Page 27 of River of Deceit

I glower darkly. Yeah, I need to not worry about Sammy and focus on the fucking Kappa Beta Who Cares guys.

Maybe Blaze or Asch followed me to the dorm and tried to spy, although I’m not sure what they could have heard.

The LeBlanc Hall—paid for by some alumnus from down south—is filled with students. I see various club recruitment stands, enticing people to join this or that activity. Student government, an anime club, a gaming club…

The frats and sororities are recruiting too. A large bannerdeclares the start of Rush Week, where everybody puts in their bid to join the Greek life. I suppress a smile when I spot Blaze and Asch standing near the Kappa Bullshit stand.

As much as I enjoyed my last encounter with them, they’d probably get suspicious if I don’t act a little bit cowed. I turn away from the guys with a small, disappointed sigh.

It’s not like I have any promising new leads to act on right now either. Better to fly under their radar for now. I focus on the sororities, wondering if I should try joining one.

We’ve got “ABYΣ,” who proclaim to be the oldest sorority on campus. I pick up their brochure, but my eyes glaze over as I read the history and all the rules involved.

Sisterhood, friendship, academic excellence, yadda yadda. I set the brochure down and move on to the next one.

ΔΣK—which is Delta Sigma Kappa, not “dick,” apparently—has mostly the same rambling, with an added dose of prudishness.

“Are yousureyou aren’t all about sucking dick?” I ask the recruiter. “D-E-K?—”

“It’s a sigma, not an epsilon,” she corrects again. “Look, you clearly aren’t a good fit. If you want to join a party sorority, that’s Nu Upsilon Chi.”

Party sorority does seem more my style. I head toward the one she motions toward.

Just my luck, but it’s across the way from the Kappa Who Even Cares’s table. I hope Blaze and Asch are too busy chatting up potential frat douches to notice me.

This sorority has the Greek letters NYX on it, but I’m not sure that’s so different from Latin letters.

“Hey!” I ask as I approach. “I hear N-Y-X is the party sorority?”

“Nu Upsilon Chi,” the blonde woman responds, rolling her eyes. “Did the b… sister from Delta Sigma Kappa tell you that? She’s lying. We’re the largest and most prestigious sorority here on campus, with a long and storied tradition?—”

“Of getting married early,” somebody says from right behind me.

I swallow a laugh, then turn and glare at Blaze. “Really? Don’t you have other people to bother?”

Blaze grins at me. “Hey, Pandora. You get home all right the other night?”

I meet his gaze, and underneath the easy charm, I can see the hunger.

For me?

Or for something darker?

I give him a brittle smile. “Yep. I’m fine now. Thanks for the concern. Maybe we can meet up again, just the two of us, over drinks and with sharp cutlery.”

The sorority woman scoffs. “Seriously, Blaze? I was trying to recruit. Don’t you have your own pledges to seek out?”

“Somebody else is handling that. But tell you what, Jasmine, why don’t I have Asch help with your recruiting?” Blaze pulls back and waves for Asch, apparently unconcerned by my completely unsubtle threat.

Asch saunters over, all confidence, though his eyes flick over me with brief apprehension in his expression before he schools it back into something relaxed and friendly. He’s wearing short sleeves, and I can still see the mark I’d left on his arm.

It makes me want to leave another one.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” Asch says without missing a beat. “What can I do for you?”

Jasmine lets out an exasperated sigh. “How is Asch supposed to help me recruit for the sorority, Blaze?”

Blaze wraps his arm around Asch. “Just tell the ladies he’s one of the benefits.” He pats Asch’s stomach. “These abs alone will get all the women.”