The Ritual

Choosing my question carefully, I ask, “Haven’t you ever wanted to do something for yourself?”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course.”

I know when I’m done with her, she will be Matt’s wife. It won’t matter if she hates him or not. She will spend the rest of her life serving him. But before then, she’ll serve me.

“I’ve tried to look it up online …”

I laugh, and her eyes shoot daggers at me. “You won’t find anything about a Lord or chosen one on the internet.”

Growling, she stomps her foot. “Then where?”

Stepping back into her, I place my hands flat against the wall on either side of her head. She stiffens, sucking in a breath. “You won’t find anything about us anywhere. Because the Lords don’t discuss their lives with outsiders,” I say simply.

The tip of her tongue peeks out before she sucks her bottom lip in and nibbles on it. “If I …” She pauses. “Choose to be your chosen one.” Lowering her voice, she whispers, “Will you hurt me?”

Giving her a smirk, I answer truthfully. “Yes.”

She whimpers, her eyes falling closed.

“But … I’ll also make you like it.”

Her eyes open, and she stares up at me. I can see it. She’s so fucking curious. Blakely Anderson is starving for something that not just any man can give her. But I can. I’ll show her just what Matt refused to. “Matt didn’t want you, Blake,” I say. Dropping my hand from the wall, I run it down her neck, feeling her pulse race. “But I do.” Not a total lie. I might have never looked at her twice if not for the order to make her my chosen. But I see her now. And she’s exactly what I fucking need. A toy to use. A body to fuck. And sweet fucking revenge.

“You only want me because of Matt,” she states, sticking out her chin as if she can read my mind.

I smile but don’t correct her. Blakely’s a smart woman. Instead, I say, “And that’s the exact reason you’ll choose to be mine.” With that, I push off the wall, giving her my back, and leave her standing there to think about our conversation.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

BLAKELY

MONDAY AFTERNOON, I enter the apartment and walk into my bedroom. It’s been a long day. I’m exhausted and want nothing more than to lie down in bed and go to sleep. I didn’t sleep all weekend. Instead, I lay in bed thinking over what Ryat said to me in the library Friday night.

He’s right about several things. But he was wrong about me only wanting to be his because of Matt. I’ve let him dictate my life for too long. For what? A pretend relationship? The thought of being Ryat’s chosen is only that—being his.

Removing the hoodie, I go to toss it onto the bed but pause when I spot a small black box already sitting on it.

“Sarah?” I call out. As far as I know, she’s still in class.

That wasn’t there when I left this morning. Walking over to it, I open it up to see a note that says drink me sitting next to a small vial of clear liquid. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’ve popped pills back in high school with Sarah but never done anything liquid other than alcohol. Something tells me this isn’t vodka.

There’s also a small picture underneath it. I pick it up and flip it over. It’s of me in the library—the same one that Ryat sent me before I found him standing in the library. My head snaps up, doing a quick look around my room. My heart accelerates, and I stare back down at it in my hand. “Hello?” I call out again. “Is someone here?”

No answer.

“Ryat?” I ask, swallowing nervously. He took that picture, so he had to have left this box. How did he get in? Did he ask Sarah to help him?

I jump when my cell rings. Dropping the vial and picture back onto the bed, I grab my phone and hit answer. “Hello?” I say, trying to calm my racing heart.

“You embarrassed him?” my mother snaps in my ear.

“What?” I ask, doing another quick look around my room. I walk to my closet and look inside it, but it’s all clear.

“Matt,” she growls. “Kimberly said you embarrassed him in front of his peers on Friday.”

“I’m not talking about this, Mom,” I say, going into my bathroom. Still alone.

“I don’t know what the hell is happening there, but know this, Blakely Rae. You will not mess this up for the family. You will get married to Matt. Keep this up, and it’ll be much sooner than expected.” She hangs up.

I come back to my room and plop down on the side of my bed.

The vial sits next to me, and tears fill my eyes. I can’t stop it. I can’t control it. My life has never been mine. Why did I think it would be now? I will be Mrs. Blakely Winston no matter what I do. The thought is crippling, knowing I’ll live a lie in a loveless marriage. I did have feelings for Matt. It took me a while, but I was okay with spending forever with him.