“She told the group that there were two offerings, and that Incarnate needed to pick between us. If Professor Dupont hadn’t been there, I’m not sure either of us would’ve made it out at all.”
“You know about?—”
“Sutton being Incarnate? Yes. I also know that hadyounot intervened, I would’ve eventually been sacrificed, because I couldn’t have been his Maiden.”
I blink, waiting for more. “Why not?”
She lifts an eyebrow. “You…don’t know what I’m talking about?”
“Uh, no? You’re speaking in fucking riddles.”
“Oh, jeez.” She sighs, wrapping her arms around her knees. “I don’t want to be the one to keep dropping bombshells on you, but…it’s Sutton. Sutton Dupont is Henry Blackwater’s other son.”
45
SUTTON
PYTHIA:What’s this? The vapors speak of a certain hunky young professor getting down and dirty with one of his students—though nothing has been confirmed, of course. But who would blame the student for taking a Fury Hill darling for a quick ride? I know you all are daydreaming about it as I type this. Ooh la la!
With my hands clasped together, my chin resting on top of them, I glance up from the tablet screen at Dean Bauer.
He crosses his legs and leans back, waiting. Expecting something from me—a confession, presumably, but he won’t be getting one.
“Why are you showing me posts from that god-awful website?” I ask, sitting up and letting my hands fall to my lap. “You know journalistic integrity is notThe Delphic Pages’ strong suit.”
“That may be, but Pythia seems to have her finger on the pulse of this institution. Whether we like it or not.”
“If you’re going to accuse me of what she’s claiming, then you’ll need to draw up a formal complaint, launch an investigation, and bring me before the school’s ethicscommittee. And, likely, find the student you think I’m philandering with.”
Not that we’ve been going to that great of lengths to hide things, especially with Elle spending many evenings in my campus-funded housing.
But she wasn’t there last night or any other night this week, which makes the sudden revelation from Pythia feel like adding salt to my wounds.
She hasn’t even been in class or at rehearsal, citing illness. The pained, injured part of me wonders if telling Pythia about us is her way of exacting revenge.
No. She wouldn’t have done that. If it were so simple a solution for her to just report our relationship, then she wouldn’t have been so upset before.
She thinks I don’t want to show her off to the entire world? That I don’t wish to claim her as my own before the student body? To keep the wandering eyes and idle hands at bay by letting them know who she belongs to?
I’m not sure exactly how much more desperate I can become before she believes that I’d do anything if it were in my realm of possibility. Anything that didn’t involve torching my career and ditching Bellamy’s memory.
Even that… I’m not so sure work is worth the look she had in her eyes when she thought I wasn’t giving her my all. That she’d turned herself over to me and wasn’t receiving everything in return.
As if I wouldn’t break open my own chest and tear out my heart to serve to her on a platter.
It belongs to her completely anyway.
Instead, I had to go and open my big fucking mouth and let my own insecurity spew vile words. The look on her face—dejected and distant, instantly withdrawing from me—could have sliced me in two.
Dean Bauer scrubs a hand over his face. “The administration is opening an investigation, pending the approval of one founding family member.”
I work my jaw from side to side. “Jean-Louis.”
He nods.
“You sure this is a road you want to go down?” I ask, raising my brows. “Avernia isn’t the only one who can conduct ethics hearings.”
Sweat beads along his receding hairline. “Nothing else has been brought to the attention of the school. That’s the issue here, Sutton.”
