Page 26

M uted sunlight filters through the windows overlooking the courtyard, casting a warm glow across the opulent dorm suite. A tense hush hangs in the air, only punctuated by the occasional clink of ceramic against the coffee table.

Briar curls up on the leather sofa, hand wrapped around a steaming mug of chamomile tea Arius had handed her moments ago. Each delicate sip is accompanied by a faint wince, the residual ache from her latest Trial etched into those fine features.

My eyes narrow while tracking her discomfort, free hand clenching atop the armrest into a fist. The sight of Briar in distress shouldn’t rankle me so viscerally, not when even Hayes and Jace lounge across the way without a care.

As the eldest Marston scion, I’ve been privy to far more depraved acts over the years than some borderline hazing gone awry. Hell, I’ve orchestrated—and indulged—in things that would see lesser men quailing in terror. So what perverse compulsion continues drawing me into the feisty minx’s orbit like a moth to the flame?

Perhaps finally accepting the undeniable reality swirling through my subconscious is in order. No matter how I rage and deny it, some primal part of me covets Briar with a fervour bordering on obsession. It’s infuriating and invigorating, knowing she represents the ultimate challenge to my legendary restraint.

Because bedding Briar would be too simplistic to sate these simmering hungers. No, that fiery spirit blazes too brilliantly to be extinguished so easily beneath my dominion. Not unless she surrenders those flames willingly onto my pyre with zero coercion…

A faint snarl curls my lip before I rein in that display of aggression. Arius may have seized the first opportunity to lay his Brand upon Briar’s flesh, but the gauntlet’s been cast. Let the bastard revel in his shallow victory while it lasts, for this battle is far from over.

As if sensing the promise of violence radiating through the space, Arius stiffens fractionally beside his prize. Those gunmetal irises snap up to lock with mine, features hardening at the naked challenge simmering in my stare.

One dark brow arches while I allow my inspection to rake down Briar’s form. From her tousled hair to those beguiling curves moulded against the sofa’s cushions like a feast awaiting the privilege of being devoured.

The muscle along Arius’ jaw tightens as realisation dawns. No words are exchanged between two apex predators eyeing the same scrap of flesh. The tang of challenge scents the air like a fog, leaving our proverbial Duke roiling with tension.

Jace shifts uncomfortably in Hayes’ lap, a nervous chuckle bubbling up as his gaze bounces between me and Arius. “I don’t know about you gents, but all this eye-fucking has me on edge.”

His attempt at diffusing the atmosphere falls flat, the only concession being Hayes snorting an amused exhale. Wise enough not to tempt fate by contributing while Arius and I remain locked in our standoff.

Just as the coiled anticipation seems fit to detonate, a brisk rapping at the door shatters the moment. Briar tenses, head swivelling towards the disturbance before Arius raises a languid hand.

“It’s open,” he rumbles. Barely do those syllables rasp past his lips before the door swings wide, admitting a familiar figure who strides towards Briar without preamble.

“Holy shite, you’re okay!” Sid screeches, heedless of the masculine company. Briar startles, hastily setting her tea aside before rising to greet the fiery redhead.

Engulfed within Sid’s fierce embrace, Briar heaves a weighted sigh that deflates her frame. “I’m so sorry for disappearing—”

“What did these pricks do to you?” Sid snaps over her. “Kept you locked up like some dirty secret?”

Bristling at the implications, I move to rise with a warning growl vibrating the air. Several scenarios of showing this hellcat why she shouldn’t spew shite without minding her surroundings flit through my mind.

Yet surprisingly, it’s Arius who responds first. “Don’t flatter yourself, love,” he purrs with deceptive mildness, eyes glittering dangerously. “It wasn’t about keeping our drahu?ka to ourselves. Merely a necessary quarantine to establish a certain… hierarchy.”

I shift in my seat, the leather creaking as Arius addresses Sid head-on. His words carry an undercurrent of menace even as that rugged visage remains composed. One forearm drapes across the sofa in nonchalance, shoulders settling deeper as though he hasn’t a care.

Sid isn’t having his feigned aloofness. A derisive scoff parts her lips, hand resting on her canted hip as she glares. “That’s bullshite and you know it, Whitlocke,” she snaps, nose wrinkling with disdain. “Nothing about this farce screams anything other than misogyny. But I suppose we shouldn’t expect better from nepotistic, ego-stroking arseholes like yourselves. I know exactly how you bastards operate—luring fresh meat into your cult under the guise of privilege before stripping them of self-worth. It’s the worst kept secret in this fucking place.”

The barb hangs there, daring any of us to rise to the provocation. Briar’s features crease into a frown as she regards her friend, though she makes no move to intervene. I merely settle back with a smirk tugging at my mouth, legs sprawling in an indolent pose that only seems to aggravate Sid’s temper further.

Something dark flickers across Arius’ countenance at her audacity, eyes glittering like polished obsidian. For heartbeats, the tension crackles with menace, leaving the rest of us bracing for the impending onslaught.

Incredibly, the tirade rolls off his frame with nary a ripple marring that mask. Leaning back, Arius arches a brow in disaffected amusement. “Your indignation is noted, Sidney. And yet here you stand, railing against the institution poised to grant your dear companion the highest honour.”

Sid opens her mouth—no doubt to unleash another scathing volley at the audacity—when a softly cleared throat cuts through. All eyes swivel to the sound, finding Hayes casually lounging with a hand draped over the sofa while his other cups Jace’s waist.

Jace, the ever-affable peacekeeper, pipes up with a bright grin aimed at the seething redhead. “Sid! Wonderful to see you again. Didn’t expect you to pop up, but what a delightful surprise.”

A snort of amusement hisses between Hayes’ teeth at Jace’s cheery deflection, lips twitching with mirth. “There he goes, somehow managing to be as bloody optimistic as possible while simultaneously poking the bear with a sharp stick.”

Sid bristles, head swivelling to rake disdainful eyes across Hayes and Jace. An aggrieved huff escapes her before she settles back, arms folding beneath her breasts.

“Enchantée, I suppose. Arius texted me,” she bites out through gritted teeth, nose crinkling in derision. One shaped brow arches as her glacial stare lands on Hayes, lips pursing in displeasure. “As for you, Lockewood—you better explain what happened after you gave me that pill that had reality fucking right off.”

Despite being on the receiving end of that look, Hayes doesn’t seem fazed. In fact, he laughs—a deep rumble that further inflames Sid’s frustrations if the thunderous scowl is any indication. Raising both hands in a placating gesture, he lounges back with a jaunty twinkle in his amber irises.

“Swear on everything, pet—we didn’t lay a finger on you after I slipped a mickey in your drink,” he drawls with maddening nonchalance. “Took you back to the dorm, let you sleep it off untouched.”

A tense silence stretches as Sid snaps her gaping mouth shut with a click. Her expression cycles through warring emotions before landing between resigned annoyance and disgust. Planting her palms atop the armrest, she leans down until inches separate their faces, tone dropping to a deceptively mild murmur.

“Listen here, Hayes—I’ve got my eye on you.” The words emerge clipped, each syllable dripping potential violence. “So help me, if I catch the slightest whiff of you lot pulling more of this depraved shite, it won’t end well for anyone.”

On the surface, Hayes seems utterly unfazed by the veiled threat. What could she possibly do to the likes of us, anyway? He meets Sid’s blazing stare with one of his own, even flashing a wolfish grin that only grows more infuriating by the second.