“Your dad ismuy caliente.”
Very hot? An unexpected laugh burst out at Cordelia’s attempt at Spanish. “Thanks, but also, eww.”
She slumped down on her bed with a chuckle, tossing the books on the floor. “Ugh, I need a drink. You want one?”
“Like alcohol?” I glanced at the clock above the door. “It’s not even noon yet.”
“Girl, I just had my last final for the summer last week, and now fall classes start tomorrow. I had no break at all.”
“That sucks.”
“And that, my new friend, is why we drink.” She reached under her bed and pulled out a bottle of vodka.
My stomach roiled. I wasn’t much of a drinker, and just the thought of straight vodka in the morning made my gut clench.
“Come on, Lexi. It’s your first day at Stonewall. Trust me, you’re going to need it.”
I gave her a tight smile as she took a swig and then handed me the bottle.
“Bottoms up, roomie.”
I clenched the expensive bottleneck in my hand, recognizing the white goose across the label. What the hell... One little sipcouldn’t hurt. Throwing my head back, I swallowed a big gulp. The alcohol burned all the way down my throat, but I forced a smile as my new roommate watched, delighted.
“Welcome to Stonewall University, bitch.”
CHAPTER 2
BECOMING BLOOD BROTHERS
Killian - Three years ago
Sweat glided down my temples, and stale air choked my lungs inside the thick black bag over my head. I stumbled through the darkness, my hands tied behind my back as a brother pushed me through a maze of tunnels.
“Keep going, Neophyte,” he snapped and shoved my shoulder.
I crashed into a wall, pain shooting through my head. Savage aches already tore my body apart after completing my task, which entailed dodging bullets and battling a whole fucking security team. So when the bastard laughed, I couldn’t fight my inner demons anymore.
Ignoring the throbbing against my skull, I rammed my head back and cracked him in the nose.
“Son of a bitch!”
My cruel laughter echoed through the stone catacombs. “Oops. I can’t see what I’m doing in this thing.”
Hard fingers dug into my nape as he directed me forward, and then he rammed his boot into the back of my knee so I slammed to the ground. When the bag was yanked from my head, the secret atrium below the Sigma Delta house appeared. A few other initiates kneeled in a line with me, most of them haggard, bloody, and bruised after returning from their given tasks.
Gas lanterns hung on the walls and dangled from the arched ceiling, spilling light through the gothic room reeking of sea salt, candle wax, and trepidation. A giant ebony fireplace boasted orange and blue flames, casting shadows around the nearby altar.
Members gathered in black robes and disturbing white masks, while a few of the Ascended sat in high-backed chairs on a stage, masks also shielding their identities. The current Domnus stepped forward, his ebony cloak with crimson trim swishing around his feet.
The scene looked like something torn from the pages of a medieval tale. But there were no chivalrous knights or heroes in this story.
“Is there a reason your mask is off and your nose is bleeding, Lord Sebastian?” The tall man could have been a cult leader with the sinister goat-skull mask peering from beneath his hood.
Actually, this secret sect really wasn’t much different from a cult. If I’d known the shit I had to do to gain entrance... I’d still do it. I never had much of a choice.
“This Neophyte headbutted me.” Sebastian—my stepbrother—gripped my sweaty hair, yanked my head back, and placed a knife to my neck. “He should be punished for his insubordination.”
Murmurs rippled through the room as knots fisted in my chest. Resisting the laws of the order would result in punishment or worse.
