A Rose to Keep (The Society 1)

He didn’t look away. The intensity of his stare held me captive.

What was he thinking? Why was he doing this?

Panic began to work its way up my chest, but I held on to it.

The bell rang, signaling the end of break. We only had a couple of minutes to get to class, and I’d already spent way too much time with this guy with no interest to do so again.

“Let me go,” I said.

“This isn’t over.” He let me go, and I immediately took a step back.

Without another word, I spun on my heel and walked the distance to math. Gideon thought he could have what he wanted. That I’d fall for him. He was mistaken.

I had a plan. Make it to graduation, then to college, and then live my life the way I wanted to. Not like this. Not under my parents’ thumb. I refused to follow in their footsteps just because they thought it would be better for me.

There was still no sign of Heather, and I didn’t like not seeing her. She was my only friend, and I couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened to her. It was moments like these I wished I owned a cell phone.

****

Gideon

Heather’s room wasn’t hard to find, nor hard to get into. The locks at All Saints Academy were a fucking joke. I leaned against the door, waiting for our target to arrive. By now, she should have a brand-new schedule. I’d made sure the principal knew to keep some of her classes with Sian, but for the most part, they had changed. There was no way the guys or I could see us succeeding in this selection with Heather constantly getting in the way.

“Wow, this chick reads so much shit,” William said.

“Don’t touch anything,” I said.

“Come on. You’re not the least bit curious about this girl?” Dante asked.

“I’m only interested in getting her on our side and out of our way.”

I ran a hand down my face. This was precious time we could be spending with Sian. She was becoming more of a challenge than I realized. Most of the girls liked it when I made a possessive grab of them, drawing them close. I was used to having an intoxicating effect on them.

Sian was … difficult. She’d been tense in my arms, her body not giving anything away. I wanted to know what it would take to make her cave. To give herself to me willingly. Now that would be a reward.

Sian needy, begging on her knees. The image alone was enough to make me hard as fucking rock.

Standing in her best friend’s room wasn’t going to answer the blue balls I had.

It would be easy for us to have a woman for our needs. There were plenty of willing women who would do anything for us, but we’d all decided to focus on Sian. This was way too important to all of us to screw up.

Girls liked monogamy, and cheating on Sian would only bring about other problems.

“What are we hoping to achieve right now?” Mateo asked.

He’d decided to sit on Heather’s bed. William was busy looking through her abundant bookshelves. I stood beside the door, and Dante rifled through her drawers.

There wasn’t a lot to Heather that I did know. Her family was happy about her transfer here, but they also didn’t care so long as they didn’t have to pay. It was why she spent the majority of the holidays at school, studying. At first, I thought she was a kiss ass, but once I investigated her, I knew the truth.

“Help,” I said.

We all went silent as the lock flicked open, and then seconds later, Heather walked right through the door.

She saw all of us and she didn’t even scream or bat an eyelash. Instead, she sighed. “If Sian knew you were here, she’d pitch a fit.” She removed her bag, placing it on the floor in the corner. She stepped into the middle of the room, hands on hips. “What do you guys want? You’re not happy messing up my schedule? What else could you all want to do now?”

“You and I both know you can handle any class in this school.”

“Do you think I don’t know each class I’ve been removed from? I’m not stupid. You want me out of the picture. Why?”

I smiled, and I knew I didn’t smile well, at least, not when I made a power play. “This selection process is really important, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“I only know the rumors I hear. I don’t know anything else, and assuming I do is stupid.”

“I’m not a stupid guy,” I said. “You know that some rumors speak the truth.”

Heather sighed. “If what you’re saying is to be believed then the whole selection process is connected to some secret society.”

“Have you told Sian that?”