“You could,” Jack says. He’s using that tone of voice people use when they’re placating you. “But… she wouldn’t go with you. She’s in, Cooper. And you’ve been ignoring her. It’s your job to guide her through this. Did you even get her a gift?”
“Of course I got her a gift.” I point to the ring box on my dresser.
“What the hell is that?”
“Exactly what it looks like.”
“You bought her an engagement ring?”
“Not an engagement ring. Just… a really nice ring.” Jack just stares at me with an open mouth. “What? She is the girl I love. This is not a secret. We all know Cadee and I are the real couple here, not me and Isabella.”
Jack shuts his mouth. Puts up a hand. “OK. I… I’m… not even gonna touch that. It doesn’t matter. Where’s the collar?”
“What?”
“The collar, Cooper. You have to collar her tonight. Do you really think everyone is here to eat dinner and drink eggnog?”
“Everyone? What are you talking about? Who is everyone?”
“Cooper! What the fuck have you been doing all semester?”
“My project. You know this.”
“How are you so ignorant?” I’m just about to get up and fuck his nearly-healed face all the way back up when he raises his hand and laughs. “Oh… shit!”
“What?”
“I guess I didn’t realize that you’ve never been to one of these before. OK, listen. I apologize.” He sits on the couch arm and faces me with a smile. “This is my fault. I guess it was my job to inform you on tonight’s ritual.”
“Ritual? It’s Christmas Eve. I’m pretty sure I know what happens.”
He holds up a finger. “Give me a sec.” Then he starts texting. “I’m sending Leela to the house to pick up a collar for you to use. We have an extra.”
“You have an extra… collar?”
“It’s a long story. One we don’t have time for now. Ask me again in two weeks and I’ll be happy to explain. But tonight, Cooper…” He shoots me a very familiar big-brother smile that instantly makes my heart ache for all the things I’ve lost this semester. Including my innocence.
Which is almost a joke. But up until six months ago when summer rush started, I really did think these people were my family. That we were, like it or not, related. That they do, somewhere deep down inside, love me.
I am such a dumbass.
“Tonight, Cooper…” He claps me on the back. “You are the man of the hour. Everyone is here to watch you show your little halter pony.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry.” Jack laughs. “Little breeding humor there.”
“Not only was that not funny, but it went right over my head.”
He pats my back again. “Like most things, little brother. Like most things.” He takes a deep breath and starts explaining how I will collar Cadee Hunter in front of the elite members of Fang and Feather.
I don’t say anything through his monologue, I just let him talk and remind myself that this is all part of the plan. Isn’t it?
Leela appears holding a bright blue Tiffany bag. She tells me not to open it—she wrapped it up nicely so Cadee will get the full treatment. And then I’m slipping my arms into a suit coat while Jack holds it out for me, and Leela is straightening my tie.
She pats my chest. “I’ll go grab Cadee. Meet you boys downstairs.”
She leaves and I study myself in a full-length mirror. Jack stands behind me and our reflected gazes meet. “What?” he says.
I just stare at him for a moment. Trying to reconcile this monster with the brother I used to know. He’s in so deep, he’s never getting out. And he’s OK with that.
“What, Cooper?”
“Nothing. Just trying to imagine the future.”
“Is that troubling you?”
“Troubling?” Is he kidding? “No, not troubling. It’s just not very clear right now. What happens after graduation? Father mentioned grad school and I don’t know. Am I really cut out for grad school?”
Jack actually laughs. “Grad school? You?”
“Why is that funny?”
He just chuckles and squeezes my shoulder. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, Cooper. You’ve still got one more semester. Let’s go. Everyone is waiting and I’m sure they all need to get back to their families for their own Christmas Eve traditions.”
Jack walks towards the door, but I take one last look at myself in the mirror.
Who are you?
No clue.
But I’m about to find out who they want me to be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - CADEE
The entire mansion smells wonderful.
I’ve been in my room most of the day but when Leela and I returned from the spa earlier, I made a point of checking out the dining room where the staff was setting up for the evening festivities.
Leela grabbed me gently by the arm and whispered, “Don’t get excited, Cadee. None of this is for you. We talked about this, remember?”
Of course I remember. You don’t forget your first conversation describing how you are chattel. I am literally Cooper’s slave. That’s my term, not theirs. I’ve been paying very close attention to the word choices these past few months. Leela didn’t say “chattel,” either. She uses terms like “indentured” and “service” and once she even said my job was a “calling”. Like I’ve joined a nunnery.
Which is just hilarious.
But I took Victor’s advice about the dictionary and looked up the word ‘offering’.
A gift.
A contribution.
A proposal.
But the synonym that stood out the most was… sacrifice.
I am some kind of sacrifice.
So are Mona and Sophie. But Mona and Sophie are just getting started, aren’t they? They didn’t take the accelerated crash course like I did.
And it’s weird, too. Because you’d think that the crash course would be jarring. Being thrown into something is a shock. If I were brainwashing someone I’d avoid the jarring shock and go straight for the easy boiling-frog method myself. Because a shock makes you react, a slow drip of insanity eventually becomes normal.
But what do I know. Seems to be working on me.
Neither Jack nor the Chairman even talk to me. They don’t even look at me. I’m not worth their attention. Cooper has been absent for weeks now. He lives in this house and he hasn’t come to my room once.
So what? He thinks he can just walk up to me outside in the driveway and tell me to leave? Again? Fuck that. I didn’t come this far to give up now. I don’t know what Cooper is doing, and I don’t really care, either.
Dante’s plan fell apart months ago, all the people I thought were friends are busy carving their own new roles in Fang and Feather, and at this point I’m here for one reason and one reason only. I will find out what my parents were to these people or I will die trying.
“Knock, knock!”
I love how Leela always opens the door first, then says, “Knock, knock.” It takes all my willpower not to roll my eyes at her.