The Ritual

He smirks, “I think you’d rather me not.” Opening the fridge, he grabs a jug of milk and tosses it back without grabbing a glass. He knows his mother hates when he does that.

“Whoever she is, she better be gone.” I inform him when he lowers it.

That smirk back on his face. The look in his green eyes tells me that she’s definitely still in this house. “You have ten minutes.” I warn.

“He only needs two.” Royal—his twin brother—enters the kitchen not looking any better. His hair a disheveled mess. It’s hard to miss the scratches on his bare back and bite marks on his neck. He’s only dressed in a pair of sweatpants.

“Your mother will be home any minute with your sister, and I’m not going to cover for you two.” I shake my head.

They both snort, trying to act unfazed. They tower over her five-foot four frame, standing at six-two, but I’ve seen her level them with a single look. “Hey, I’ve only got one girl in my room, dipshit here, has two.” Reign points over at Royal.

Me and Blake have always been open with the boys about sex. We understood that it was going to happen. They’re seniors in high school about to graduate, but that doesn’t mean she openly allows it under our roof. “Roy—”

“They already left.” He assures me.

“So, Dad …” Reign leans against the opposite corner, facing me and I already know what’s coming. “We both need to talk to you.”

Royal shakes his head, his unruly hair falling into his eyes. “There is no we. This is a you conversation.”

Reign rolls his eyes at his twin before they meet mine again. “Graduation is coming up. Just three more weeks. Then initiation at Barrington starts this summer …”

“We should have this conversation when your mother gets here.” I interrupt him.

“We know how she feels about the Lords.” He sighs, “But we want to join.”

“No.” Royal shoves his shoulder playfully. “You want to be a Lord. Why the fuck would I want to sustain from sex just to prove I’m a man?” Snorting he adds. “I like pussy too much for that shit.”

I run a hand over my shaved face. “Boys …”

“Maybe if you’d stop fucking for five seconds, you’d be able to see the bigger picture here.” Reign snaps at Royal. “Being a Lord …”

“Is overrated.” Royal looks at me. “No offense, Dad.”

I shrug. “None taken.” A part of me is proud that Reign wants to join, but a bigger part wants him to be himself. It took me a long time to realize just how much the Lords controlled my life. I dedicated everything to them long before initiation even started. But no matter what, I can never regret my decision to join because it led me to Blake.

“I …”

The sound of the front door opening and closing cuts off Reign and his lips thin at the fact his mother is home. She has made herself very clear how she feels about them joining the Lords—not going to happen. We’ve spoken to them about it over the years. Of course, there were some personal details that we didn’t tell them, but we wanted them to see the kind of evil that lives out there. That the devil does in fact come to you in the most alluring form.

“Good morning,” My wife enters the kitchen with our daughter behind her. Her long dark hair down and in big curls, dressed in a charcoal suit and black heels. She’s still just as stunning as she was when I ran into her at Barrington.

“Morning,” I grab her hand and pull her into me, cupping her face. “I missed you.” She was only going for two days but it felt like forever.

“Missed you.” She leans up in her heels and gently kisses my lips before pulling away.

“How was Stanford?” I ask, looking at our daughter. Ryann looks just like her mother, but I don’t worry much because Royal and Reign don’t even let boys around her. They protect her like I protect their mother. It’s been nice having backup. She’s a junior this year in high school. And she reminds me of Blake—she can’t wait to get the hell away from here.

When I first met Blake, she longed for a different life than the one her parents allowed her to have. And we’ve done everything in our power to make sure our daughter is going to get a chance at what she wants.

“Amazing!” She smiles.

“You guys can’t be serious about letting her go to Stanford?” Reign demands. “I thought it was a joke.”

“Not everyone wants to stay home with mommy and daddy.” Ryann places her hands on her hips. “Some of us have dreams.”

Reign scoffs. “It’s like thirty hours away …”

“Try forty,” Royal corrects him.

“They make these things called planes.” Ryann says sarcastically. “We do have one. You can come and visit me anytime.” She looks at Royal. “Lots of hot girls there. Think hot weather—beach and swimsuits.”