The Initiation (Darkness Within Duet 1)

He didn’t have a doubt in his mind that soon, there would be payback. His father would find some way for him to regret what he’d said, but for now, he’d wait. He’d deal with the consequences when they arose.

“Come on,” he said, kissing Harper’s head. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter Seventeen

Present day

No more waiting.

Harper grabbed her jacket, and to avoid her suddenly caring father, she took the window to make her escape.

It had been a couple of months since Ben’s attack.

Rumors were rife around school, but no one had even thought to say another word to her. It was a good thing because it would mean standing up to her, to Draven, Jett, Buck, and Axel.

All four of them would stand by her. They were her best friends, her soul mates in more ways than one.

Draven, though, he was the head of the pack.

She was drawn to him more than the others, and if it wasn’t for what they both had, she wouldn’t be making her escape to the initiation.

She was ready, even as her hands shook a little.

Climbing down and nearly to the ground, she felt Draven’s hands at her waist, helping her. He pulled her to the ground, and she snuggled against his side as they made their way over to the guys.

None of them looked back as they left. Harper climbed into Draven’s car.

No noise.

Nothing.

Just pure silence.

She stared out of the window, and she couldn’t be afraid. This was what she wanted, all of them together.

They were her protectors, and she bound them together.

It was sex.

In a lot of ways, it was going to be weird, but she could handle it. She could handle whatever they threw at her.

Pushing fingers through her hair, she let out a breath. Glancing over at Draven, she saw he was focused on the road.

They were not going to his place, or Axel’s, or even the condemned building they seemed to love. She hated it when they hung out around the condemned building. It was like they were trying to test fate, to see how far they could push before something bad happened. She had no interest in that. Still, she always got a kick out of it when they ran out of the building.

Draven drove for an hour straight until they arrived at a country house.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Axel’s country home.”

“He owns the house?”

“Technically, yes. His father bought it, but it is in Axel’s name.”

Seconds later, Axel arrived.

“Are you ready for this?”

“I doubt it, but you guys know what you’re doing, right?”

“There’s no backing out. You’ll belong to us. Your future will be with us. There’s no getting out of Stonewall. No going to college. Everything will be with us from here on out.”

“I thought that’s what I was doing?” she asked.

“This is the final commitment, Harper. No running away. No leaving. You’ll be bound to us.”

She stared up into his green eyes and smiled. “This means you can’t get rid of me either.”

“I wouldn’t want to ever get rid of you.”

“You don’t know. You’ve only seen the good stuff so far.” She tried to crack a joke.

“I see everything, Harper. I see you. You’re it for me. My everything. I don’t care about anything else. All I’ve ever wanted is you, and I’m going to keep you, no matter what.” He gripped the back of her neck, tilted her head back, and claimed her lips.

She moaned against his mouth, grasping his jacket as he consumed her.

“Draven’s already getting the party started.” Axel whistled.

“Don’t listen. They’re just jealous.” He took her hand, and they all made their way into the country house.

“I called ahead and had the butler arrange everything so we have food, warmth, and comfort.”

She entered the house and was shocked to see that it was actually bigger than his home back at Stonewall.

“Why do you live there when you can be here?” she asked.

“Dad likes his things a certain way, and well, Stonewall means he can keep an eye on things.”

She looked at Axel and saw him staring at Draven. Something was going on there, but she didn’t know what.

“I’m going to grab a beer,” Buck said.

“Beers all around.” Draven took charge as he always did.

She watched him as he entered the sitting room. All the curtains were drawn, and there was a large area made up in the center of the room. Pillows were all around the floor, blankets. A small fire was dancing in the small earth, with logs stacked beside it.

It reminded her a little of festive movies. Rubbing at her arms, she stepped into the room, kicking off her shoes and socks as she did.

Buck returned, holding out a beer for all of them. She took hers and sipped at it. She didn’t want this night to end up in intoxication, but it was certainly going to help with the nerves she couldn’t budge.