Page 120 of Revere

I’m his.

40

THE HIGHER YOU RISE

JACOB

“I have a wedding gift for you.”Declan grins when I walk back into Sigma House.

“Good news travels fast.” I shake my head, all but expecting this.

After Patience agreed to marry me while I was fucking her in the Sigma House dungeon, I wasn’t going to wait another second. Which is why I stopped by to see my friend the judge on the way back to her dorm room so we could finalize our decision.

I’ve never been a man of rash decisions, but my wife brings it out in me.

My wife.

The thought of that makes me fucking feral. If I didn’t have things to take care of at the House, and she didn’t need to pack so I can bring her back to our apartment later, I’d turn around and drive straight back to her.

“I guess you two worked things out.”

My glare cuts to him. “I’m not talking to you about my wife.”

“Fair enough.” Declan grins. “But I got you a gift either way.”

He continues walking, and I don’t miss that the House is on lockdown and that the only people here are members. Whenwe finally reach one of the main living rooms at the end of the downstairs hall, Declan waves an arm out.

“Say hello to your new father-in-law.”

I freeze at the entryway, and Gideon Lancaster’s eyes widen at Declan’s words. But he can’t say anything with the gag in his mouth. At least Declan made cleanup easy. Gideon is tied to a metal chair with a clear tarp beneath him.

His bloody face twitches as he watches me, and when I glance at Alex cleaning a knife at the edge of the room, I see he’s already seized the opportunity to have some fun.

Around Alex are at least fifty other House members. Some initiates. Some legacies.

“Quite an audience,” I say, unsurprised, given what Gideon did.

Sigma Sin trials are one of our most respected traditions. And even if they’re essentially torture, there are rules for how the trials are performed. Gideon broke that trust when he used his influence to pull me from the room that day his son was strapped to an electric chair. He almost got Alex killed.

Alex tucks away his knife, nodding at me like he’s had his fun, and it’s my turn. I wish I had that kind of restraint right now. But as my attention returns to Gideon, and I roll up my sleeves, I’m flooded with rage. And surprisingly, it’s not because of what happened when I was in college.

I was holding on to my relationship with Molly because she was an idea I wanted to entertain. A girl I could have loved had I been born with a different name and grown up with different choices.

None of it was real, and it took meeting Patience for that to sink in.

Molly didn’t love me, just like I didn’t love her. We were young and looking for comfort. If she actually cared, shewouldn’t have cheated on me, and if I cared, I’d have done something about her concerns with Sigma House.

Neither of us was willing to bend, whereas I’d break for Patience if it came down to it. I’d do anything for her, including accepting the role as Sigma House President. If this is what it takes to keep her safe, so be it.

That thought fuels me as I stand in front of her father. This man made my wife’s life a living hell. He tortured her brother and made her fear stepping out of line. This man tried his best to snuff out her fire, and I look forward to doing the same to him.

“Remove the gag. My father-in-law and I need to have a discussion.” I smirk when Gideon’s eyes light with anger.

Maddox steps forward with a needle, injecting it into Gideon’s arm before removing the gag.

“I want him awake.”

“I know.” Maddox grins, holding up the syringe. “It’s a paralytic. He’ll be wide awake and unable to move.”