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I’ll fix it. I’ll fix it all. That’s what I do, after all.

And it starts with making sure that Loni stays an Offering instead of a Used.

Jack gives me a small frown that’s only a frown because his lips twitch downward. The rest of his face sure as hell doesn’t go anywhere. “Yes. That’s unfortunate. She was a very promising Offering for one of our new inductees, but rules are rules. Laws are laws. She knew better, but she’s ruined now. I had no choice but to change her status.”

“Ruined?” I echo. That’s what he calls it? I knew how much stock the old guard put in having virginal Offerings, but come on. It shouldn’t matter. Itdoesn’tmatter.And I’m not just saying that because I’m the one she gave her virginity to. As much as I treasure that, I want everything she has to offer.

And Adrian Heller doesn’t share.

Jack doesn’t seem to care that I’m fisting my hands at my side. “Yes. I have my suspicions about which one of you scamps had a taste. She’s a pretty girl, but she should’ve made you wait.”

Shit. “Me?”

“What? Oh, no. Not you, Adrian. To be honest, I believe it’s the St. James boy. They were dating, after all. He must’ve realized she lost her worth after, and that’s why he came to me, pointing out she didn’t qualify as an Offering any longer.”

That prick.

“It wasn’t Desmond,” I say.

I can’t help myself. Hearing he’s the one who was petty enough to try to get revenge on Loni by going to the King himself… I absolutely refuse to let Jack think that Loni would ever let Desmond’s dick get anywhere near her.

Jack purses his lips. “You seem very invested in the Dougherty girl. Huh. Are you sure it wasn’t you, Adrian?”

I refuse to answer. If I say ‘yes’, my uncle would only use that as another reason to get rid of Loni. If I say ‘no’, I’m doing exactly what she accused me of.

So I don’t say anything definite at all, choosing instead to tell Jack: “They’re just rumors. You can’t believe any of them.”

Jack shrugs. “Maybe. Maybe not. I will say, though, that the girl didn’t deny it.”

She didn’t? “Okay. Then who was it then? Did she say it was Desmond in that room with her the other night?”

“She wouldn’t tell. Between the two of us, that just tells me that the little slut didn’t know how to keep her legs closed. She probably doesn’t even know who she was entertaining when she finally got caught.”

That’s bullshit. We were both virgins when I finally made my move. Since then, I haven’t wanted to try out anyone else. And Loni… even though I knew she was technically Desmond’s girlfriend these last two months, that was just a cover for our secret relationship. While I was sliding home every chance I got, Desmond was lucky if he reached second base out of Loni’s sense of duty to the Order.

She honestly believed that, at the end of the summer, I would finish our fling and take Haven Smith as my future bride. And maybe I didn’t do much to dissuade her of that belief, too worried that I’d scare her off with the intensity of my feelings… it doesn’t matter. I’m formally Claiming Loni mine as soon as I can?—

—even sooner if I have to.

Like, oh,now.

“I want her, Jack.”

“What was that?”

Fuck. “Uncle Jack. I want to Claim her.”

He seems slightly mollified at my concession. It irks the poor bastard to no end that I award his wife the proper respect—because Aunt Reese is a sweetheart who deserved better for her Owed—but he’s only Uncle Jack when I want something, and even that is like pulling teeth for me.

“Her who? Haven. Of course. That pairing is already in our ledger. No one else will have the chance to Claim her until you do.”

My buddy Connor might have something to say about that…

Luckily for him, I won’t be standing in his way. “No. I don’t want Haven. I want Loni.”

Jack sighs. “Adrian. We’ve talked about this. You are a pureblood Owed. Your line goes all the way back to the first King in Harmony Heights. You can’t just have any Offering?—”

The hell I can’t.