The Initiation (Darkness Within Duet 1)

He didn’t get to see anything.

“We do have certain … rules and recommendations.”

“Rules? You guys have rules?”

“Yes, and you only get to hear them when you agree.”

“I have to agree to this?”

“We take consent very seriously, Harper. It’s one of our hard limits.” He was so close to her. Her lips looked so inviting. He’d been wanting to kiss her for a long time now.

Harper Miller had been someone he’d wanted, but they were so far apart.

She the good girl.

He the bad boy.

They came from different lives. If she decided to do this, then she’d have to be prepared for everything they threw at her. Cupping her cheek, he tilted her head back.

“If I could take back what you saw, I would. No one should have to see that.”

“Have you ever seen a dead body?” she asked.

“Yes.”

He saw the tears in her eyes.

“I get nightmares at times. I think she’s there, begging me to save her. To arrive home on time. I … I get so angry,” she said.

“I know. You have to get angry. She left you.”

“She’s dead, Draven.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be angry. Get angry. Don’t lock it inside.”

“No one likes it when they get angry.”

“I’m not like most guys.” He’d love to see her get angry, to finally let go and to not conform like the good girl she’d been trained to be.

Chapter Seven

The next week was a little surreal for Harper. Between her four new friends, which was quite a stretch considering she didn’t know all that much about them, they didn’t leave her alone.

From school to home, then back again, someone was with her at all times, not once leaving her alone.

If it wasn’t Draven, it was Axel. They were the two drivers. Buck and Jett took turns babysitting her at night.

Still no word from her father, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty for hurting him. No matter how many times Draven told her to not feel that way, she did. Hitting him went against everything she’d been taught. Violence didn’t solve anything.

Ben and the rest of the jocks were also back in school. Out of all of them, Ben looked the worse for wear.

One look from him and she wanted to run and hide. Draven, again, wouldn’t let her. He made her sit with them every single dinner time.

If they had the same classes, she no longer sat alone. The teachers didn’t call on her to answer questions. Her life had done a complete turnaround.

Late one Friday night, she sat alone. Jett had been with her until an hour ago when he had to leave after getting a phone call. She picked up a slice of pizza and was watching television when Draven arrived.

All of her new friends had keys. They let themselves in. Most of the time they crashed in the sitting room, or took one of the spare bedrooms.

She always went to her room, and if Draven was staying the night, he slept in her bed. It was kind of a weird setup.

She found herself enjoying his company more and more, which again, was weird.

He put the keys in his pocket and collapsed onto the sofa.

“You changed the sofa,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to live in a mess. I doubt Hannah will like it.”

“Who gives a shit about Hannah?” He took a slice of pizza, and she watched him chew.

“What is the deal between you and Hannah?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“You know her, and she’s strange around you.”

He smirked. “That’s one of the things you’ll know if you join us.”

She sighed. None of them had pressured her, even though each day they gave her a tease of what it would mean to join with them. She’d never had someone she could call her own before.

The thought of having all four of them was kind of … nice.

“Do I have to kill someone?” she asked.

“Can’t tell you that. Those are the rules.”

“You do know rules suck.”

“They don’t. They’re pretty fucking great if I do say so myself.” He winked at her, and she got up, putting the uneaten pizza back in the box.

“I don’t know about this. I can’t even make a decision if I don’t know what it is I’m getting myself into.” She ran fingers through her hair and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. Draven had followed her, watching her every move. “I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

“Why do you feel like you have to know what you’re doing?”

“Up until a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t even register to you as a person. Now you’re saying you want me to join your club, even though no other girl has ever been allowed to. They’ve had sex with you. I’ve given you no reason whatsoever, why you’d want me in your little gang.” She took a sip of water.