When she reaches me, she places both her hands on my chest and pushes me backwards until I stumble back out into the hallway. Then she says, “Go away, Cooper. I don’t need a prince.”
And then she closes the door on my face.
I stand there for a moment, wondering if I should go back in and make her talk this through with me, but then I give up.
So much shit has happened today, I’m having a hard time processing it.
When we arrived at my family home, Jack intercepted us. He told me to follow him and bring Cadee with me, then directed Isabella to go find her parents in the great room.
So we followed him up to that room. Which I only vaguely knew existed. I think there’s some long-ago memory of this being my mother’s quiet room. And when I was a small child, I imagined that was where she took naps.
Yeah. I can’t go there now. Whatever purpose the quiet room had, it most likely had nothing to do with sleeping.
But now the room is just an ordinary den. A few chairs, two loveseats, a small table in the corner near a wet bar, and a big TV over the fireplace.
Elizabeth was already in position when I got there and the smell coming off that girl was enough to make me gag.
But Cadee seemed fine. Up for the challenge. And Jack’s words were running through my head. Give her the ability to rise and succeed.
Rise. Right.
So I barked some orders, put on a good show. As far as I know, Jack bought it. And we left them up there to wait for us—their masters—to come back.
I felt like a complete dick all through dinner. How could Jack eat knowing that Elizabeth was upstairs in that room basting in her own filth? And Leela kept asking me questions about the wedding.
The wedding?
And I wanted to say, First of all, I give no fucks about the wedding. Even if I was in love with Isabella, I would still give no fucks about the wedding. Second, we’re not getting married. Third, you do remember that you have a little slave woman upstairs chained to a chair with a collar around her neck. Right? Ringing any fucking bells here?
But I didn’t say that.
Instead I concentrated on the voice of Cadee in my head, talking me down to a more rational plane of existence. Just be the bully king, Cooper. It’s not that far of a stretch.
And I get it. I had some moments in the past that would put Jack to shame. Not just with Cadee, either.
I just don’t like being that guy. The whole reason we bought into Dante’s plan—or at least the whole reason I did—was to make up for past mistakes. To try to put things right.
I feel like I’m just wading in deeper. Slowly. Ever so slowly. It’s one step here, another there. And now I’m up to my fucking waist in dark water and the shoreline looks very far away.
I walk down to the end of the hall to the room Cadee and I share when we’re at the inn, but when I open the door, it’s completely dark. I have a moment of pure panic filled with several dozen kidnapping scenarios when I realize the room is freezing and the screen door to the porch is visible.
She’s in the hammock, bundled up in a blanket.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you.”
I walk out onto the porch, pulling the heavy door closed behind me so our room won’t be ice cold when we go back inside.
“Come down here. I have something for you.”
“You do?” I grin at her. I doubt she can see it—it’s dark tonight. But I grin anyway. And then I carefully lower myself into the hammock and she makes a big deal about sharing the blanket. Then she reaches down, grabs a stainless-steel bowl, and balances it on her hip.
We are face to face. Eye to eye. She’s smiling at me. I can see it, even in this gloomy darkness.
She presses something very cold against my eye and I wince. Ice. She brought up a bowl of ice for me. “Does it hurt?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Did you tell Ax that you channeled him tonight?”
I chuckle. “No. We were talking other shit.”
“More important shit than ass-kicking?”
I chuckle again. “It’s not funny. I think Jack has been hitting Isabella. And I don’t think you should hang out with Leela anymore.”
“Why?”
“You have to ask?”
“We’re making progress.”
“Are we? Because from where I stand we’re spinning our wheels. No one knows what the fuck we’re doing. I mean, when is the last time you talked to Mona?”
“Not that long ago, actually. She bumped into me about a week ago.”
“What did she say?”
“She was… you know. Typical Mona. Kinda bitchy. Said I was falling for it.”
“Are you falling for it?”
“No.” She says it with a huff. “Of course not.”
I don’t believe her. I don’t blame her—I mean Leela is playing her fucking A-game. Taking Cadee to the city. Buying her presents. And she makes sure that everyone in the dorm knows that Cadee is getting special treatment.
“Well, they’re getting pissed, Cadee. And I don’t blame them. It’s one thing to say we’re all on board, but we have to go our separate ways and play our own parts in Dante’s plan. But that was two months ago. And now you and I are…”
She pulls the ice away from my eye. “We’re what?”
“Don’t you see? Jack and Leela are trying to make everyone hate you.”
“So? They’ve always hated me.”
“Well, now they don’t trust you, Cadee. You need to stop seeing Leela.”
“No. I’m close now. I’m not going to fuck it up.”
“Close to what?”
“To my answers. To their secrets. That’s the whole reason I stayed last summer and I’m not going anywhere until I get them.”
“I thought you wanted justice?”
“I do.”
“Well, that justice goes through me.”
She snorts. “What the hell does that mean? Am I supposed to just sit back and let you take care of everything? Because from what I see, you haven’t done anything yet.”
“I’m setting it up. It takes time.”
“Well, then why can’t we both set it up? And then see who gets there first?”
“Because you’re playing with Jack now, Cadee. And all these years I thought he was the good brother. Meaning, he wasn’t buying in to it. But he is, Cadee. I don’t even think my father is in charge anymore. I think Jack is. They’re dangerous. In fact—” I take a deep breath and then let it out. “I think we should just skip out.”
“What?”
“You, me, Isabella, Ax—anyone else who wants to come. I think we should just play along for a few more weeks until the semester is over, and we should all say we’re going on a trip for winter break and never come back.”
“Are you insane?”
“I’m one hundred percent serious.”
“We’ve only been to one ritual, Cooper.”
“We don’t need to know about the rituals, Cadee. Dante’s plan wasn’t about the rituals.”
“Fuck Dante’s plan. No one even remembers what Dante’s plan was.”
“See, here is my problem, Cadee. You think that because Leela has completely removed you from your social circle.”