It was my first kiss, and it was stolen by a boy who hated me.
2
NOVA
A party at Thorpe Manor was always an over-the-top affair. Beginning at the wrought-iron entry gates and ending at the Cotswold stone columns on either side of the front doors, incoming guests were treated to a display of twinkling golden lights that lit the way. Inside, more lights led the way to the party, where hired waiters circled with canapes and alcohol flowed like water.
It was a typical party for our circles, I supposed, other than the extra eighteenth-birthday “tradition” of the hunt through the woods behind the manor. Full of the rich, the corrupt, and the seemingly upstanding citizens who toed the line between “good” and “bad,” playing nice with the crime families out of necessity.
I glanced across the lavishly decorated drawing room at Ryker. My twin looked as untouchable as ever,the emotionless future king of our tiny, corrupt kingdom,flanked by his two henchmen—Daniel Hoyton, also known as Arson, and Jay. My gaze drifted over them, and I found Jay already watching me, his mouth curving into a smirk as our eyes met.
Bastard.
How dare he steal that kiss from me?
My first kiss.
No one else would ever dare. But he had, despite knowing I was betrothed to someone else. Despite knowing the consequences if he was caught. Consequences that would not only affect him, but also his entire family. His dad, his mum, and his older sister, people who meant the world to him.
I would never allow myself to be alone with him again. Never. And no one could ever know about this. I wasn’t even supposed to take part in the “coming-of-age hunt,” as my father referred to it. Thorpe women were supposed to be graceful, smart, to play the part of the hostess while the men had their fun or got their hands dirty.
Or so my parents thought. When I was little, there had been an attack on the manor by another crime family. I’d been hidden in the basement, away from the danger, but the incident had left a lasting impression. After that, my brother secretly began training me in self-defence techniques—something he was expected to become proficient in as part of his preparation to one day take over the syndicate.
Forcing myself not to outwardly react was another thing I’d been trained to do from a young age, and I made my stare as blank as my brother’s, pointedly turning away from Jay’s cruelly gorgeous face. Scanning the room for a friendly face, I finally spotted one of my best friends, Vesper Fontana, clasping a flute of champagne in front of one of the tall, lead-paned windows.
“I need one of those.”
“You do. Alcohol is the only way to get through this.” She handed me the flute. “Happy birthday. Drink up. Ihaven’t touched it yet. Liana made me do vodka shots while you were gone, so I should probably pace myself.”
“Probably.” I took a sip. “Where is she, anyway?”
Vesper laughed. “Far away from the hockey players. Poor Lia. It can’t be fun for her, being the coach’s daughter and having two best friends with hockey-playing brothers. She can’t escape.”
“I mean, she does have a point. I’m not a hockey hater, but one or two of the players…”
“Jay.” She did a fake cough before she burst out laughing again. “Sorry. You should see your face. I’m with you on that—whatever his problem is with you, he needs to get over it.”
Raising the flute to my lips, I took a large gulp. I had a whole new problem with Jayesh Attwood now, and it wasn’t something I was ready to share.
“Maybe he’ll calm down next year,” she mused. “Cranham Uni has a reputation for a reason. It might knock some sense into him.”
“I bloody hope so,” I muttered, taking another savage swig of my drink. Liana had the right idea. I needed to escape too.
“Nova? What’s wrong? I was joking before, but did Jay do or say something to you?”
Shaking my head, I cast around for a change of subject. I couldn’t tell her.
“No…um…I was just thinking. When you mentioned next year, it reminded me that I’ll miss you. It won’t be the same without you.”
She nudged my shoulder gently. “It will. Whelford Uni’s only about eight miles from Cranham. That’s nothing. I’ll come and see you and Lia as much as I can, and you know we’ll be in the chat, like, allll the time.”
“You’re right. It could be worse. It’s not as if we’re moving to opposite ends of the country.” A wry smile twisted my lips as I flicked out my hand. “And hey, I get to go from all this luxury to sleeping in a prison cell. I can’t wait.”
Chuckling at my unenthusiastic tone, she swiped the flute from me, tipping it to her lips and draining the rest of the contents. “Let’s get some more champagne. Whoever thought it was a good idea to convert a Victorian prison to a university was fucking crazy, in my opinion, but I’m not sure what’s worse. Sleeping in a cell or being surrounded by upper-class bitches who are looking for any excuse to stab me in the back. My brother’s already warned me about the Whelford students’ elitism.”
“Yeah, but they haven’t met you yet. You can handle them.” It was my turn to reassure her. “And we’ll get together when we can. I mean, our unis share an ice rink, so if we hang out with our brothers’ teams, we can see each other all the time. I couldn’t care less about the stupid Cranham and Whelford rivalry. If we want to sit together, we will.”
“There’s the Nova Thorpe I know and love. You’re right. Who cares?”
