I struggle to wrap my head around this shit. I jolt forward from the bed. Vesper lets out a heavy moan and lolls her head to the side. Luckily, she remains asleep.For now. That sedative will wear off soon, so I gotta get this shit figured out now.
He pushes off the nightstand. Sweat sheens on his forehead. His head dips back, and he rips at his hair. “Fuck, Zain. Just tell me what the fuck is going on!”
If anyone owes me an explanation, it’s his ass. “You better start elaborating on this shit,” I shout, looking up at him. Vesper lets out another whimper.
He licks his inner cheek and rolls his eyes. A dark chuckle escapes his lips. “My father runs that shit, the pleasure house. It’s how the school keeps up appearances and the money for scholarships. It’s a front, alright? The scholarships ensure females for their pleasure house. That’s how we funnel money. Your father is in on it. Vesper’s father. Everyone who has their hand in Grimshaw in some way. All of the Elites.”
I snap my eyes shut for a brief moment. “Hold the fuck on. Why the fuck do I know nothing about this shit? I’m Elite.”
He steps closer. “You distanced yourself, man. All the junior Elites know all about it. Hell, they take on their parents’ legacy with the pleasure house too. You though, you left that shit behind.”
My face scrunches, indignant. “So did you,” I challenge. Kieran rebels against his dad any way he can. Never asked why. That’s his own business, but the fact this fucker knows all this shit but I don’t irritates me. He coulda told me at any point.
He throws his head back and lets out a long chuckling groan. “Man, I’ll never escape this shit. Do you not understand? I’m the fucking dean’s son. I don’t get to choose shit.” He presses his fingers to his temple in the shape of a gun while making an elaborate display of a gun popping off.
Understanding dawns on my features. “So wait a fuckin’ minute. Do the females not know shit? How are they involved? How is she involved?” I point aggressively to Vesper.
He shakes his head. “They are kept in the dark until they’re married off most of the time. A select few are told about the Void. Just depends. And they’realwaysmarried off. Theyneverget a choice. Ever wonder why Elites always end up with Elites? Not by chance, that’s for damn sure!” His voice raises slightly into a sardonic rasp.
He swallowed before continuing. This is a lot of shit to take in. I struggle to piece it together.
“On rare occasions my father is unable to secure enough willing females from scholarship, it is rooted in the rules that they’re allowed to choose one from one of the Elite families. Usually the youngest…” He trails off and his gaze wanders over to Vesper.
Oh, fuckno.
My teeth slam down on my tongue to suppress the rage building within me. Kieran and I don’t keep a lot from one another, at least not shit on this scale. His eyes carry a hint of hurt beneath them, but I’m too angry to give a fuck about his guilty conscience. “No,” I growl, shaking my head. My fists tighten at my sides. No fuckin’ way.
Kieran, for once in his damn life, offers a twisted grimace of sympathy. The agonizing thought she would be used for fuck knows what shouldn’t eat at me, but it does. It brings out an uncontrollable rage I struggle to dispel.
My voice starts out low, measured and detached. “So, you’re telling me she can be passed around…and what?” I scoff.
His gaze roves over her body openly, but where it’s lacking in sexuality, it’s instead full of pity. “Sometimes it’s consensual. Sometimes it’s not. Once the offering are told, they’re happy just to be offered to the Elites. Guess they think it’s a way to climb the social ladder. The ones who embrace it sometimes get a nice payout and an NDA.” He chuffs. “But those who don’t…” He shrugs and looks to Vesper.
“She’s gonna be in a den of wolves, man.”
I’m not one to give a fuck how people choose to get their rocks off unless they fuck with something of mine. I’m morally fucked myself. My moral compass is
non-fuckin’-existent, but to picture those fucks defiling her sends a frenzied thrill of murder through my veins. Should say I’m surprised, but I’m not.
I can see why her father wants to hide her away like a precious gem. He’s sheltering her from the fire. The new information doesn’t throw meoff track though; the plan still stands. “Who is the offering this year?” I say slowly.
He avoids my gaze. His jaw tenses, and I can tell I’ve stuck a nerve. I know exactly who the fuck it is, but I wanna hear the fucker say it.
“ClaraVane.”
Faint voices swim around my ears, flowing through my veins. My head is pounding, and I feel foggy and distorted like taffy stretched too far. I gently tug at my wrists, but I’m tightly wound against something.
“I’m taking care of my shit, man. It won’t be her,” a sharp voice grits.
“So you’re lettin’ Vesper be the sacrificial lamb?” someone else replies harshly. “Over my dead fuckin’ body!”
A scoff reaches my ears.Kieran’s voice? “Really, bro. You are not capable of feeling anything, man. Don’t pretend you give a fuck about her. I don’t know what the fuck you’re planning, but I know it is for your own selfish gain. That’s the way you operate.”
Movement in the background has me on high alert, though I keep my eyes sealed shut. If I pretend to sleep, maybe I can gather more information.
“Fuck you,” Zain’s voice spits.
I hear someone stumble backwards and slam into a hard surface. I make the mistake of flinching against my restraints.
