27. The Serpent’s Poison
THE SERPENT’S POISON
Axel
The Sigma Delta house was surprisingly quiet as I headed to the kitchen for a late afternoon snack after dropping Lorelei off at the Zeta house. She’d needed a ride home from the other side of town, and I happily obliged.
Had her father taken her car away just to punish her for breaking things off with Brock or was her family really in that much financial trouble? Mr. Battenberg seemed like the type to hold a grudge, even against his own daughter.
If things were really that rough, maybe I could—
A door suddenly burst open and Micah darted out, nearly earning a punch to the face.
“What the hell, Preston? Are you trying to get knocked out?”
He peered down either side of the hall, sconces highlighting the dark burnished wood. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I’m busy.”
I didn’t even want to imagine what kind of stupid, half-cooked plan this idiot thought of this time. Didn’t he realize he was being followed?
“This is important.” He grabbed my forearm and attempted to pull me into his room, but my boots remained firmly planted on the sleek hardwoods. “It’s about my friend.”
“Obviously.” I jerked out of his grip. “And like I said before, I want no part of it.”
Micah’s hazel eyes narrowed, flecks of gold burning in them. “Too bad, Vanderhart, because you’re already part of it.” He stepped into his room and motioned me in. “I want to show you something.”
“Make this fast, Preston. I’m losing my patience.” The guy had no idea how much effort it took not to knock his ass out right now.
After I entered his room and closed the door, Micah stooped by the wall near his dresser, prying up a loose floorboard.
“I found something.” He stood, closed the gap between us, and held out a woman’s yellow leather wallet. “This is Susanna Michaels’.”
A pop echoed as he opened it to a picture of a pretty brunette with a bright smile and stunning blue eyes.
“Girls lose shit all the time at our parties.” I shrugged even as cold tingles rippled down my nape.
Was she another innocent casualty from that night? Had she really seen something?
I shook the dark thought from my mind, its edges wrapped in serrated barbed wire, as Micah flipped the wallet over, revealing dark burgundy spots splattered across the other side.
“This is blood.” His hands trembled.
Acid oozed up my esophagus as I attempted to think of another explanation. “It’s probably red wine. It doesn’t prove anything.”
Harsh lines cut into his face, and he shoved the wallet into my chest. “I know the Serpents & Daggers did something to her.”
My brows furrowed as I took the wallet and tossed it on his desk, knocking over a half-empty bottle of water. “Where did you find this? I highly doubt it was left lying around all these years.”
Micah marched to his desk to right the overturned bottle. “Does it matter?” He yanked a drawer open and drew out a picture of him and Susanna smiling in front of Stonewall U’s main gate. “She didn’t run away. Something happened, and I have a feeling it has to do with Peter Dupont’s death.”
I turned away and jammed my hand through my hair as blood pounded in my ears.
Micah had no idea of the darkness he was provoking in me.
I fought so hard to push down the horrible person I’d become after being tormented as a little kid.
That night, the bully born out of those nightmares died when Peter fell off that cliff.
But Peter didn’t fall.
I pushed him.
And then laughed.
I was a fucking murderer, and if Micah was right, Susanna’s blood was on my hands too.
“What really happened to Peter, Axel?”
His voice was far away, drowned out by the sounds from that night. Laughter. Pleading. More laughter. And then screams.
“You were there. Was it really an accident?”
I spun around to find Micah only a few feet away, too close for his own safety. Before I tapped into the rational part of my brain, I gripped his shirt collar, jerking him into me so hard his glasses fell off.
“Whatever you think you know about that night, forget it. And forget your friend. You’ll never uncover the truth, and if you do, you’ll find yourself in a hole six feet deep.”
The color drained from his cheeks. Even his lips turned white. “Is that a threat?”
A wild laugh slipped out. “Not from me. From the brotherhood.” I released his shirt and allowed him to stumble back. “They like to keep their secrets on a need-to-know basis. And the only thing you need to know right now is to watch your back. You’re already being followed.”
His eyes widened, and the picture fluttered from his fingers, landing on the floor. “Are you serious?”
My phone buzzed with a text, and my heart nearly stopped when Vaughn’s number popped up.
Vaughn: You’re summoned to the catacombs immediately.
A string of curses burst from my mouth, and I stormed out of Micah’s room without another word. There was no telling what Vaughn wanted now.
As it turned out, it was worse than I thought.
By the time I arrived in the secret atrium below the house, my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. Vaughn sat at a plain wooden table from another room, dark maroon spots littering the dull surface. They reminded me of Susanna’s wallet.
Despite the heat from the candles on the altar and the gas lanterns hanging from the rough-hewn walls, frost crackled across my back at seeing the old blood staining the table. Torture devices had probably been laid on it at one time.
The Lords were no stranger to horrific acts in the name of money and power.
To make matters worse, three cloaked and masked members also stood in the shadows, watching. Were they current Lords or Ascended here to punish me?
“I’ll make this short, Axel.” Vaughn picked up an iPad on the edge of the table and pressed play on a video. “We have a serious problem.”
My heart dropped at the grainy image of a male with golden blond hair and glasses snooping around the archives. The fucking idiot probably disarmed the cameras on the outside but not the one inside.
“I knew he was up to something when I found you three in my office, but I had no idea he’d be stupid enough to pry into other members’ secrets.” Vaughn tsked. “Such a shame.”
Tremors ran up my legs as I forced myself to remain still and not deck him. Maybe that was why he’d invited three masked members to this meeting.
“Micah stole a wallet.” He grabbed a crystal glass of amber liquor from the table, casually sipping it.
I licked my top lip and tasted salt from the tiny beads of sweat. “Why are you telling me this?”
The flames around the gothic room danced in his dark eyes like hellfire. “I would think that was obvious.”
He retrieved a slick black gun from his lap, placing it on the table.
My blood iced over, solidifying in my veins. “I’m not killing him.”
Vaughn gave a lazy shrug. “Then someone else will, and you’ll be dealt with.”
A string of curses burst out of my mouth, and as I stormed toward Vaughn, the other three members moved forward, prepared to intervene.
“I can fix this without killing him, Radcliffe.”
He arched an eyebrow and smirked. “And how are you going to do that? Scare him?”
“Yes.”
He scoffed. “You’re intimidating, but you’re no Killian Davenport.”
The cruel smile that twisted my lips certainly had Vaughn sinking into his chair. “Trust me when I say I can give Davenport a run for his money.”
My heart cracked against my chest as I waited for Micah in the parking lot near Stonewall U’s library, lightning flashing across the dark sky, revealing the ominous storm clouds rolling in. Thick shadows shrouded the area around his vintage Jag now that a few lights had been busted out.
My throwing arm was always spot on.
After Micah left the house, I stole Susanna’s wallet from his hiding spot beneath the loose floorboard and then ransacked his room, so it appeared as if the thief had to search for it. He couldn’t know I was the culprit.
Lying to Lorelei about having some bullshit bonding exercise with the team had my stomach in knots almost as much as the sinister act I was about to pull. Would she think I was so sturdy and dependable if she saw me creeping in the shadows, waiting to attack someone?
She’d only seen a glimpse of this part of me the night I attacked Kyle after walking in on him fucking Cordi, but that explosion of violence had been in the heat of the moment, a crime of passion.
This was premeditated cruelty, and it wasn’t my first time either.
Finally, Micah entered the parking lot through the rows of dogwoods framing the entryway. I crouched between two dark sedans, my black clothes blending into the night. A trickle of sweat slid down my nape as I shoved the ski mask over my face.
It was now or never.
His steps suddenly slowed, and he furrowed his brow when he noticed the lack of lighting. A flash of fear whipped through his hazel irises as if he’d sensed danger on the horizon. But it was too late. I silently jumped from my hiding spot and swung my fist at his surprised face.
Micah’s cry echoed through the night as blood spurted from his nose and his glasses fell off. But I pushed aside any empathy—because this was better than death—and punched him in the jaw, knocking him into the side of an SUV.
“What the fuck!” he garbled out through blood and a howl of pain.
I gripped the back of his head and landed a few more punches to his torso, the hits hard enough to bruise my knuckles. Crimson leaked down his temple and speckled his blond hair.
His arms flailed as he tried to hit me. “Get the hell off me, asshole! Who are you?”
Someone he’d never met.
I never wanted to be this guy again, but somewhere deep inside, I knew he’d resurface one day. The Lords liked the squeaky-clean version of me for the public and loved my vile, immoral side in private, as long as I followed their rules of course.
“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.”
The moment the Serpents & Dagger oath hit the air, Micah stilled, his ragged breaths resonating through the dark parking lot.
His eye, the one that wasn’t swollen shut, searched over me.
There was no recognition in his fearful gaze.
The deep, rough cadence curling around my words sounded nothing like my usual voice.
“Why are you doing this?”
He knew exactly why.
“Stop digging.” I shook him, his head snapping around. “This is your one and final warning. Betray us again, and you’ll find a dagger at your throat and poison in your fucking veins.”
When I shoved Micah against the hood of his car, the alarm blared so loudly I flinched. It allowed him the opportunity to strike. His fist crashed into my mouth, briny, metallic blood exploding from my lip and over my tongue.
Son of a bitch!
That was going to leave a mark.
“Hey! Get away from him!”
My heart stopped as none other than Lorelei came charging around the corner with a little can of pepper spray, her finger on the trigger.