Ben: You’re so weird.
Delilah: Yup ??
Chapter 6
XAVIER
Sophomore Year
The acrid smellof herbs and chemicals wafts under my nose as I walk into the classroom. Behind me are the other recruits, all of us a year older, a year deeper into the clutches of the Order.
The fluorescent lights above cast sinister shadows on the array of equipment set up on the lab tables that line the sides of the room. Traditional wooden desks take up the center and the majority of the space.
I slide into one in the back row. Declan sits next to me, followed by Benjamin on my right. Being flanked by the two of them is a little surprising, but not unwelcome. Although I prefer to work alone, allies are good to have in a den of vipers.
The professor watches all the students from behind his desk, facing us. Ames, ruler of the media empire, is renowned for his ruthlessness but also his brilliance. If you want to learn how to kill someone with the greatest stealth, leaving no trace behind, he’s the one to go to.
“Hurry the fuck up and sit your asses down,” he snaps. “You have a lot to learn, and my job is to make sure you don’t kill yourselves in the process.”
Though slight in build, Ames makes up for it in presence. It looms from where he stands, like an aura composed of darkness. From his charcoal three-piece suit—clearly custom fit—to the polished oxford shoes on his feet, this man screams wealth. Along with Ames’s obvious refinement is his sharp gaze that pierces deeper than any blade, digging past pretenses to the vulnerability underneath.
Long story short: he’s not to be fucked with.
Even his silence feels weaponized, similar to his words. “There are three things in life that can get you killed. What are they?”
Declan folds his arms. “Poison.”
“Right.” Ames nods. “Now, someone give me an answer that’s not obvious.”
“Power,” Eric calls out. “Not mine, but someone else’s.”
“Wrong p-word,” Ames says. “They are poison, pistols, and pussy.”
Adam Shipley, heir to the real estate empire, smirks. “Then I’ll die happy.”
“Get the fuck out.” Ames tilts his head when the student remains still. “Are you deaf and stupid?”
“Come on, professor,” Adam says. “It was just a joke.”
Ames walks from behind his desk and over to the door. After jerking it open, he gestures out to the hallway. “Don’t come back until you’re ready to listen without some smart-ass remark. This class is life or death, so the right attitude is a prerequisite.”
Adam mumbles to himself as he makes his way from the classroom with all of our stares following him out. Ames slams the door shut and resumes his place at the front of the room, leaning against his desk with his arms folded.
This man is used to commanding fear and respect. We have no choice but to give it to him if we want to gain the crucial but lethal knowledge locked behind his calculating eyes. After that, he won’t hold any power over me.
Ames clears his throat. “If I’m to keep your young, ignorant asses alive, I need you to learn that what I say is to be taken seriously. Pussy has led to more deaths than you’ll ever know. Women are the enemy just as much as anyone outside of the Order.”
He begins to walk around the room, down the aisles, with his hands behind his back. “Imagine you just fucked the most beautiful woman to exist. She sucked your dick so well that you almost nutted on her face. Instead, by some miracle, you busted a nut inside her tight, warm pussy. So you’re lying there, limp and exhausted, and she whispers a single question. You know better than to answer, but you do because your guard is down.”
He slams his fist on Eric’s desk, making him flinch. I school my features to hide my amusement. Ames goes back to walking.
“That bitch will tell your secret because there’salwayssomeone willing to pay for classified information. And that divulgence will get you strung up by your balls,” he says. “The Order doesn’t care if you marry her or if you just like to fuck her. Secrets are meant to be kept secret.”
He pauses, his gaze taking on a distant look. “Love is a poison of the heart. Remember that, and maybe you’ll survive.”
Delilah: Hey, where have you been? I haven’t heard from you much these past weeks
Ben: Yeah, the exams are brutal. Everything okay with you and the littles?
