HIM
Standing in the shower, I let the hot water run down my body as I thought about how the night had transpired. Soap ran down my face as I rinsed shampoo out of my hair. Luckily, I’d had a front-row seat to what happened at the bar.
Poor Lacey just looked mortified about the whole incident. She was so naïve to all the things that could happen in the world outside her small town. She needed a man in her life who would protect and speak up for her. My cock twitched when I thought about how Sage had acted. Now she was fearless. Got right up in that guy’s face. Didn’t need a man to fight her battles. Yet she was the one on the path to marry that boyfriend. Trying to ignore the blood rushing to my dick, I forced her face out of my mind. No point getting attached. The plan was in place.
My jaw ticked as another image stole my thoughts. The boyfriend, Alex, surprised me with how he came at that guy. I didn’t think Alex had it in him to act like that. But I was sure I could still take him in a fight if needed. Not that it would ever happen. The girls were priority. And if everything went how it was supposed to, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.
Their lives were going to change very soon, and not for the better. Mackinaw City was the perfect vacation spot, but instead of enjoying myself, I was tasked with watching the girls. I’d known everything they’d done since they started the trip. They were happy when they got here and looked at the bridge. If only they knew what was going to happen when they crossed that bridge in the next couple of days.
Allowing myself a moment of weakness, my mind wandered back to Sage. It was fucking stupid to let myself get distracted when there were still little details in the plan to execute. Apparently, my dick didn’t care, growing hard as I pictured Sage and how she’d stood up for herself at the bar. All that attitude and sass wrapped in a body that most men would commit a sin just to get a taste of. Most men. It shouldn’t affect me.
Especially when I knew why she and her family were important. But I also knew more about her than just her looks. Her smart mouth could give anyone a run for their money. She was feisty. Spoke her mind. The complete opposite of the type of woman I was meant to be with. The group wanted their woman meek and obedient. Someday, I’d be expected to marry someone who shared in our belief. And I would. Because my life consisted of doing what was needed for the greater good.
So why the hell was this one girl so hard to get out of my head? Could it be that she was the forbidden fruit I wasn’t allowed to taste because her life had already been chosen for a different reason? The bloodline of the women in her family was important to everything I was raised to honor.
“Fuck,” I muttered, attempting to ignore my aching cock. She shouldn’t be in my damn head. I had no time for distractions when the ceremony was so close. My sole focus was making sure everything went smoothly. I wouldn’t let the group down. I gritted my teeth, forcing the thoughts of her away as I shut off the water.
I grabbed a towel and dried off my face. I paused for a moment, realizing why it was so different this time. I’d spent my entire life helping the group. As a kid, I did small jobs. The older I got, the more responsibility was given to me. I’d met chosen women in the past. Talked to them. Spent time with them before their time came to help the greater good. None of them stuck to me like the Taylor sisters did. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I silently admitted why I couldn’t get the sisters out of my head. Why they were so different from every other chosen woman in the past.
I’d talked to Sage and Lacey. Interacted. Joked. Laughed. I knew them. And fuck, I enjoyed the time I’d spent with them.
The chosen women were usually strangers. We watched them and their families, but it was never personal. I saw all their faces. Heard their voices. Witnessed their tears. Listened to their last words. I remembered every name of every woman whose ceremonies I’d been a part of. They were important to the greater good. But I didn’t feel for them. They were needed. I did what was asked of me, and that was it.
This time was different. The sisters’ voices echoed through my head. I’d been to their home. Gotten a peek into their lives. Now an unsettling tightness swelled in my chest every time I pictured the fate one of the sisters was going to endure.
And I fucking hated it. I learned long ago feelings and emotions didn’t have a place in my type of life. I was an expert at concealing my thoughts—even from myself. These new intrusive pangs of conscience would do nothing to change the plan. It didn’t matter what I thought. The only thing that mattered was making sure I did what the group asked.
I left the bathroom and strode into the hotel room to grab a pair of shorts as I wondered if I was the only one with these thoughts. I wasn’t the only one in the group who knew the sisters personally. Blowing out a long breath, I rubbed my temples. This whole thing with the Taylor family was abnormal. We had to be more careful than usual with the strict rules we followed to keep our tradition a secret. Once we claimed one chosen woman from a family, we left their children and grandchildren alone. Multiple people missing from one family would only raise suspicion. I didn’t agree with targeting the sisters after their mother had been chosen. I’d voiced my concerns. And was ignored. It wasn’t my call to make.
Grabbing a bottle of tequila off the table, I took a long swig as I made my way to the small balcony. It was time to get back to business. The big night was only a couple of days away. Separating Sage and Lacey would be difficult. But with the help of the others, it would all go accordingly.
Rolling my neck, I stared up at the cloudless night sky. It was always so peaceful up here. With no big cities, the stars could always be seen. It was such a clear night that I could see lights from the UP just across the water. Sinking into the wicker chair, I gritted my teeth when my phone interrupted my one moment of peace. Glancing at who it was made me want to swallow the whole damn bottle of tequila. But I answered it anyway. I mean, I was raised to respect my elders—especially those in the inner circle.
“Yeah?” I asked just above a whisper as I peered back into the hotel room to make sure I had dead bolted the door.
“Do you have your plan set? These next few days are crucial. Nothing can happen out of place,” the man said, getting straight down to business.
“Yes.”
“Why’re you so quiet?”
“Because I’m at the hotel. Not much privacy here. You know where I am.”
“Good. Just do exactly as we all talked about. It will work out perfectly.”
“Yes.”
“Do the girls have any suspicions about anything?”
“Not that I’m aware.”
“Good. Most of us are already up here waiting. Everything will be in place by tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“One more thing…stop talking to me like that. I’ve been making these plans since before you were born, kid. Show me some damn respect.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, sir. Sorry, just don’t want to talk too much about it in public.”
I waited for a response but heard nothing. Looking at my phone, I grumbled under my breath; he had hung up. Tossing the phone back onto the small glass table next to me, I sucked in a deep breath to calm down. This was not the time to lose control. A clear head was essential for what was coming next. And I couldn’t deny I was excited to see everyone. The group was like family. Well, most of them anyway.
They came together in many places to help with the ceremonies once a year. Always in less populated locations to not arouse suspicion and never in huge groups, only twelve or fewer at each place. We couldn’t get much more desolate than the place we had in the UP, except maybe Alaska. There wasn’t even cell service up there, which was a benefit. To keep things as hidden as possible.
I gazed at the bright stars as my mind wandered back to the sisters again. This was the last time I would think of them as people I knew. They were chosen, and there was no alternate option. But a feeling refused to go away when I was around one of the sisters. An unrelenting presence that made me want to shed the secret I had sworn to protect. But that would be a threat to my family, and I’d die before putting them in danger.
The plan would go perfectly. One sister would be sacrificed in two days. It was the same month every year when it had to be done. Always during the full moon. The long thought-out plan changed since they’d decided to go camping. But everything was in place.
And it would happen at the lake.