Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

“They’re really not at my back,” I explain. “To be honest, I have no idea what Saturday night or today was all about, but for some reason, they just happen to be around whenever shit is going down and they like to play the role of white knights.”

Ember scoffs before taking another big sip of her cocktail. “You’re blind if that’s what you think. Given, I don’t know them on a personal level, but I’ve gone to school with them enough years to know that’s not how they do things. They never back people in fights, they’re more about letting people sort out their own business. They keep to themselves, and the fact that they publicly stood behind you while letting you do your thing shows that you have their protection. You’re one of them now.”

A burst of laughter shoots out of me and I find it impossible to control myself. “Holy shit, Ember, that’s funny,” I say, wiping the tears out of my eyes. “Thank you, I really needed that laugh.”

“I, uhh … I’m not joking.”

I stare at her blankly. Is she insane? “You’re kidding, right? You really think that?”

“Yeah, I do. I’ve been around long enough to know how they work, and you, you big turd, have just been recruited as their fifth member. They fought those guys for you on Saturday night, Cruz watched over you yesterday, and now today they back you in a fight, finish the job, and don’t say a word about you chilling out here all day? I don’t know what it is, but something has changed. You’re one of them and you don’t even notice.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re insane,” I tell her, dropping the ice pack onto the sunbed and taking my cocktail out of her hand. “Tell me about them. What else is there to know?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. They really do keep to themselves. There’s not much to say. I know about the secret society rumor and how all of their families are supposedly involved in it. I know that they all live together because their parents are always gone. It's probably better than being alone in their big ass mansions. They're as tight as brothers, but it’s one of those things where their loyalty to each other is thicker than blood.”

My brows raise, intrigued by this group of guys. “Shit,” I say, still not sure I really want to believe this secret society rumor, but from the sound of it, Ember is a true believer, and she’s been around here a lot longer than I have. Not to mention, Cruz did say something about all their parents working together. I wonder if that’s what he was referring to?

“Yeah, they’re literally an impenetrable force. The four of them together … it’s something else. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What do you know about this secret society?”

A grin splits across her face. “Not much,” she admits, clearly excited by the idea. “But word has it that they’re called Dynasty and it’s been around for generations. Like, so long that even my parents had heard of the rumors long before I did, even their parents.”

“What? Seriously?” I ask, starting to wonder if this rumor has a bit of merit.

She nods her head like one of those bobble-head dolls. “Yeah,” she says, taking another quick sip of her drink. “That’s all anyone really seems to know about it, so my guess is that it’s true, but it’s probably just a bunch of old dudes who like to suck each other’s dicks to feel important, and when they die, it’ll move onto the next generation of dick suckers.”

I can’t help but laugh, when it comes down to secret societies, most of the time, that’s exactly what’s going down. It’s like a frat house for old guys who didn’t want to say goodbye to their college years. “Okay,” I tell her. “If all of this is true, then why the hell are they interested in protecting me?”

Ember looks at me, her brow raising in suspicion. “You know what?” she says, taking another long sip. “That’s a really good question.”

CHAPTER 12

Ember was right—the girls at school have suddenly become team Winter and I fucking hate it.

I sit in the middle of the quad, watching the school around me as I eat my lunch and listen to the not-so-soothing babble coming out of Ember’s mouth. I don’t know how she does it, but she always has something to say. Usually, I’d find a trait like that deathly irritating, but with Ember, it seems to be the one thing that helps keep my mind at ease and not focused on all the things it shouldn’t be thinking about.

My fingers curl into a fist, feeling my brass knuckles tighten around my hand as the need to walk out of the school and light up a cigarette fires through me, but I can’t. Not with the eyes of everyone on me, it’s too risky. Smoking isn’t exactly a crime around here, but it’s not something I usually do with the eyes of the world on me. It’s my vice, my coping mechanism, and I hate when people know when I’m feeling weak.