Page 56 of Caged

“All hail Moloch,” the elders respond in unison.

“And so, the Ritual of Sacrifice begins.”

25

MONROE

Six Months Prior to Present Day,

TheMarch Full Moon Ceremony,

Junior Year,

Sigma

“Jace, slow down,” I huff as I struggle to keep up with his gargantuan strides. Jace slows enough for me to walk beside him.

Cold, sobering air kisses my skin as we walk silently through the halls of Sigma. I try not to think about the fact that I’m practically naked with cum running down my inner thigh, walking next to a shirtless Jace, while both of us wear bizarre masquerade masks.

“Who were those men in the back, Jace? The ones who wore the masks with tall demon horns?”

“Elders,” he answers curtly, like he wants me to drop the subject.

“Who are ‘elders’?”

“Alumni.”

I furrow my brows in confusion and disgust. “Alumni?”

“The less you know, the better.”

I don’t know what to do with this response, but I need answers, so I redirect my line of questioning to keep him talking. “Are more women getting initiated tonight? You know, branded?”

“After Kieren is done with whatever he’s doing,” Jace says, stone-faced.

“Why does Kieren have to be the one to do it?” I pry.

“Because it’s his ring.”

“The…,” I fumble for words, because,what?

“What do you mean ‘because it’s his ring’?” I clarify.

“The brand. It’s his ring. Don’t you remember?”

“Not really,” I admit, searching my memories from that night.

“It was his grandfather’s ring and supposedly can only be used by someone in his family’s bloodline.”

I sense aggravation and annoyance in Jace’s tone as he opens the door to Kieren's presidential suite.

“After you,” he says. The common room is eerily dark. I scrunch my nose at the faint smell of alcohol and weed, permanent fixtures at this point. Jace pulls out a set of keys from his pocket, jiggling one into the keyhole of the bedroom. “I have to lock you in here.”

I scoff, but I don’t bother to argue. “Whatever.”

“It’s for your own safety. Kieren doesn’t want any lust-hungry guys to find his trophy. Who knows what some of these heathens would do if they found you alone.”

The thought of horny, masked frat guys coming after me like bloodhounds in The Purge makes me shiver.