He hangs up. So do I.
Gripping my phone in my hand, I backtrack to my room, grab my bottle of pepper spray, then head out. I try not to think about where I’m going, because if I do, I’ll psyche myself out. I just put one foot in front of the other, walking out of the school and across the parking lot toward the bus stop. When I reach the gate entrance, I quicken my pace.
I’m so distracted that I’m not paying attention to my surroundings, which is a first for me.
I don’t hear it until it’s too late—the sound of footsteps running after me. When I do pick up on them, I start to whirl around, but a bag gets pulled over my head before I can see who it is. I lift my fist to punch them, but arms wrap around me, and then someone grabs my legs.
“Maddison Averly, you have officially been captured by the Royal Academy Society,” a male voice fills my ears.
I’m not above screaming, so I open my mouth to do just that. However, a hand covers the scream before I can.
My lungs burn as I inhale, and it dawns on me then.
I think I just got chloroformed.
Before I can process that, darkness overcomes me as I pass out.
CHAPTER 17
RIVER
Maddy has been actingstrange since we spotted the paparazzi taking photos of us. I don’t blame her—it is a lot to take in. I feel terrible and know I need to talk to her about it, especially with us being in this faked dating agreement.
It’s consuming all of my thoughts until I get a call from an appraiser who has an unexpected opening, apparently after a cancellation. Maddy left the necklace in my room, so I grab it then try to call her so we can hit the road. But her phone goes straight to voicemail. I remember she has class, and since I’m running low on time to make it to the appointment, I send her a message that I’ll take care of it and let her know the results. Then I head out to the car, noting the sky is still bleak with clouds.
By the time I arrive at the appraiser’s, rain is again pouring from the sky and drenching the roads. I sprint inside the building to meet up with the guy doing the appraisal. He’s on the older side, with black hair and glasses. When I hand him the necklace, his eyes widen in awe.
“I haven’t seen one of these in a long time,” he informs me as he carefully studies the pendant from the other side of the glass counter. “If this is a genuine necklace, son, then you have something extremely rare here.”
“Really?” I play dumb, like I have no clue what the necklace could be.
He glances up at me. “Where did you find it?”
“My mother bought it from an auction house,” I lie. “She’s hoping it’s real, but I don’t know much about these necklaces.” Another lie.
He assesses me in a way that almost makes me squirm. “Give me fifteen minutes, and I should have an answer for you—or well, your mother, I guess.” His gaze lingers on me for a beat, and then he wanders into the back area of the store.
I roam around while I wait, looking at all the knickknacks covering the shelves that line the wall. Eventually, my phone rings. Figuring it’s Maddy, I answer without looking at who’s calling.
“Hey,” I say to her.
“Hello, River,” a male voice floats through the line.
I pause then glance to see who the caller is. It’s Eli. “What do you want?” I ask, assuming he’s calling about my initiation.
“Just calling to inform you that you’ve almost been accepted to the Royal Society,” he explains, and the elation in his voice is creeping me out. “You just have to pass initiation.”
“I figured as much,” I reply as the appraiser returns to the room. “Can we talk about this later? I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“Actually, initiation has already begun,” he explains. “Your task is to find your little northside trash whore before the storm blows her away. You get one hint—she’s located where the first Royal Society Initiation took place.” With that, he hangs up the phone.
My heart nearly stops in my chest. What the hell did they do to Maddy?
I try to call her, but again, her phone goes straight to voicemail.
Shock is rolling through me as I hurry back to the counter to grab the necklace and get back to the academy so I can figure out what the hell is going on.
“This is a genuine pendant,” he informs me as he sets the pendant down on the glass. “It’s old, too, but that’s not surprising—the Everfords’ bloodline has been extinct for quite some time.”
