Soon all of this will be over.
I take his words to heart and repeat them in my mind several times over.
But when I steal a glance at Hillary, I don’t miss the way her lips tremble as she applies a fresh coat of lipstick.
And I push down my fear and focus on making damn sure I get her—and all of the other women—out of this god-awful fucked-up place before they become someone’s property.
Cal
After a mental check-in with Romy, I leave my villa.
I’m freshly shaved and my tux is pressed, and unfortunately for me, Nathanial, Cassian, and Ronan are waiting for me.
They linger ominously at the end of the path from my front door, standing there like they think they’re something to be feared.
But I don’t slow my steps. Shoulders loose, back straight, and eyes forward, I walk straight in their direction.
They picked a hell of a time to try for intimidation—when the whole damn thing is only hours from destruction.
“Hey!” Nathanial calls as I push through them and continue on without so much as acknowledging their presence.
Truthfully, I plan to continue ignoring them, but my brother Kane suggests otherwise.
“They want to rattle your cage, but they haven’t thought it through thoroughly enough.” His voice fills my ears. “Engagewith them for a minute—I think they’ll end up giving us information.”
Kane, who’s swiftly taken to the new level of his powers, has really started to perfect the art of doing ride-along intention checks for me. I don’t even have to ask him and Rook to listen in at this point—they just always are. If he says it’s in my best interest to entertain a conversation with our sperm donors, I believe him. Even if I’d rather eat fucking rocks.
Spinning slowly from the path ahead of them, I reply. “Yeah?”
“We just thought we’d give you a little familial advice for tonight,” Ronan says. “Seeing as the three of us have been through more Selections than you’ll ever dream of.”
I nearly scoff.No doubt about that.
“What he’s trying to say is that you shouldn’t get your hopes up that you’ll get the one you want this time,” Cassian, my piece-of-shit father, adds with a smirk that sets a dimple in his cheek.
Instantly, I consider radical facial reconstruction.
“Yeah,” Nathanial taunts. “The mouthy redhead you like so much, especially. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I haven’t had a challenge in a while. I’ve decided to put in the work to bleed that attitude right out of her.”
Easy,Rook warns, the rage I feel penetrating his brain from my own.
I know they’re trying to egg me on, but talking aboutmymate like she’s some vial to be drained is grounds for fucking war. Maybe I don’t need to wait. Maybe I can—
Easy,Rook repeats.Keep your focus.
There’s a part of me that hates how fucking right my eldest brother is, but the fact remains—he’s right.
On a beat, I school my features and meet Nathanial’s eyes.
“Bid on who you like,” I say, offering a shrug. “I’ll do the same. We’ll see who wins.”
Nathanial’s smile falls at my nonreaction, anger reddening his cheeks instead.
And I don’t stick around to see or hear any more—both for them and for me. This is a powerful place to leave the interaction, but the truth is, any more restraint required of me might just make me combust.
“Good job, dude.” Kane’s praise bounces inside my ears. “So fucking proud of your ability not to make that stupid fuck eat his teeth.”
I growl.You guys just be ready. Like we discussed, I think it’s going to be easiest for Romy, Blair, and Kylie to control the women as they’re coming offstage from the bid. They’re ready with what they need?
