Page 21 of Her Wicked Knights (Their Hallowed Queen #3)

Rev

I don't know why we're here, but here we are, gathered in my father's church with whiskey and beers.

Next to me, Tripp catches my eye. I manage a smile for him and try to look like I have any idea about what's going on here.

I guess I must be successful, because he leans in and gestures around us. "What is all this?"

"Who knows?" I laugh. "I just got a message that we were supposed to meet here. I didn't know who'd be coming."

"Meeting in the church to get drunk... is that sacrilege?" His eyes sparkle a little with the humor of his own joke, knowing that the only one who cares less about whatever the fuck my father believes in is me.

"Could be." I say seriously. "But there are worse things we could do..."

For a second, I see something in his eyes I didn't expect—a flicker of heat or hunger.

It's gone as quickly as it comes because he blinks, contemplating what I'm saying, and it's gone and I'm frozen, my mouth dry as I wonder where his brain just went with that delicious innuendo.

He opens his mouth to say something, but he gets cut off by aa loud chord of music ringing through the air, a piano note that plays over the speakers.

"Assemble, coven." Whit's voice, deep and dramatically throaty for effect, comes after it. Then Divide by The Plot in You starts playing, and I glance at Tripp, raising an eyebrow in unspoken question. He shakes his head when he realizes I have no clue what's going on.

"What is this shit?" Colton drops onto the bench next to me, smelling of whiskey and the cold night. But he doesn't feel cold at all, and I'm sure it's because Audrey was keeping him warm. I glance up to see her as she slinks into the wooden pew beside Jake, her dress slightly askew.

I roll my eyes, exasperated. "Why do you fucking put up with her again?"

"Because I need someone to keep me warm at night.

" Colton shrugs, as if he couldn't give a fuck less that his girlfriend has eyes for another guy.

But Audrey doesn't just have eyes for Jake.

I'm pretty sure she's in love with him. Or, at least, she would be, if she was capable of feeling normal human emotions.

I am pretty sure, though, that she's a sociopath at minimum, incapable of normal human emotions.

I'd assume she was a full-fledged psychopath, but she craves attention, and psychopaths can't be as narcissistic as her.

"Having one consistent girlfriend is better than pulling up my phone every night looking for whoever is naive enough to drop everything and come running. "

I laugh, unbothered by his attempt to rib me over my sexual proclivities.

Tripp is sheltered and I have no doubt he can't even imagine how depraved people can get during sex, but Colton isn't innocent.

I have no doubt that he at least imagines choking Audrey out when he's taking her from behind.

I'm also sure that no matter who I choose to keep me warm, it won't fucking matter.

None of them will be the people I want most, so what's the point?

Fog erupts from somewhere behind us as the doors open, and then a moment later, I see the figure stride in, dressed all in black. A plague doctor mask points toward the ground, peeking out of a hood as the figure strides down the center aisle toward the steps.

"What the fuck?" I laugh, wondering just how high I am.

More laughter comes from all around as he ascends the steps and turns around to face us. "Welcome brothers."

"Jesus Christ." Tripp groans, his eyes darting to mine to see if I'm seeing what he's seeing.

Okay, apparently, I'm not high enough for this shit.

Whit stands in the center of the stage with his arms spread, looking like a maniacal bird about to take flight and descend upon us.

"Fucking nutsack." I snort.

But as ridiculous as this all is, whatever the reason he's assembled us like this, it's too ridiculous to not get a laugh out of it.

Whit looks like a cult leader, and he's summoned us all here in the dead of night to.

.. what? I turn my neck, looking to see who all came out for this.

There are more people than I expected—Mark, Carson and Nick, some chick I recognize from homeroom in freshman year, a couple members of the football team who sit quietly on the other side of the aisle from us.

No sheep to be seen, though, so I'm guessing no sacrifice is about to occur.

"Thank you for joining us tonight." Whit says, looking out at the faces of his cousin's old friends. It's weird, and I think everyone but Whit realizes it. None of us are telling him that, though, content to watch him make a fool of himself here with his dog and pony show.

"What the fuck is this?" Mark demands, kicking his sneakers up on the pew in front of him and tipping his head back. "You summoned us all here to watch you play make believe?"

"There's a party down the road." Carson grumbles next to him. "Nikki Jane looks like she's on the verge of blacking out already."

"Better hurry up, then." Colton chuckles. "I know that's the only way you can get your dick wet."

A chorus of sniggers breaks out among the pews. Next to me, I feel Tripp stiffen, and when I see him, his jaw is set in a rigid line.

"Come the fuck on," Nick rolls his eyes, pushing to his feet. "What are we doing here?"

"You're learning." Whit says, still trying to make his voice sound mystical and shit. "If you'll all just shed your preconceived notions and open your minds."

"I'd rather open a new bottle of vodka." Audrey giggles, leaning into Jake. I can tell by the way she's moving that she's already had enough, and my irritation with Colton surges again. They feed each other in their own fucked up way.

"Your history is rich in this town. During the first witch trials in Salem, the world went crazy.

People scattered to the wind, worried for their families, their friends.

A lot of the witches fled south, just a little trip down to this area.

The founding families of this town meant for it to be a safe place for all, and it was…

until the hysteria set in. Humans have such limited minds. "

"He says that like he isn't human." Tripp scoffs, making me chuckle as I watch Whit like a train wreck.

It's almost embarrassing, honestly, watching him parade around up there like he's all done up for Halloween.

I don't care a ton for what other people think when I'm doing something that serves me, but I'm not sure how this can possibly serve Whit in any way.

"One day, a woman came to this town and bewitched men.

.. she enchanted them, had them obsessed with her.

It wasn't natural to the outsiders, who feared what they didn't understand.

They thought she hexed the men to do her bidding, put a love spell on them or something.

It drew the attention of the town council, who couldn't bear the idea of a witch among them. They hanged her."

One of the football players stands up, shaking his head, and his two friends follow him out the door. I watch them go, one of them smashing his beer into the trash can as he passes it.

"You made us come here so you could tell us some stupid old legend that everyone in town hears from the time they're two?" Jake scoffs, rolling his shoulders.

"What legend?" Audrey asks, pulling off of him a little so that she can turn to face him.

"I'll tell you." Whit says, demanding her attention again. "But it's no legend. This stuff is real... there's proof that it all really happened."

"As much as I'd love to hear your evidence," Nick stands, stretching obnoxiously. "I've got to go whack Nikki Jane's lawn, if you know what I mean."

Colton rolls his eyes, but Whit takes a step down the stairs, moving toward his cousin's friends. "I wouldn't go anywhere if I were you."

"Oh, yeah?" Nick mocks. "I'm sure you wouldn't, you fuckin' freak. Does this get your dick hard? I bet it does... I bet it's the only way you can get yourself hard enough to jerk your little dick."

"Charming." Tripp shakes his head, and a few sniggers erupt from somewhere in the church.

To his credit, though, Whit looks relatively unbothered. It could just be because the freaky ass mask covers most of his face, hiding his emotions from our view.

"You know, if you're content to just pick the low-hanging fruit, I won't stop you."

His eyes turn to us, and I think he looks deliberately at Colton for a minute before turning his eyes over the rest of the crew assembled in the church.

"That goes for all of you. If you want to accept a life of incessant middling, that's your prerogative. But if you want to be great, to forge a path toward treasure instead of toiling in obscurity, then I suggest you stay and listen to what I've got to say."

The only other girl here stands quietly. "I... uh... I'm fine with obscurity."

Whit laughs as she scurries out the door. "Anyone else afraid of greatness? Success?"

Nick lifts an eyebrow. "Go back to the treasures thing."

"You can have anything you want. Money is an arbitrary concept, worthless other than what value we it. You want to conjure a thousand twenty-dollar bills? Sure. You want to summon the rarest gem in all the world? It's as easy as breathing, once you know what you're doing."

"And what's it cost to join your club?" Audrey scoffs. "The low cost of a kidney? My firstborn?"

"Everything in life requires commitment." Whit says, turning toward her. "But as with most things, if you have to ask the cost, you can't afford it."

I don't know if Whit's just learned to read Audrey already (not that it's hard), but reverse psychology is the easiest way to get through to her.

She's backwards, always looking to do what she is told not to.

And from what I've seen of her, she sure as hell doesn't take rejection well.

That much is obvious when she rises, pushing off of Jake so that she can cross her arms over her chest.