The days were coming to an end, and I was nearly a full member. Seeing the cloak and being allowed to wear it tonight sent a flurry of emotions—both good and bad—through me. I was born to want this… but my soul was cracking at the same time.
Grace pulled out a blue satin dress with thin spaghetti straps. It was the same color as the ball gown she had worn the night I chose her.
She pulled out a string of pearls as well and held them up to her neck. “Pretty.” She then gave me a smirk. “Are you going to rip these off of me again and ruin them?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea what’s in store for tonight. We are now past the point where any recruits have ever attended. So, I haven’t been privy to anything beyond.”
“We’re close,” she said, lifting the dress out of the box.
“Very.”
“Which means it will most likely get harder and harder.”
I nodded as I watched her walk toward the bathroom to change. “I think we can count on that.”
When we entered the white ballroom with candelabras circling the room, the flickering candles told me all I needed to know. I was in a silver cloak, as were all the members, so tonight would be more ritualistic than party. Grace wore the only color in the room.
White room. Silver monsters. Blue beauty.
When the canes beat against the floor to announce our entrance, I placed my hand protectively on Grace’s lower back to try to offer her some sort of comfort. I watched her take a deep breath and relax her shoulders. Her eyes were focused straight ahead, and this stunning warrior of mine was prepared for battle.
A huge part of me wanted to scoop her up into my arms and carry her out of this house, never to look back again. But this wasn’t just about me. I had to remember that Grace had dreams too. This was for her just as much as it was for me.
There was a large structure in the center of the room draped in silver fabric. I couldn’t make out what it was, but I didn’t have to remain in suspense for long. With the pounding of a cane, a few of the Elders approached the structure and removed the covering.
In the middle of this elegant ballroom that reeked of wealth, class, and elitism, stood a nightmarish sight.
Gallows.
The Elders who had revealed the gallows then approached where we stood and took Grace away from me. They led her up the structure before I could even wrap my head around what was happening.
There wasn’t a noose made out of rope hanging from the crossbeam, but instead a noose made out of blue satin—the same exact satin used to make Grace’s dress.
Grace’s eyes were wide, and her lip trembled as she was turned to face me.
My feet felt as if they were rooted in concrete, and my lungs burned as I struggled for air. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. I could do nothing but remain frozen in absolute terror.
What the fuck where they going to do to her?
They kept her dress on which surprised me. The first thing I had expected was for them to strip her naked for all to see. One Elder then removed her pearl necklace and handed it to her.
“If you drop the pearls, the evening’s trial is over. We will free you from the noose. But if you drop them before the time is up, then the entire Initiation will end as well, and you will leave The Oleander. The choice is up to you,” he said.
Grace clutched the pearls with her shaky hand and then looked up at me and gave a very subtle nod. Our connection had reached a point where we understood unspoken words. I could almost hear her telling me to not give up or stop the trial.
She was all in. She would do this… whatever this was.
“Montgomery Kingston, this trial is for you as well and will not be easy,” the Elder said.
The Elders placed the satin noose around Grace’s neck, and I nearly puked. They wouldn’t kill her… no way would they… but still…
“Ten minutes and nine seconds. That is the time the trial must last in order for it to be completed. Ten minutes and nine seconds to test both of your resolves. Ten minutes and nine seconds for us to not only try to break the belle but attempt to break you,” the Elder continued on. “109 days of Initiation, but the next ten minutes and nine seconds will be a test you both may not be able to endure.”
Two Elders approached me, banging their canes as they took every step. I recognized one as being my father. They took hold of my arms and led me to the gallows, right in front of the hatch that I worried would open any minute and drop Grace with the noose around her neck.