The Initiation (Darkness Within Duet 1)

Chapter Eight

“Good girls don’t skip class.”

Harper skipped class. She followed Draven out to the woods where she’d witnessed him feeding a guy some dirt. He held her hand as they walked across the ground. Since it had been raining there were patches of really soggy mud. The sneakers she wore were already covered, and some had gotten into one of them.

Gross.

They were alone, not that she’d complained. Since kissing all four guys, she’d felt shy. Had they all compared notes on her kissing? She hated the thought of them doing something like that. Surely, they wouldn’t.

She hoped not.

Oh, well, she’d soon find out.

“I’ll make a bad girl out of you yet,” Draven said, pushing her against the tree.

“I didn’t get given a choice here. You grabbed my hand and walked me out of school. Teachers saw. I’ll get another detention.”

“You’ll get nothing of the sort. They know you’re with me.”

“Do you really think you’ve got that much power with them?”

“Teachers are paid to turn a blind eye.”

“I don’t like that. No one should have that much power.”

“We own Stonewall and everyone in it.”

“You don’t own me,” she said.

“True. I guess that is a decision you’re going to have to make.”

“Decisions.” She tilted her head to the side. “Tell me something more.” Even as she asked, she knew it would come with a cost. With Draven, she trusted him. He’d never force her to push too far. She could handle whatever he had to throw at her.

“I can tell you anything and everything. There will be a price.”

“I know, and I’m ready.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me what you want to know. There’s a lot for you to take in, and you’ve got to be ready for it.”

Staring into his green eyes, she waited, trying to think of what she wanted to ask. “What will I have to do?”

“You’ll need to prove your loyalty to us and us alone. Be willing to fight with us, not against us. You know my family are not good people. You’re going to have to be willing to break your own code when it comes to them. Belonging to us, means belonging to them.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he tutted and pressed a finger against her lips. “No, not your time to speak. All will be revealed in time. You need to pay the toll.”

“What do you want?” she asked.

“Tonight, at your place, I want you to get naked.”

This made her pause. “What?”

“I won’t have sex with you or take advantage.”

“This is a pretty big leap from a kiss to seeing each other naked.”

“It’s a good leap. I’ll be naked as well.”

“Yeah, that makes me feel so much better.”

She tried to move away from the tree, but he wouldn’t let her.

“I need you to trust me to do the right thing,” he said. “I’m not going to push your boundaries.”

“My boundaries are already being pushed.”

“Then you don’t want to be a part of us.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“We’re offering you something we’ve never given anyone a chance to do before. It is up to you if you take it.”

“This is not fair,” she said. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“Then tell me to walk away. Tell me no and I’ll let the guys know you don’t want to.”

She held onto his arms, refusing to let him go. She didn’t want him to go and stop this process. Being part of their group hadn’t been in her life choices, and yet, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him no.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet. I don’t want you to go and tell them no. A deal’s a deal, and I’ll see it through.”

“Don’t make it sound like I’m forcing you.”

This made her laugh. “You’re not forcing me. It’s all just new. I wanted to know something, you told me, and now I must pay the price. Fair is fair, even if I don’t like it. I recognize this place.”

“I know.”

“You were feeding that guy dirt. You really didn’t have to put it in my locker though. I could have done without the dirt.”

“It was fun.”

“Not for the guy eating it.”

“He was touching girls he shouldn’t. We’re bad guys, but we also have our limits.”

“So you’re bad guys with morals?”

“Something like that.”

“I think that’s pretty interesting,” she said. “What do people do when they cut class?”

“Your mother really did a number on you, didn’t she?”

“She told me how important it always was to be a good girl. To be nice, to be kind. To always do the right thing.”

“And now?”

“She always did the right thing, and she hated her life.” She shrugged. “It’s hard. I just want to do things to make her proud, but at the same time, I’m so angry. How can I make a dead person proud?”

“You can’t.”

“How do you do it?”

“How do I do what?”

“Not care? Not think about what others are saying behind your back?”