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TWO

IMOGEN

Willow Tree House is a great place to live at Rockwell. It’s set apart from the dorms and sits in a pleasant location, flanked by the reason for its name. Two weeping willow trees stand proudly guarding the property and the women who call it home.

Cassie lives in The Elusive House which is only a short walk away, along with Frankie and Jack and Siri also live there. Ordinarily, I would hate being away from them, but when I met Summer, Frankie’s sister, and we were offered a room each here, I loved the freedom it gave me.

All of my life I have lived under one roof with a crowd. When you live in a motorcycle club, it kind of restricts your freedom.

There are always watchful eyes on me when I move around the compound, which is why I am enjoying my freedom here.

The house is inhabited by women only and yet many of their guys often sleep over, despite the rules banning that.

Part of me wonders if I will ever reach that stage with Jesse. If I do, will he want me to move into The Elusive House with the others, or remain here? The thought of leaving this sanctuary is not an option right now and as I head through the front door, Kennedy James is heading out the other way.

Kennedy is the person who offered us the room and is a cool girl who has become a good friend since I got here.

“Hey, Imogen. What’s up?”

“Nothing.” I force a smile on my face. “How about you?”

She smiles. “I’m off to meet Amos. We’re heading into town for an intimate meal at the Wild Olive.”

“Sounds good.”

I’m not lying, it does, and I wish my relationship with Jesse involved intimate dates away from the academy. Rather than parties at The Elusive House and making out in the corner of the bar.

“I’ll catch you later.”

Kennedy smiles warmly and as she leaves, I turn to the kitchen, wondering why I am dragging a heavy heart behind me. I should be happy. I’ve got an amazing boyfriend who I really like, but there is something missing and I can’t figure it out.

When I reach the kitchen, my friend Summer is making coffee, and she points to the barstool set against the countertop.

“Just in time. I’m the barista today and you are the lucky recipient of my speciality.”

She grins and I return it with a genuine smile because Summer is a breath of fresh air in an increasingly turbulent day.

“So, tell me, how is life as Jesse’s girl?”

“Good.” I reach for the coffee mug. “And how is life as Luca’s girl?”

I reference her rather dark and seriously hot boyfriend who claimed her at the ceremony last week.

“A wild ride in every sense of the word.”

Her satisfied smile and cheeky wink causes me to giggle. “Spare me the details.”

She shrugs. “You asked and well, to be honest, I can’t remember my life when he wasn’t in it.”

A dreamy smile lights her face and she sighs. “Actually, life is pretty good right now despite the fact I apparently fell in love with the devil himself.”

“Love?” I raise a questioning eyebrow. “So soon.”

“When you know, you know.” She grins. “Why hide it? I am insanely in love or lust with that guy, but he really doesn’t need to hear that.”

“Noted.” I sip the coffee and nod my approval. “This is good. What’s in it?”

“Cream and a little dash of brandy to get us in the mood to party later on.”

“It’s seriously good, Summer.”

I could drink several of these and as she sits beside me, she smiles.

“Things worked out well for us. We are all on the same page and life couldn’t get any better.

Cassie keeps my brother away from interfering in my life, which is all good.

Siri is head over heels for Jack and now you and Jesse are the golden couple.

I met Luca and quite frankly, I believe we are soulmates because there is nobody else I would rather be with. ”

For some reason, her words only increase my anxiety because I agree.

The other three couples are deliriously happy and only have eyes for one another but I don’t place Jesse and me in the same class as them.

There is something holding us back, and part of me wonders if it’s all because of him.

Do I really want this? I’m not so sure and I must ask myself the question that I would never voice out loud.

Is it him or me because I’m not certain that if he declared his undying love for me tonight, I would be thrilled with that.

Summer heads off to get ready for the party later on and, rather than do the same, I decide to head out for a run to clear my head.

It’s something I do a lot back home and spend endless hours running through the grounds of the compound where we live, loving the sense of space it gives me because it’s the only time I am truly alone.

As I hit the fresh air, my mind instantly switches off. My ear buds are firmly in place and I am looking forward to some quality alone time.

I head off on my usual route, hugging the tree line. Conversation isn’t what I want right now and dodging my fellow students is more desirable to me for at least the next two hours.

The grounds of Rockwell academy are vast and my route soon takes me through the trees toward the dungeons that are used for Frankie’s pet project, The Claiming.

In this dungeon, five masked guys, dressed as centurions, wait in a locked prison cell for five willing girls to take up the challenge to escape them.

They are given a head start and take off through the tunnels in the hope they put up a good fight at least before they are caught and shackled to the guy who they will be paired with for the semester.

The only way to break the commitment is to choose to twist at the Twist ceremony that is held at the beginning of every semester. The fact I entered at all is still something I haven’t figured out yet and I’m guessing it has a lot to do with falling in with the rest of them.

As I jog through the trees, my mind is full of centurions, dark tunnels and hooded figures and I must have zoned out for a while because the next thing I know, I’m sprawling on the ground after tripping over a tree root.

“Fuck!” My ankle turns as I go down and as I fall, my hands brush against a bare branch, the wood splintering under my skin.

A sharp pain slices through me as my body attempts to work out what just happened and I must be delirious because once again, somebody drops to the ground in front of me and a concerned voice says huskily, “Hey, are you okay?”

I attempt to focus and as the shape takes on a human form, my heart almost dives out of my body because staring at me with concern is Drake Bellingham, who appears to be making a habit of picking me up when I fall.