PROLOGUE
L.O.R.D.
ALord takes his oath seriously. Only blood will solidify their commitment to serve those who demand their complete devotion.
He is aLeader, believes inOrder, knows when toRule, and is aDeity.
A Lord must be initiated in order to become a member but can be removed at any time for any reason. If he makes it past the three trials of initiation, he will forever know power and wealth. But not all Lords are built the same. Some are stronger, smarter, hungrier than others.
They are challenged just to see how far theirloyaltywill go.
They are pushed to their limits in order to prove theirdevotion.
They are willing to show theircommitment.
Nothing except their life will suffice.
Limits will be tested, and morals forgotten.
A Lord can be a judge, jury, and executioner. He holds power that is unmatched by anyone other than his brother.
Chosen one:
A Lord must remain celibate during his first three years at Barrington University. Once he is initiated into the Lords, he is gifted a chosen for his senior year.
A Lady:
After they graduate from Barrington, they are to marry a Lady—a wife to serve him. If he shall die before her, she is then gifted to another Lord to ensure the secrets are kept within the secret society.
A Spade brother:
A Lord is placed strategically out into the world. But no Lord is safe from their own if they break their oath. If you don’t believe in hell, the Spade brothers will change your mind. They are a special kind of Lord. They will sit on their thrones and watch you burn to death for eternity with the fire they started. They give no fucks and have no limits. They collect the names they are given, and erase you from the world as if you never existed, and make you wish that was the truth.
ONE
HAIDYN
INITIATION
Loyalty
Freshman year at Barrington University
“Don’t embarrass me.”My father’s words echo in the back of my mind. Like a song stuck on repeat that can’t be changed.
“Yes, Father,”I told him just before being thrown into a cell.
I’ll become a Spade brother—a member of a secret society that is fucked up, for a lack of a better word. Centuries ago, some bored rich men came up with a game.
The story is, they got drunk, branded one another, and then fought each other to see who got to fuck whose wife. Apparently, it got messy—doesn’t it always when pussy is involved—and the Lords were invented. Marriage no longer meant what it was supposed to be. Love was a weakness that a man couldn’t afford. It became kill or be killed. But like anything else, you have thebad apples. The ones who want more than they are given. They betray their oath and must be made an example of.
That’s where the Spade brothers came along. A Spade brother runs their hell. As if any aspect of the society is heaven. We’re the minority. There are four of us, and today is my day to begin my journey to becoming a member. My father has reminded me what he expects of me every day of my life. The only reason I bother to show up is to stay alive. I couldn’t care less about the Lords. But most don’t. The Lords try to make you think you’re special. Most of us know the truth and see it for what it is—a curse.
They’ll tell you who you can fuck, who you will marry, and what you’ll do for a living.
Carnage is my future. I will learn to accept the fight and crave the blood.
“Haidyn Jamison Reeves.” My name is called out, and I look up from the spot where I kneel in the center of the arena. I was dragged in here after I spent forty-eight hours in a blacked-out concrete cell. Minimal food and water. They want you to be at your weakest when they test you. “You have been called to serve. Do you wish to proceed?”
