“I’m not going to be valedictorian, but I will graduate with honors, Ben. I’m going to get into South Harbor. End of story.”
“Okay, okay. Forget I said anything. Where are the girls? I need to go soon, and I don’t want to miss seeing them.”
I sigh. “Right. Before I go downstairs and get them, I want you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“Don’t let that fancy-smancy college change you too much, okay? I want my Ben to still be there when you graduate.”
He stares off into the distance, his gaze becoming unfocused. “Change isn’t something we can stop, Lilah. We age, grow, learn, achieve. These experiences mold us, whether we want them to or not.” He clears his throat and looks at me with a sad smile. “I’ll always care about you. That will never change.”
“Right back at you. Besides, everything will be great when we’re together again. Only one more year.”
“You’re growing up faster than I can handle.”
“You just wait until I’m a legal adult.”
He shakes his head. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Chapter 9
XAVIER
Senior Year
The Present
“I have a favor to ask you,”Benjamin says without looking at me.
He lowers his voice to barely above a whisper despite it being just the two of us in the room. When he flicks his gaze to me, there’s something deep and intense in his eyes.
Something that can only be triggered by a girl.
“It’s personal.”
I shove him with a laugh, attempting to deflect. “No, you can’t suck my dick. I thought I made that clear freshman year when I saved your ass in the dungeon.”
His mouth thins. “I’m serious, X. This is important.”
“I know.” My stomach clenches with foreboding. “Something’s been up with you for a while now.”
Benjamin walks over to the window and folds his arms over his chest. “I don’t know if I should ask you this, but I don’t know who else I can trust.”
He falls silent. I leave him to his internal debate. Benjamin will say what’s on his mind if he’s given a moment to think on how to say it correctly. The problem is that I don’t want to fucking hear it.
With a quiet exhale, I drop into a chair and cross my ankle over my thigh. And wait. I run my gaze over the space, taking in the details to soothe my impatience.
The castle that houses the fraternity’s members is a clash of present and ancient times. Sconces have been replaced with light fixtures and wiring. The towering ceiling, arched window, and hand-carved crown molding co-exist with the modern upgrades found in the furniture and the en suite bathroom, but the space maintains its air of grandeur.
We, along with those that came before us, are the elite, and we live like it.
Above the massive fireplace is a crest of the Obsidian Order. At the center is a crow with its wings outstretched in mid-flight, symbolizing the guild’s intelligence, its air of mystery, and—of course—its connection with death. Any recruit still standing at the end of the Trials will be called a crow instead of a recruit.
We’re down to nine.
Finally, Benjamin takes a deep breath as if gathering his courage. I force myself to remain still, although the subject is of great interest to me. Even after all of these years together, Benjamin has never mentioned Delilah, but I’ve been anticipating this conversation for a while.
“There’s a girl who’s coming to the university this year,” he says. “Delilah Scott.”
