The Ritual

“They won’t.” He shakes his head.

“How do you know that?”

“Because they won’t!” he yells.

“I don’t believe that!” I shout back. “And your loyalty lies with them. Not me.”

“Blake.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Test me,” I say, holding my hands out wide. Let’s get this over with right now. He can give me a test from the Lords, and when I pass, this’ll all be over.

“I can’t,” he growls through gritted teeth. “Not in that way.”

“Are you serious?” I snap. “Everything has been a fucking test since the moment I ran into you in the hallway at Barrington, and all of a sudden, you can’t. That doesn’t make any fucking sense, Ryat!”

“Things have changed.”

“What the hell has changed? Because it all looks to be the same fucking game.” The room falls silent after my outburst. I drop back down onto the couch. Placing my elbows on my knees, I bury my face in my hands and take a deep breath. “How am I supposed to prove my loyalty to you if you don’t trust me with your secrets?” I look up at him, and he’s now standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Bending down, he picks up his cell and then shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“There is a—”

“No!” he interrupts his father, spinning around.

“What is it?” I shoot to my feet.

“It’s nothing,” Ryat snaps.

“You’re lying. And once again hiding something from me.”

“I won’t risk your life!” he screams, his face turning red.

Taking in a deep breath, I walk over to him. “You do it for the Lords. Why should I accept it, but you not?”

“Because I chose this life, Blake,” he growls.

“And then I chose you when I burned those divorce papers. So I’m in the middle—”

“Not anymore,” he interrupts me. “You will do your last initiation because I’ll be there to make sure it goes smoothly, then you’re done. You’ll be a Lady and my wife. That’s it.”

That’s not the end. Not even close. He’s in it for life, and it scares me to know that they have this much control over it. “But the Lords will still call you to do work for them.”

“That’s what I signed up for,” he agrees.

It just makes me even more nervous for our future. “What about what I want?”

“I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again, that doesn’t matter.” This time, his eyes look soft, almost remorseful as if it hurt him to tell me that.

I spin around and look at my father, hoping he can help me out in some way. “Daddy …”

He raises his hand, stopping me, and my shoulders sag. “I’m afraid he’s right, princess. I won’t put you in danger any more than you already have been. This all started because of me, and it will end because of me.”

My breathing picks up. “What does that mean?”

He looks over at Ryat. “May I speak to you privately?”

“No,” I answer for him. “You can’t.”

“Sure.” Ryat ignores me and opens the sliding glass door. “Let’s step outside.”

I go to run after him, but Mr. Archer stops me. “I must say, I had my doubts about you.”

I turn around to look at him relaxing in the recliner. His right ankle propped up on his left knee.

“I never was that big of a fan of Cindy.” He shrugs. “That’s why I didn’t argue when he said he wanted you.”

At the mention of her name, I look around the room to see she’s no longer here. Where is she? Did she wake up and manage to get free while Ryat and I were having sex in the bedroom? That brings me to another thought. Why did Ryat look so surprised to see her here when he got back when he had obviously watched me burn the divorce papers? “Where is she?” I ask, spinning in a circle, looking for her.

“Who?” he asks, tilting his head in thought.

“Cindy.”

“How would I know?” he asks, shrugging.

“Is this another test?” I swallow nervously.

He pushes himself up from the recliner and straightens his suit jacket. “I think you need some rest, Blakely. A lot has happened recently.”

“No.” I shake my head. I’m not losing my mind; I lost a person. She was right here. I had tied her wrists together. Put tape over her mouth that Ryat took off and then slammed her head into the wall, knocking her out. “She was—”

The sound of the sliding glass door opening behind me cuts me off. “Abbot, let’s get out of here. Leave these two lovebirds alone,” my father calls out, entering the house.

Coming up behind me, he places his hands on my shoulders and kisses my hair. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Get some rest.”

Then, without another word, they both leave the house.

I slowly turn around to see Ryat leaning up against the now closed sliding glass door. With his arms crossed over his chest, he glares at me. “I’m not losing my mind,” I state as if he accused me of doing so.