“Shit! I’m so?—”
“It was so good. What time is it?” she asks sleepily.
“Early. Sleep,” I tell her as she curls into my arms. Placing a kiss on her head, I tell her I will wake her in time for school. Within minutes light snores fill the room. I lie awake. I know if Igo back to sleep now I won’t be able to function today. Instead, I watch her while she sleeps, excited that we will be able to move forward. I owe it to my brothers to ask her to hear them out too.
After a few hours of staring at her like a creeper, my phone buzzes from the bedside table. Being careful not to wake Amelie, I lean over and see it’s Onyx calling. What would he need a six thirty in the damn morning?
“What?” I snap.
“So, I guess she forgave you.” He sounds salty as fuck. I smile and look towards one of the cameras he installed and wink at him.
“You jealous, O?”
He grunts in reply.
“I just checked my email and it looks like Grandfather is flying in today. He wants us all at HQ at 16:00 hours.”
Now it’s my turn to groan. Don’t get me wrong, my grandfather can charm the pants off people, but he is a stickler when it comes to The Order. He runs a tight ship, and Dad has said he has been pushing for Amelie to initiate. My brothers and I have been doing what we can to stop it from happening so soon, but with his arrival, we now know that is never going to happen. Our best chance is to prolong it until we can get her some proper training. She has next to no survival skills if they pull a drill. She may be improving her speed by running with Onyx, but she is still slow. The only thing that works in her favour is her quick thinking and the street smarts she picked up in Australia. But that won’t be enough. And even if she does make it, what will those fucks make her do to prove her loyalty? The whole organisation runs on a delicate balance of corruption and honesty, the whole point of this school is to hand pick the assholes who will do whatever it takes. The Elite campus deals more with the honesty side of things, though I use that term very loosely.
Onyx coughs, and I realise he is waiting for some sort of reply. “Fine, I’ll be there,” I say after a beat “He’ll be in a better mood when I turn up.” The call ends abruptly; Onyx isn’t one for pleasantries.
Grandfather still doesn’t treat my brothers like my father's sons. I’m his legacy, as he likes to remind me every time we see each other. I need to make him proud. He wanted me at that bullshit Elite Academy, to rub shoulders and make connections with the next leaders of the world. He was not impressed when I landed myself here.
My aunt has daughters at the Elite school, but we avoid them at all costs. We may live close by, but Christmas is the only time of year we see them.
Grandfather is a misogynistic ass and doesn’t believe women have a place in The Order. Dad has refused to explain why they need Amelie. My brothers and I have some theories, but no concrete ideas. So I have to put on my big boy pants and seek out my grandfather to see if he wants to give me any insight.
“Morning,” I say when Amelie opens her eyes.
“What are you still doing here?” She sighs rolling out of my arms.
“I thought we should talk.”
“So talk. Everyone has so many damn words to say.” She groans and throws on her school uniform without showering; internally I’m jumping for joy that she will smell like sex all day. My sex. The thought makes me puff up like a peacock.
“The problem is, I always have something to say and now I need to knowwhatto say to make things better between us...and I don’t have the words. I’ve spent years following orders, but I’m done. I choose you.”
She turns to look at me, deciding my fate.
“I need you to not hate me.”
“I don’t hate you, Kalen, that's the problem. Your silence killed me. How can I be with someone who I can’t trust to protect me?”
“I promise to show you from now on that I can be that guy.”
She doesn’t reply, she just continues getting herself ready.
“Could you possibly talk to the twins? Hear them out...”
“Get out,” she snaps. “You’re doing it again, already! Putting their needs first.”
“That's not…” I trail off because she’s right: once again I am worried about her forgiving the twins, rather than just being glad for the evening we had together.
“Just leave before you ruin our entire night together.”
Chapter Eighteen
Amelie
