Page 114 of Eternal

“I don’t care what my initiates think of me. That's the perk of being the president.”

“Isn’t that the point, though? Shouldn’t they respect you?”

“Respect and like aren’t the same thing. They can hate me for all I care, so long as they understand the cause and do what’s needed to protect it.”

“You make it sound like you’re going into battle.”

Declan shrugs, and I don’t know what to make of the fact that he didn’t deny that.

“I just don’t want to come between you and your friends.”

Declan stops, turning me to face him. “First of all, Jase is not my friend. And second, you can’t come between me and anything in my eyes. If you could, they weren’t friends in the first place.”

“So Kole…”

“Understands you come first.”

The warmth that rushes through me at his declaration fills every pore.

“If it bothers Jase, he can drop out of initiation.” Declan grazes my jaw with his hand. “But if he’s smart, he knows the House comes before his personal feelings. Which means that so long as you’re mine, he needs to get the fuck over it.”

“You sound like my father.” I frown. “The House above all, no matter who suffers because of it.”

“I’m nothing like your father.” Declan’s jaw clenches.

“You are when it comes to Sigma Sin. There’s nothing you won’t trade. Nothing you won’t do.” I plant my hand on his chest, over the place where I know the letterEis hidden by his T-shirt.

Proof of his devotion to the House. Blood for blood.

From what I’ve gathered, every member marks the passing of trials in different ways. My father has tallies on the back of his shoulder, but Declan opted for a word carved into his chest. A letter for each trial passed.

I trace them out of memory and get to the letterTbefore Declan grabs my wrist, stopping me.

“You have no idea what I’m loyal to, Teal. You’re proof of that.”

“Drinks!” Maddox’s voice interrupts us, so I don’t have a chance to ask Declan what he means by that.

I don’t know Maddox any better than I know Kole, but from what I’ve gathered, he and Declan are pretty close. All I know is I don’t like how he scans my entire body when he sees me. Half the time, he watches me like I’m a threat,and the other half, he looks like he’s waiting for Declan to share me with him.

Maddox holds out two shots, and Declan takes them both, not handing one to me because I can’t drink it. Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t at war with the chemicals in my head so I could just be like everyone else here.

Declan downs one shot, then the other.

“Ready to party?” Maddox grins, amused. “We’re playing cornhole, come on.”

Maddox waves for us to join them, and Declan stacks the empty shot glasses as we follow him.

“Want to play?” Declan asks, and I shake my head. “Tired?”

“No.” I lie because I am tired from what we just did, but I don’t want to ruin his fun. “You want to go hang out, so let’s hang out.”

“I want to do whatever you want to do.”

“Don’t leave it up to me, Declan, or we’ll never leave my studio.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He winks.

“Are you evernotthinking about sex?”