The man I stalk.I let out a little laugh.
Well, I guess it’s partially true.
FOUR
SOREN
Once she reads the email,I get a notification and wait for her to reply. When I don’t get a response after ten minutes, I turn off my phone and step into the shower. She’s been investigating me, but I’ve been doing some digging of my own. I can easily do this with the help of my fellow Society member, Boston, who is a detective and will get me anything I ask for. But I feel like with her, I can tend to it myself, except she doesn’t seem intimidated by me. Actually, she seems to think she is in control, which is amusing in itself.
I keep a lot of pieces of my life hidden, and I’m good at it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be the Lord of the Forsaken Society. I’m a natural-born leader, and I don’t take my position lightly, but I do revel in being in charge. And while the Forsaken doesn’t take up all my time, it does take up a good chunk of it, especially when it involves the hunt. The hunt is held twice a year, and I select the chosen prey. Usually, Boston finds fucked-up people, and we choose from them, but sometimes someone will piss me off so much that I’ll be vindictive enough to pick them as our quarry. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, no one else knows apart from me—that is, until the hunt is over.
It’s one of the perks of being in charge.
The time for another hunt is upon us, and I’ve been so preoccupied I haven’t had a chance to look at the options Boston sent me. So, after I shower, I sit on my brown leather couch, wrapped in just a towel, and check the files.
The first option is a man known to kill women while they’re walking alone to their cars late at night. Boston hasn’t caught him yet because he’s good at hiding, but he knows who the man is. A picture in the file shows he’s a large man, which means he would probably be caught easily and too quickly, so he goes into the reject pile. We want them to run and lead us on a long and exciting chase. It’s the chase we crave.
My phone alerts me to an incoming email just as I pick up another file. Reaching for it, I see Cressida’s name on the screen.
Hello, Soren.
I appreciate very much that you have granted me an interview. What is your one condition?
Please let me know at your earliest convenience.
From,
Your Stalker
I can’t helpbut smirk at her response.
Sitting back, I type a reply.
Miss Knight,
Thank you for your prompt response. It’s appreciated.
The one condition is that you accompany me to an event first, this time with an invite, since we both know how you like to sneak into them.
From,
The Man You Stalk
P.S. Thanks for admitting that you are a stalker.
Cressida hasa way of getting into events without being invited. It’s probably one of the reasons she’s so good at her job. She’s even managed to get into one of the Forsaken’s wive’s parties, which is an event where wives are only invited, which is different to the girfriend parties where members bring a woman and are free to share her if that’s what they wish. And a lot of them do.
There are only three members who don’t do that—myself, Reon, and Arlo. The idea of sharing doesn’t appeal to me. Reon isn’t the type to share, even more so now that he’s happily married and in love with his wife. And Arlo hasn’t taken part in the sharing at the girlfriend parties since before he met Cora.
We established a rule a long time ago that states if you aren’t married by the age of thirty, the Society will honorably assist you in finding a wife. Though I am well past thirty now, I remain unmarried and have no plans to change that anytime soon. Maybe someday I’ll do it just so I’m following rules set in motion by me, or perhaps I won’t. One of the perks of being the Lord is that I can get away with skirting the rules, unlike a regular member.
Members of the Forsaken come from various backgrounds—some are from prominent families, some have valuableconnections, but most have a lot of money and fucked-up tendencies.
I am the Lord because I am Forsaken royalty. My great-grandfather was a Lord. After him, leadership passed to someone who wasn’t blood-related, but eventually it came back to me, where it will stay until I die.
FIVE
CRESSIDA
