Page 10 of The Honor Society

“You shot him remember?”

“I missed. Remember?”

He leans back and puts his hands on my hips. I hate that it feels familiar, that my thoughts go to the man I did shoot, in a stupid hospital bed. Because of me. “So you weren’t trying to betray him or The Honor Society?”

I frown. “The Honor Society.” I repeat the name. “Who the hell is The Honor Society?”

“Ah, so nobody ever filled you in. Imagine being so low on the pole that you don’t even know who’s pulling the strings. Any other idiotic advice they gave you when you decided you were the right person for the job and said yes?”

He still hasn’t left my lap. Maybe this is my chance to learn more. “All I know is I was told not to let The Dean’s List into the hands of The Proctor and that nobody survives seeing him live and in the flesh.”

He chuckles and tilts my chin towards him. “Darling, do you want to be the first?”

He reaches into his jacket. I think for a gun, and then he’s covering my nose with something and my world goes dark.

Darkness creeps into the edges of my vision, and I hope stupidly, that his mask and those five tally marks, aren’t the last thing I see.

3

Nineteen Days Until The Convocation

AXEL

“Get her back before she wakes up.” I toss Jenner my mask and crack my neck, then wince at the emotion.

“Fuck, you’re supposed to be resting, remember?”

I flip him off. “She missed, she missed and I’m this injured? No wonder they snatched her up, easy for her to get close, and she knows how to shoot things. Would have loved to know about that before I got naked with her.”

“Could have been worse.” Jenner says. “She could have shot your dick.”

“Thank you, Jenner, that was really encouraging. At least she didn’t shoot my dick? Jackass.” I glare.

He smirks and rubs a tatted hand over his buzzed head. The raven stains the back of his hand, matching the mask I just tossed at him, showing everyone who knows that he’s marked by me and he’s my right hand, hurt him, you hurt me, kill him, I’ll make you beg for death.

He cracks his knuckles. “Get back to the hospital before she wakes up and you cause more trouble. She’s gonna keep digging now that she knows The Proctor is involved.”

A small thrill washes over me. The hell? “Let her dig, I like the attention, besides, she’s our only clue into what families are after The Dean’s List and The Ledger which just means I need to up my game. Eighteen days left and it seems The Four Horsemen of The Honor Society are running out of time. They all want to be the family in charge and if we don’t control the outcome—we’re fucked.” The last thing we need is my uncle taking the reins. Then again, sadly, there are worse choices within The Horsemen.

“Agreed.” Jenner says. “As for reporting to⁠—"

“--Don’t tell him, not yet.” I snap.

“He’s called three times and you’ve already been summoned.”

“Tell him I’m healing.”

“He has eyes everywhere.”

“I’m his fucking eyes, his fucking muscles, his fucking right hand. Tell him to wait!”

Jenner sighs.

“What? What now?”

“You know he doesn’t wait.”

“Then he can fucking learn.” I shove past him and make my way back to the waiting black Range Rover. I jerk open the door. “Mercy Medical, get me in through the back again. A nurse will be waiting.”