Chapter 34
My arm stays across Max’s chest, as we watch Tenley and Rain walk away.
Lifting my arm I slap my hand down on his shoulder. Moving him towards the room the others are currently waiting in. Opening the door I shove him inside and he freezes upon seeing the others.
“Um, hey guys, what's going on?” He asks nervously watching me as I move to the side.
Clearing his throat Silas lifts himself off the desk taking three steps forward until he’s inches from Max.
“Tell me Max,” Silas hisses, emphasizing his name. “What’s your intention with my step sister?” he asks, throwing his arm over Max’s shoulder forcing him into his side. Max’s eyes go wide and he sucks in a breath as he stumbles with his words.
“N-nothing.” Max says. Silas gives him a look raising his eyebrow.
“I-I promise, we’re just friends,” Max admits.
“Well, just friends Max, I can promise you if you even think of looking at Tenley more than just a friend, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure this year is your own personal hell, am I clear?” Silas growls, his dark eyes releasing an unspoken promise.
“Y-yes,” Max says, sparing him a passing look. I open the door leaving him to scramble out running as far away from us as he can.
Fucking pussy.
“You think he’ll listen?” Zephyr asks Silas, as he stands watching where Max ran for his life. The warning was clear but how far was Max willing to go to be Tenley’s friend?
“If he knows what’s good for him, he will.” Silas hisses.
“Do you think he’s lying?” I ask.
I have no doubt Max wants Tenley. The fucker would have to be blind or hundread percent into guys if he didn’t.
She’s fucking perfect.
“Want me to keep an eye on him?” I ask Silas. Nodding he clenches his jaw before he looks at Jagger whose gaze is currently in his lap.
“Jagger.” Silas announces. Forcing Jagger to lift his head worry etching his features.
“I-I don’t.” he begins but stops.
“Don’t what?” Silas asks, taking a step toward him lifting his chin with fingers he places underneath.
“Nevermind it’s nothing.” Jagger sighs.
“No, tell me, or do I need to punish you?” Jagger swallows deeply as Silas’ fingers move toward his throat, stretching them around the column of his neck, his hold tightens and Jagger doesn’t move as Silas inches forward until their noses touch, I always knew whatever was going on between them was more of a dominant and submissive thing but watching how Jagger doesn’t budge an inch shows me he has complete faith Silas won’t hurt him .
Zephyr stands to the side watching them both intently as Silas places his forehead to Jagger’s, closing his eyes he breathes him in for a moment before he pulls back releasing him.
“Hurting you isn’t my thing, that’s Zephyr’s. But I can promise you Jagger if you ever question what I do I’ll make sure you get a punishment and then I’ll make you watch while Tenley gets one too because we all know how much you like being her white knight.”
Jagger nods, his understanding clear.
“This girl is just that, a girl. Don’t let that sweetest fool you Jagger underneath she’s anything but sweet.” Silas says.
Class drags as the teacher drones on, the only good thing is who occupies the seat next to me.
Tenley taps her pen as if she’s doing anything she can to distract herself.
I can’t help the grin that tips the corner of my mouth, the amusement clear as I watch her.
She gulps, and her tongue darts out, wetting her lips. “I can feel your gaze burning through my skin.” she murmurs softly before turning her head, her gaze finding mine.
Shooting her a devilish grin, I wink making her shake her head before I don’t miss the slight smile she tries to hide.
“You forgot something, Bambi?”
This time she sighs before she looks at me.
“Yeah what’s that?”
“You're our property and if I want to look at you I will.” I remind her. She does her best to hide her irritation but it shows.
Her nostrils flare slightly before she collects herself regaining her posture. Had she completely forgotten the promise she made to us?
“Don’t dwell on it baby, think of it as having four new bodyguards.” I chuckle .
“Yay, me.” she sasses.
Facing the front of the class again she ignores me.
She’s been here nearly two weeks and we still have nothing on her, a part of me wonders if there’s even anything to find.
Her father was a part of the inner circle here at Monarch prep, no fucking surprise there, our fathers all grew up together.
Maybe that's why Cranford brought her here?
She’s a legacy like the rest of us, the only difference is that she's the only girl.
If she were male she’d have a spot in our group just like all of us, but because she has a set of tits instead of a dick, Tenley is the outsider. A fucking Monarch.
After class I watch Tenley walk from the room practically running from me to escape.
I text the guys to meet wondering if any of them have come to the same conclusion I have.
Jagger is the first to meet me, giving me a nod while he takes a seat drumming his fingers across the table while we wait for the others.
Silas and Zephyr come in minutes after Jagger. Zephyr stands with his back to the wall while Silas stands in the middle of the room eyeing me.
“What's so damn important it couldn’t wait?” Silas asks.
“I’ve been thinking, we know your father brought Tenley here for a reason. Right?”
He nods.
“I mean we all assumed it is for us, the promises that were made when we were kids,” I continue.
Silas raises an eyebrow waiting for me to get to the point.
“I don’t think it has to do with who she is but what.”
“What the fuck are talking about?” Zephyr utters.
“Think about it, think about the Monarch?” I say giving them a look.
“What’s the Monarch have to do with any of this?” Jagger questions .
“Fuck, okay so we’re all a part of this right just like our fathers.” Silas nods.
“Except Victor didn’t have a boy.” I explain, mentioning Tenley’s father.
“So if Tenley were a guy, she’d be here with us right now?” Zephyr says the pieces finally falling into place. Making our foursome a fivesome. Tenley wouldn’t be ours to control; she'd be one of the ones in control along with us.
“Yes.” I breathe.
“Fuck, why didn’t we piece this together before?” Silas grunts running his hand through his hair.
“I guess we never thought about it, well at least I didn’t until now.” I admit.
“So my father brought her back, why? She’s not male she can’t be a part of the Monarch, it's against tradition.” Silas grunts, running his hand through his hair pulling on the strands.
I shrug, “Unless he’s found another useful position for her?”
“It can’t be about our oath?” Silas says, his tongue darting out wetting his lips as he thinks.
I highly doubt Cranford brought Tenley back just to honour the oath we all took as kids.
Silas’ nostrils flare, air whooshes from his mouth as he thinks.
“This changes everything.” Zephyr says.
“She’s still our girl.” Silas adds.
“For how long? Because we both know what our fathers want, they get.” Zephyr says, including his father even though he’s six feet under. Rotting in the ground for what he did to his mother.
“I’m not about to let them think they can take her from us without a fight.” Silas grunts, his chest heaving.
“They can try, but I dare them too.” Jagger says. Finally speaking.
“I’ll work on my father, in the meantime we need answers, Tenley doesn’t need to know. But no matter what we find out the why.” Silas persists.
“Agreed.” I say and Zephyr and Jagger both nod.
Our paths have been spung since we were kids. Tenley’s been ours since that time. It's time to find out everything we can because time is ticking and soon everything will detonate like a bomb, most likely bringing us down with it.