Chapter 8
FRANKIE
I t’s party night. The first one of the new semester is always an anticipated one and as Cassie draws shit on her face, I lie back on the bed and consider the implications.
“You’re thoughtful tonight.”
She interrupts my planning, and I stretch my arms behind my head and nod. “There is a lot to think about.”
She told me about River and Autumn and I didn’t like it. That is not the objective of The Claiming, and River has overstepped the mark. It’s about control, sure, but it goes both ways and if Autumn has been suffering because of something I created, it becomes my problem.
“What are you planning?”
Our eyes connect through the mirror and I say simply, “There’s a few loose ends to tie up before next week’s Twist ceremony.”
“As in River and Autumn?”
“Among other things.”
Her hand hovers in midair and I don’t miss the anxiety in her expression. “Are you talking about us?”
“Should I be?”
My voice is even, but inside I’m on a knife edge because if Cassie believes for one second she is going to Twist, then I’ll cancel the whole fucking ceremony until she promises otherwise.
“I’ve told you my intentions—you haven’t. Of course I’m going to question that. You may twist and I’ve got to plan for that.”
“Plan for it?” I arch my brow. “And exactly what are you planning?”
She shrugs, resuming her task. “If you don’t want me, I must consider my options.”
“You have no options.”
I state fact and she hisses, “I have every option, you asshole. I’m a free woman who chooses to be with you. Don’t make me choose otherwise.”
I love her fury. Sometimes I push it so I can bathe in her anger.
Cassie is a beautiful woman who transforms into a warrior when angry.
I love how her eyes flash and her blood heats.
The wild look in her eye and the disapproval radiating from every pore.
She is my match in every way, and why the hell would I want anyone else?
Cassie is the best and I like the best, but she doesn’t need to know that.
“Why would I show my hand before the game?”
“For reassurance, perhaps.”
“Reassurance is for pussies. If something special exists between us, then why do you allow doubt into your mind? Surely you are secure in the knowledge that we are good together. Isn’t that enough? Do you really believe I would choose anything else if we are strong?”
“I never know with you, Frankie.”
She spins and stares at me with a resigned expression. “In my mind, it’s good. Close to perfect actually, but you give nothing away. When we were apart, I heard little from you. I’m not saying I wanted a daily check in but a weekly one would have been good.”
She throws an intense look my way. “You’re an enigma, a closed mind and a secretive prick. Why wouldn’t I doubt your intentions when you give fuck all away?”
“Because it keeps life interesting. Never get comfortable in life, Cassie, because that’s when you stop working at it.
You become complacent, settled and predictable.
That’s when interest is lost and the rot sets in.
Always hold an air of mystery and keep something back.
It will work in your favor in every aspect of your life. ”
“Or allow doubt to shake the foundations of what could be the strongest structure. As I said before, Frankie, you’re full of shit.”
She glares at me and resumes her work, leaving me disguising a self-satisfied chuckle.
I love how she challenges me; calls me out on the shit I spout like words of wisdom that are nothing but a test. Continuously testing and pushing, never becoming complacent.
I should have that scripted in Latin and made into a t-shirt because I live by my rules and I always will.
I don’t reassure Cassie. Why would I? I’m not one to declare anything, and certainly not how much I like her.
I don’t like girls. I never have. I fuck them and then carry on with the business of training to distance my heart.
To polish my cool facade and maintain a blank expression.
Feelings are considered a weakness in our world and I am not about to declare any for her, no matter how fast they are deepening.
When I saw her enter the kitchen, something shifted in my heart.
I tried to erase her from my memory during the holidays.
I wouldn’t allow myself the luxury of missing her.
It wouldn’t have changed anything, only hold me back.
But when she walked into the room, it was a relief.
The way she searched for me and I noted the hunger in her expression.
It was a homecoming if you like and there is zero chance of me not sticking at the ceremony.
We head downstairs and straight for the basement.
The first party of the semester is a fact finding mission.
It’s obvious who will be a problem from the first gathering, and I am interested to watch Luca Romano and discover his intentions.
As long as they don’t include Cassie, Summer or Siri, I couldn’t give a fuck who he likes.
But they are family and I will always protect that with my entire soul.
Jack is another issue I am still working to resolve.
It’s obvious he’s pissed about my relationship with Cassie, and she is a closed book on the subject.
I don’t like the unfinished business that sits between them, and knowing they were together over the holidays fed my anxiety.
They have history; it’s obvious and I’m preparing for the inevitable where it concerns their relationship.
Then there’s Siri. He could hurt her and I wouldn’t be okay with that.
Not to mention my sister, who is a wild card that you never know when it will show up in the pack.
Like me, she keeps her cards pretty close and if she directs her attention to anyone in particular, they had better be prepared for the repercussions.
Then there is Jesse, who is my main priority right now.
Jenna Sloane is my number one problem this semester, and I spent the holidays planning her downfall.
She is recruiting students into a dark cult and drugging them, enslaving them and corrupting their minds.
I saw it first hand with my best friend last semester and I’m guessing her hold over him will only increase now that we’re back.
Jesse has changed and I don’t like it. She will ruin him, and that will happen over my dead body.
There is so much to think about, which is why I head straight for the cooler and chuck Cassie a beer.
“Let the fun begin.”
She nods, her eyes sparkling with happiness, and I share her emotion. Life is good at Rockwell and we have the entire semester stretching out before us and I intend on stepping up my education of testing Cassie sexually and pulling her further under my control.