4. Brothers Above All
brOTHERS ABOVE ALL
Axel
Chills ran down my spine at the Domnus’s goat-skull mask nestled within the hood of his ebony cloak, horns poking through. The stark contrast of white against the backdrop of black only made the ominous scene worse. Crimson rimmed the cloak like the edges had been dipped in blood.
These formal Serpents & Daggers ceremonies were always creepy as shit.
Wasn’t it enough to be shoved into the catacombs beneath the school where gas lanterns, candles, and flames curling from the giant ebony fireplace were the only light sources?
A briny taste hung in the air from the ocean, mixing with candle wax and arrogance. And with several Ascended members, Lords who had graduated, in attendance, the confidence and egotism practically choked the room.
They all sat silently in high-backed chairs to the left of the room near an altar with Fratres Super Omnia, brothers above all, carved across the wall.
I readjusted the plain white mask on my face for the hundredth time since pulling it on. It was all a necessary part of the passing of the dagger ceremony for the new Domnus. At least we were getting rid of that douchebag Bass.
Vaughn, the former pledge master and his best friend, wasn’t much better, though.
I would have preferred Killian as the new leader of our organization, but he wanted no part in it.
Becoming president of the Sigma Delts was enough for him.
Plus, being the Domnus came with certain responsibilities, and now that he was happy—as happy as the moody bastard could be—and in love, he didn’t want to add anything that would take him away from Lexi for any longer than absolutely necessary.
As if this brotherhood didn’t own us enough.
Gage elbowed my ribs. “Stop fidgeting, Vanderhart.”
I scowled, not that he could see. He seemed right at home with the macabre setting.
“The shit is suffocating,” I hissed beneath the mask. “And I’m fucking hungry.”
Gage scoffed. “You wear twenty pounds of football gear and a helmet while running and tackling other guys, but this little mask and cloak is smothering?”
I flipped him off. “Did I mention I was hungry?”
“You’re always hungry, big guy.” Slate patted my back from behind. “Once they pass the baton or whatever, they’ll break out the spread.”
My mouth salivated at the thought.
“It is with great honor that I hand the reins to the new chosen.” Bass’s voice carried through the atrium directly beneath the Sigma Delta house as he and Vaughn stood on the raised stage in front of the crowd. “He’ll continue to lead this sect to new heights.”
Killian snorted from my other side. “Bass is dying with every fucking word, having to give up his seat of power.”
We practically destroyed the guy last spring, wrapping a noose around his neck with the incriminating evidence we passed to Arcane, an underground organization that dealt in a myriad of illegal activities.
Now Bass walked around with his tail between his legs.
But I wasn’t stupid enough to believe the little weasel would just vanish quietly into the shadows.
Positioning his best friend as the new leader of the Serpents & Daggers at Stonewall U wasn’t a coincidence.
“I promise to uphold the laws of the brotherhood, put our needs first, and pledge my fealty to every member standing before me.” Vaughn poured a generous amount of red wine into a golden, jewel-encrusted chalice, and I shuddered at what was coming next.
Bass used an ornate dagger to slice his palm. As the blood pooled across his pale flesh, he held his hand over the chalice and let a few drops fall into the wine. “Let our blood unite us once again.”
Vaughn grabbed the same blade and cut his palm, donating a couple of heavy drops into the chalice.
“That shit is not sanitary,” Slate muttered.
That wasn’t the worst of it. We’d all have to drink from that cup.
Bass lifted the goat skull enough to reveal only his mouth and sipped the bloody wine before passing it to Vaughn. He did the same and then handed it to the new Grand Domnus, the highest ranking member who usually dealt with the Ascended.
Jasper Bishop—a long-standing member of our Inner Circle, and a cut-throat business attorney who could charm you while simultaneously taking you for all you were worth—took over the leadership position after Stanford Davenport’s untimely demise last year.
The visiting Grand Domnus lifted the chalice, the firelight casting ominous shadows across his terrifying ram-skull mask. “Drink from the cup and let the blood renew our ties.”
As the four of us waited for the cup to make it around the room, Killian stared at a masked brother a few feet away. The tension in his shoulders and the curl of his fists told me exactly who had caught the full force of his dangerous stare.
“Do you plan on attempting to murder Micah Preston with your death glare all year?” I whispered.
Killian cracked his knuckles like he was about to storm over there and deck Micah. “The fucker deserves it.”
I sighed and fidgeted with my mask again. “Don’t you think it’s time you let this thing go? You got the girl, and Micah helped us big time. We couldn’t have taken down Bass and your stepfather without his help.”
“Yeah, Kill, the guy’s not so bad.” Slate rested his arm around Killian’s shoulders. “Can you blame him for drooling over Lexi Vega? She’s a hot piece of—”
Killian’s head jerked in Slate’s direction. “Finish that sentence, and you’ll be the one who ends up murdered.”
Slate lifted his hands in surrender. “Sorry. You know I speak before I think. But I’m just saying, maybe lighten up on the dude. He came back, and now he’s stuck in the Serpents & Daggers forever, and not because his family dictated it like the rest of us.”
“Micah knew what he was signing up for.” Killian rolled his neck. “Besides, he only wanted in to find out what happened to his friend. The dumbass probably had thoughts of grandeur, taking on the brotherhood and bringing the Lords down from the inside.”
I chuckled under my breath. “Taking this organization down would be harder than destroying the Russian mob. Not happening.”
Despite his stupidity, I felt bad for Micah. My heartstrings tugged as he stood alone, no doubt feeling the weight of Killian’s stare.
After every member sipped the disgusting bloody wine, it was returned to Vaughn. Bass removed the goat skull, revealing dark circles beneath his lackluster blue eyes and deep hollows below his sharpened cheekbones.
“To the future. May it be prosperous, and may all of you flourish under your new leadership.” Bass withdrew Vaughn’s plain white mask and placed the skull over his face.
The new Domnus lifted the chalice, probably grinning maniacally behind that creepy ass skull.
“Our blood is from one cup. Our bones are from one beast. Our soul is from the same shadow. Brothers above all. We enter this world together. And we shall only leave with a dagger pressed against our throat and the serpent’s poison in our veins. ”
We repeated the oath like a bunch of fucking dazed cult members, and then Vaughn drank from the cup again.
Everyone clapped, congratulating Vaughn. I hoped the four of us could stay off his radar. I’d rather not be pulled into dangerous assignments for the brotherhood any time soon.
When the ceremony concluded, we tossed aside our masks and lowered our hoods.
The youngest members brought in trays of food, my mouth watering as delectable aromas filled the air.
I didn’t bother with manners and just grabbed an entire platter of mini sandwiches, dropping it on one of the tall pub tables that had been dragged out of a storage room.
“You’re not planning to eat all that, Ax, right?” Worry lines developed across Killian’s brow beneath dark brown locks.
“Of course not. I’m sharing.” I picked up a sandwich and motioned it around my three best friends. “Dig in. Make sure you get enough to eat. I can grab another tray if necessary.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “I think this is plenty.”
Killian suddenly stiffened as Micah sauntered up to our table and gave a cautious smile.
“Hi, guys. How’s it going?” His blond hair was neatly combed away from his face, even after wearing the mask and hood, and the firelight reflected in his glasses. “How’s your summer so far?”
“Why are you talking to us?” Killian clenched his teeth until his jaw became so sharp he could probably slice Micah’s fingers off.
Micah shrugged. “I don’t really know anyone else here.”
“You don’t know us either.” My roommate gulped his drink and slammed it on the table.
The sadness in Micah’s hazel eyes poked at my heart. “I’m just trying to figure out my place in this shit since I’m stuck here now.”
“It’s not with us.” Killian folded his arms over his chest, his top lip curling in derision. “Besides, you just want to pump us for information about your friend Susanna, and I already told you we don’t know shit.”
Micah’s fingers tightened around the crystal tumbler in his hand. “I don’t believe you, Davenport. But that’s not why I’m here.” He glanced around, shifting awkwardly on his feet. “I’d rather be with the devils I know than the ones I don’t.”
Unable to help myself, I grabbed a sandwich and shoved it at him. “Have some food. You look skinny.”
“Okay…” He took the sandwich and plucked a napkin from the stack on the table, some of the tension releasing from his shoulders. “But I’m far from skinny.”
Slate snorted, humor twinkling in his hazel eyes rimmed in thick lashes. “The big guy thinks if you’re not packing a couple hundred pounds of muscle, you’re not eating enough.”
“Boys.” Vaughn appeared at our table, the haughty arrogance dripping off him in thicker waves now that he was the Domnus.
Gage didn’t bother hiding his scowl. “We’re not your boys.”
Vaughn’s laughter made my skin crawl, and my stomach clenched when he focused on me. “I heard you were with Lorelei Battenberg last night.”
Killian nearly choked on his sandwich, and Micah slapped his back to help clear his airways. “You and Lorelei?”
“And Cordelia,” I blurted before returning my attention to Vaughn. “The three of us went to Betty’s Diner.”
Vaughn ran a hand over his russet waves to ensure his hair was still perfectly gelled. “Brock Haversham owns that piece of ass.”
A flood of heat filled my veins as I pictured the prick who’d manhandled Lorelei at the party last night. Something about him raised my hackles like a black cat on a full moon. “I’m pretty sure no one owns Battenberg, least of all that douche.”
“He’s a good friend of my older brother’s, and Brock and Lorelei will be an item very soon,” Vaughn said. “Steer clear of her.”
I grabbed another sandwich and savagely tore into it.
“And if I don’t?” Lorelei and I had never really been friends, but I didn’t take kindly to someone trying to bully a female. “As a Lord, I come before any good friend of Brighton’s.”
The new Domnus narrowed his eyes, the brown orbs transforming into shards of amber sharp enough to stab. “I’m watching you, Vanderhart. Don’t start this summer off on my bad side.”
Well, so much for flying under the radar this year.