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His attention returns to Desmond. “Connor was looking for you.”

Connor Heyward, another King. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that Connor would need Desmond forsomething, and as the lowest-ranked member in their circle, Desmond has no choice but to go.

But why is Adrian playing messenger? He’s second, beneath Dallas, and no messenger boy… unless he has his own ulterior motives.

His gaze flickers my way once more, as though he can’t help himself. My heart rate speeds up.

Oh, yeah. He has an ulterior motive alright.

Desmond blinks, back gone straight. “Is it important? Can it wait?”

“It’s Order business,” Adrian says flatly.

So, no. Whether you’re a longtime member or just about to get branded in, the Order comes first.

Desmond waggles his fingers at me. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“No,” cuts in Adrian. “Just you. But don’t worry about Loni, Des. I’ll make sure she gets back to the party in one piece.”

Desmond chews his tongue. It’s obvious he wants to argue, that leaving me with another boy—especiallythisboy—is the last thing he wants to do, but it’s Adrian Heller, so Des just looks at me again.

“That okay with you?”

I’m an Offering. Before my mom died, my parents put me through etiquette school—that didn’t really take—and ingrained in me that, in Harmony Heights, we must always obey one of the Owed. Even if he isn’t quite Owed yet…

“Of course,” I say, trying to sound as meek as possible.

Over Desmond’s shoulder, Adrian smirks. It’s gone by the time the other boy turns to face him, but I know what I saw.

Shivers of excitement go up and down my spine.

Meek, remember? Stay meek?—

Desmond scratches the back of his neck. “Well, if Loni’s cool with it, I guess I can’t complain. I’ll find you when I’m done, babe. Yeah?”

I nod, and though I’m sure he wants to stay, he slips past Adrian, heading out of the room and down the hall.

Adrian watches him go out of the corner of his eye. Seconds later, he chuckles under his breath before he nudges the door shut with his shoe. A quickclick, and I’m locked in this room again. Only now? It’s with the boy who pulled my pigtails on the playground when I was five. Who teased me when I first developed at eleven. Who told everyone freshman year that I use a cucumber to play with because no man would ever want me, Offering or not.

The boy I should hate, that I do every shower after he’s finished, and who crooks his finger now, waiting expectantly for me to go to him.

I take slow steps toward him. His gaze roves over me, taking me in from head to toe. I think he likes what he sees… until a muscle tics in his jaw.

“Do you have any idea what it does to me, knowing you’re up here with him?”

Not this again. “He’s my boyfriend, Adrian.”

His soft green eyes darken at the b-word. “It’s a phase.”

I huff. “I know that it isn’t going to last. That Desmond is just fucking around?—”

But Adrian shakes his head. “Not Desmond, Loni.You. Point taken. You wanted to see if you’d make me jealous. It worked. Now I’m here.”

“I didn’t ask you to come up after us,” I remind him. In fact, I’d done the exact opposite. With Desmond squirreling me away in the corner of the living room, keeping me to himself—or hiding the fact that we were together, I’m not sure—it was easy to avoid Adrian. He could live it up with the rest of the Heirs, and I could pretend that my heart didn’t ache to have him be the one shielding me from the rest of our classmates instead of Adrian being the fucking bully leading the charge.

He does so now. Closing the gap between us, suddenly I’m under his complete control, and a thrill runs through me as I have every last iota of his attention.

“No, but you must’ve known that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.” Adrian fists my hair, wrapping it tightly but careful not to pull too hard even if he yanks my head back just enough to have my lips parting on a gasp. “Not when you look like that.”