body drenched in sweat, my muscles aching for rest that my mind unwilling to give, I couldn't escape her image.
Cadence. Her lilac hair, so dark it appeared almost purple in the moonlight, and that creamy skin as she knelt before us in the clearing. The memory sent a jolt of electricity through my body, igniting a fire that I couldn't extinguish. Everything had gone according to plan. We had tracked her through the woods like predators stalking their prey, toying with her for hours. We let her believe she was safe, only to crush that illusion when we finally surrounded her, forcing her to submit.
It should have been a triumphant moment, the culmination of our carefully orchestrated hunt. Even now as I slammed my wrapped fist against the punching bag, a fire surged through my body and my dick strained against my shorts like a fucking dog begging for attention. We may have made her submit to us last night, but I wasn't stupid enough not to know who held the power here. Even if she didn't know it yet.
I had been caught the moment her hand hit my cheek at the party. Even now I could feel the sting of that slap. It should have angered me, should have made me see red, and if it was anyone else it would have. But instead of rage, the fire it ignited was something far more dangerous. I hadn't seen it before then. I couldn't understand why Logan seemed hell bent on getting this girl on her knees for him, and why Ryder would be so willing to go back to that dark place that he had fought so hard to get out of. But now, I understood all too well. In that instant, I had wanted nothing more than to slam Cadence against the wall and fuck her with a brutality that would leave her begging for both mercy and destruction. If Ryder and Logan hadn't been there, I think I might have done so as well.
My concentration faltered, and my next punch missed its mark. I stumbled, grabbing the bag to steady myself as I leaned my forehead against its cool surface. As I stood there, my chest heaving and sweat dripping down my back, I knew that our lives had royally changed. The hunt may have been successful, but the true battle was just beginning.
Cadence was now a part of our world, and I had a sinking feeling that she would prove to be far more than we had bargained for. Because if there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty, it was this; the game had changed, and Cadence now held all the cards. It was up to us to learn the rules of this new, dangerous dance, before she brought us all to our knees.
Yep. There was no doubt in my mind. Logan, Ryder and I, we were truly fucked.
I righted myself, pushing away from the bag, and wiped my face down with a towel. I was drenched in the sweat of a workout that only seemed to make me more frustrated. I sighed and left the gym room, making my way up the stairs, into the main house and to the kitchen, my body aching from the intense workout even as my mind was still frustratingly active.
As I entered, I saw Logan sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen island, scrolling through his phone with a scowl on his face. From the dark circles under his eyes, I was betting he had been as successful at sleep as I had. He looked up as I entered, his expression darkening further.
"You look like shit."
I snorted, moving to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. "Thanks. You're not exactly looking fresh yourself." Logan just grunted in response, turning his attention back to his phone. I took a long drink of water, studying him over the top of the bottle. The tension in his shoulders, the tightness around his eyes... he was worried about something. And I had a pretty good idea what, or rather, who, it was. Good, kinda glad I wasn't the only one.
"Blow off some steam?" Logan asked, not looking up from his phone. I shrugged, leaning against the counter opposite him.
"Tried to. Didn't really work." He just grunted again.
I shook my head, knowing I was about to piss him off. But this was a conversation that needed to be had.
"Logan," I said.
"Yeah," he grunted as he continued to scroll.
"Logan." This time I was more firm. Logan finally looked up, his eyes meeting mine. He was trying to pass off the calm exterior, but I had known this man since we were lads, and I had seen him in his most vulnerable state. I knew there was a war going on inside his head as well.
"About Ryder-" I started but Logan's face hardened into a scowl, and he shook his head.
"Don't," he said firmly, but I wasn't giving in.
"We can't just ignore it," I urged. "Are you really trying to tell me that you don't see it? He's spiralling just like with-"
"It's nothing like that," Logan snapped. He stood up from his seat and moved to storm out of the kitchen.
"It is and you fucking well know it," I called after him. He stopped dead at the entrance, his hands clenched at his sides. I waited. After a minute Logan turned around and walked back to the island. He sighed as he sat back in his seat.
"Yeah, okay. Ryder is slipping," he said, his tone deflated. "What do you suggest? It's too late now, we can't exactly go back on our plans."
"As if you fucking would," I snorted and Logan's eyes shot up to me.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he snapped. I didn't even try to hide the laugh.
"It means that despite the cool exterior, and the talk about putting her in her place, there is a woman upstairs that you are just as obsessed with as Ryder is," I said. Logan scoffed at me and stood up from the seat again. He grabbed his coffee cup and moved to the sink to rinse it out.
"You think you've got it all figured out, don't you?" Logan's voice was low, a clear sign he was trying to keep his temper in check. "This isn't about obsession, Cole. It's about control. It's about making sure every fucker out there knows who is the boss around here."
"By every fucker, you mean your father, right?" Boom, I knew I had hit that one nerve that Logan Bale refused to acknowledge. A lifetime of trying to prove to his father that he was worthy of the Bale name. I watched him, the way his jaw clenched, the rigid set of his shoulders. He was lying to himself, and we both knew it. But I let it slide, for now. Arguing with Logan when he was in this mood was like trying to stop a runaway train.
"Fine, have it your way," I said, holding my hands up in surrender. "But we still need to deal with Ryder. He's not going to be able to keep it together if he's constantly around her." Logan turned off the tap and leaned back against the sink, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'll talk to him," he said after a moment. "Maybe I can get him to focus on something else for a while. Maybe see if my dad has any jobs. Ryder might appreciate a distraction. And if anything is going to take his brain away from pussy, it's the promise of violence." The idea made my stomach twist. The last thing we needed to deal with was more of Nicholas Bale's inner workings. I had hoped that now we were Regents, I wouldn't have to deal with that side of things. But if it meant keeping Ryder safe, it might be worth the risk. And Logan was right. Ryder's sadistic nature often needed an outlet, and the Bale family organisation was a good outlet for that.
"Okay," I said with a nod. I finished the rest of the water in the bottle and tossed the bottle into the bin. "It might also placate your old man over the result of the hunt as well. Has he been in touch yet?"
Logan scowled and shook his head. "No, not yet," he said. "Which is why I want to get to the administration office as soon as we can today. Once we have everything finalised on paper, then it doesn't matter what my dad says. He won't go against the Trivium." I nodded, knowing Logan was right. It appeared we all had our obsessions. Logan's fathers was the Trivium. Logan's whole life had been moulded around their ideals. He had been forced into the most elite schools and social circles in Nicholas' attempt to get access to the Trivium. I suspect that if my useless excuse for parents hadn't been legacy, that Nicholas wouldn't have spent as much time on me, either. I nodded again and pushed away from the kitchen island.
"I suppose I better get ready then," I said as I moved to the kitchen door. Logan followed behind me.
"Yeah, I'm going to see if dickwad is awake," he said, and I chuckled. Logan's face turned serious again as we made our way up the stairs to the second floor. "I checked in on him this morning, and he was slumped in his chair, fast asleep." My stomach clenched. It hadn't been the first time in the last few weeks that Ryder had fallen asleep watching his screens of security footage. The look on Logan's face told me he was as concerned as I was.
We made it to the second floor, and I turned the corner to head to my room when Ryder's door slammed open and a dishevelled Ryder came barrelling out, his face lit up with the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning.
"She's awake," he called when he saw us and then turned towards the door at the end of the hall. I went to stop him, but Logan shook his head.
"I'll sort him, go get your shower." I nodded and after a brief glance at Ryder who was trying to listen through Cadence's door, I headed through my own room and into my bathroom and turned on the shower, hoping to fucking god that we could get a handle on this shit before everything came crashing down to bury us.