Kade frowned. “Oliver?”
He didn’t know an Oliver. Vince’s eyes flared, his sick amusement flashing brightly at Kade. If he choked his brother out and killed Gage right now, who would know? Who would care?
“Oh, you don’t know?” Vince’s throat tightened with a swallow, then a chuckle. “Oliver is Nine’s new cousin. One of the moderators in the Milano residence told me they were up late last night, chatting in whispers. If I heard correctly, Oliver followed your precious little cunt into her bedroom.”
Kade’s face pinched into a scowl. “You think I’m worried about a cousin? Nine would never.”
Vince struggled against Kade’s grip, but Kade didn’t loosen it.
“You two are on the rocks, are you not?”
“None of your business.”
“You’re telling me she wouldn’t fuck randoms for comfort? For the attention they all crave? As for Oliver, shit. Don’t bank on us all being like you. Even I’d fuck my cousin.”
“It’s against Fortunate laws.”
“But she’s not officially a Fortunate. Not until she’s sworn in by John Milano, her lovely new step-father.” Vince glances at the sky. “Which reminds me, you might want to get off so I can get ready. I’m hosting Nine’s party in a few hours.”
Hosting? Kade thought. A party? Nine’s party? Excitement wound tight in Kade’s stomach at the thought of seeing her again, but then he remembered what he did…and how mad Nine was. Kade lifted himself off his brother, who quickly scurried to his feet.
“Oh, by the way, I’m told Oliver has requested you don’t attend. Ouch. Who knows, maybe she prefers to fuck her relatives.” Vince dusted off his shirt and the knees of his pants. “So much for wedding bells.”
Vince whistled at the moderator and stormed off, leaving Kade standing on the riverbank by himself. Why wouldn’t he be welcome at Nine’s ceremony? And who the hell does this Oliver guy think he is?
He swiped a frustrated hand over his mouth and started back through the forest. He didn’t want to waste time standing around and wondering why Vince would host a party for a girl he hated.
The whole idea didn’t sit right with him. Vince was planning something. He could feel it in his bones.
Regardless of what Oliver wanted or what Vince and Nine wanted, Kade would attend the party and God help anyone who tried to stop him.
∞ Nine ∞
Fortunates mill about like goldfish in a pond. The women swish and swirl in streaks of bright colour against the black fabric of the men’s suits. They look beautiful, but even I know the more colourful the bug, the deadlier the bite.
Still, I envy them.
They look so comfortable, so at ease. Will I ever fit in with them? Do I want to?
I hide behind a thick, marble column at the top of the stairs, knowing that all of the attention will be on me if I make myself known. I don’t want to go down there. I’ll feel exposed—even with this stupid black lace mask covering most of my face.
“Scared?”
I jump, clenching my fists at my side.
Kaden.
There’s no mistaking that tone, deep and rough, and there’s no ignoring my increasing heart rate. His voice sings to me, to my blood.
I thought I’d have to do this alone. Oliver told me Kade didn’t want to come. He said Kade was preoccupied with more important things, like Elizabeth. Whether or not I believe what Oliver said, I don’t know. Kade has a habit of acting irrationally when he’s mad. I made him mad last night. I made him very mad.
I slip my hand onto the marble banister to cool the fires burning in my palms.
“Hardly,” I state, turning around.
Typically, Kade isn’t following the dress code, opting for a steel grey suit instead of the required black, and forgoing the mask all together. I hold my breath as his gaze sweeps over me, admiring me from head to toe, and I lean against the railing. “Couldn’t find a mask in time?”
“I didn’t come for the party, Nine,” he rasps, sounding tired.
My tummy flips and crashes into my inflating heart. Nerves eat at me, inciting a tremble in my hands. To sate them, I run my palms over my hips, straightening the ruffles in my red gown.
“Nine? How do you know you have the right girl?” I ask, avoiding his eyes.
With one hand in his pocket, Kade steps closer, trapping my breath in my throat. He slides his free hand around my waist, spreading it against the small of my back. “I could pick you out of a room full of people blind and handless.”
With slight pressure, he pulls me against his body. I wonder if he can feel my heart slamming into his chest, or feel my nerves as they zip along the surface of my skin. I look up at him as he cranes his neck. The rest of the party falls away, fading into a blur that no longer matters. We’ve never been this close in public. The thought makes me dizzy.
Freeing his hand from his pocket, he reaches for my mask and grips the very edge in his fingers.
“Don’t hide your pretty face behind this mask.”
I attempt to turn away, but he catches my face in his hand, stilling me. He traces the soft tips of his fingers along the outline of my mask. His dark, beautiful eyes flick over my hidden face, down my neck and onto my chest. The briefest twitch pulls at his bottom lip before he flicks his stare back to my face. Kade lifts the mask, pulling it off over my head, and he tosses it to the floor. Locks of my auburn hair fall around my face and I feel vulnerable…like people can now see me for who I truly am.
A fraud.
“People are staring,” I mutter as he lowers his forehead to mine.
“Let them stare. We’re not doing anything wrong.”
Aren’t we? I’ve barely been a Fortunate for forty-eight hours and this is how we act in public? We’re practically screaming that we fell in love before we were allowed to. Surely there has to be some repercussions for that?
“Well, look who decided to show up.”
I stiffen against Kade. His body tightens against mine. It’s good to know the same cruel, sinister voice sets us on edge. We turn our heads in time to see Vince lower his black and white mask, exposing a wry smirk as it stretches over his features. Elizabeth holds on to his arm, wearing a beautiful purple gown. Her sneer burns my skin, but I don’t look at her. I don’t give her the satisfaction.
I clear my throat. “I invited him.”
Vince’s volcanic gaze flick to me. “You invited him?”
I nod. “I cleared it with John Milano.”
A lie. I didn’t clear anything with John Milano, but he’s busy with his family, grieving a lost wife and adoring mother.
“It was last minute so Kade didn’t have time to dress appropriately or locate a mask.”
Elizabeth huffs, her upper lip twitching in disgust. “Why are you always meddling with things that don’t concern you?”
Things that don’t concern me? Is this not my party? Is she not in my house? My eyebrows furrow. “I’d say for once this does concern me.”
“Nothing ever concerns yo—”
Vince wraps a long, slim arm around Elizabeth’s waist and pulls her close. She switched from one brother to another? From a decent man to a lesser one? I don’t know if it’s clear to Vince or not, but Elizabeth is obviously not interested in anything other than what the Sario house can provide her.
“It doesn’t matter,” Vince says with a chuckle. “I’m glad you could join us, brother. Enjoy the show.”
They turn away from us and stroll toward the winding staircase that leads directly to the foyer filled with dancing Fortunates. As they reach the very first step, Elizabeth peers over her shoulder.
“Thanks for last night, Kaden.”
I swallow hard, hating the way her venomous words constrict my chest. With a final smirk, they descend the stairs, leaving Kade and I stewing in an awkward silence.
“So it’s true,” I mutter, stepping away from Kade.
“What’s true?”
“You were with Elizabet
h…last night.”
Indifference glosses over his features. “I was with her, but I didn’t—Nine!”
I walk away, my bare, hidden feet slapping the cold tiles. An Unfortunate brought me a pair of shoes to wear specifically with this dress, but I tried them on and I almost broke my neck. I don’t like wearing shoes and I don’t think that will ever change. My feet have endured eighteen years of wear and tear. The bottoms of my feet are stronger than the sole of any boot or heel.
Kade snatches my wrist and pulls hard. I zip toward him, managing to press my hand against his chest, stopping myself from slamming into his body.
“Why are you mad? I didn’t do anything.”
“I’m not mad. I’m…” Is there even a word for it? Okay, so I am angry at him. I’m angry at Elizabeth too, and I’m angry at myself. “I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to fight them and you.”
Somehow maintaining their fierceness, his eyes soften around the edges. “So stop fighting me. We’re on the same team. I want what you want.”
I slump my shoulders. That’s where he’s wrong. See, Oliver told me exactly what Kaden needs. He needs a wife and an heir before Vince turns twenty-five. If Vince beats him to it, Kade will lose his position as the head of the house. Our wants and needs don’t align. Kade wants a family, but I want war. I thought about it all night. Wars change our course, right? For better, or for worse, they change the way we live. I know the last war destroyed humanity, but the purpose of my war is to save what’s left. Which leaves me with my question, does Kade want a war? Or does he want me to bear a child who will murder and rape in the name of society? A child that will grow up with Vincent Sario as its uncle. There’s only one way to find out.
“Do you want children?” I ask and Kaden flinches, his brows pulling together.
“Where did that come from?”
My pulse pounds in my ears, pushing me toward a headache. “I just want to know where our mutual interests lie.”
He sighs. “Yes. I’ve recently decided I would like to have children.”
More like he recently found out that he needs to have children.
“How many?”
“A handful,” he says with a shrug. “Four or five.”
“And you’d raise them here? In this world?”
Kade cocks an eyebrow. “Where else would I raise them?”
I deflate and my heart weeps. Is this the pivotal moment when a lover becomes an enemy? The moment when I have to choose between what’s right and what’s right for me?
“You don’t want what I want,” I tell him and a lump forms in my throat.
The trembling starts in my fingers, vibrating its way up my arms. I’m not equipped to be a wife or a mother. I don’t know how.
“You don’t want children?”
I shake my head.
“Nine, it’s imperative that I have children before—”
“I want war,” I hiss in an angry whisper.
Blood drains from his handsome face. “What did you say?”
“I want to wage a war. With you…or against you.”
Oliver told me not to tell Kade about the phase he calls “The Secret Ribbon,” but I trust Kade wholeheartedly. He would never betray me. He’s the only person I trust to take a secret as important as this to his grave. The least I can do is trust him. He trusts me with the secret of his father’s murder, after all.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I do.”
“We don’t need a war, Nine,” he whispers. “We can be together now. We can be happy.”
I lean in. “You can be happy. So we get married, I pop out a bunch of spoiled Fortunates, and you get to keep your house.” I swallow the lump down. “Then what? What about me? I can’t have that life. I will wither away, disintegrate into an empty shell. I will hate you, my children, myself, and the rest of society before taking my own life.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
My stomach clenches. Dramatic? Of course I’m being dramatic. These are dramatic times.
“I know it will happen. It’s almost like I’ve seen it—like I’ve already lived it.” Anxiously, I scratch my cheek. “Don’t make me live that life, Kaden. I die miserable and alone in that life.”
“You think the outcome will be different if you go to war? You’ll die there too. Sooner than you would living as a Fortunate with me.”
“Maybe so, but at least I’ll die serving a greater purpose.”
Kade rubs his hands over my shoulders and down my back. “You’re under a lot of stress, Nine. I know this change is really difficult for you, but—”
I laugh and it’s a laugh that hides a sob. My eyes fill with tears, but I don’t let them fall. “Don’t make me feel crazy, Kaden. I’m not crazy.”
He cups my face in his large hands, planting quick, soft kisses on my nose. “I know. I know you’re not crazy.”
He pulls me into a hug, swallowing me up in his large arms.
“We can talk. After this is over, I promise we can have an in-depth discussion. I’ll listen to everything you have to say, but not here. It’s dangerous here.”
I nod against his chest, messing my hair. I wish I could stay like this forever, tucked away. I close my eyes and wrap my arms around Kade’s waist. This is nice. This is safe.
“Anna!”
My heart sinks into my non-existent shoes and, for the second time tonight, Kade’s body tightens against mine as Vince’s voice echoes around us.
So much for safe.
“Anna, come here.”
Kade releases me and I lean away from him, peering curiously over the banister and onto the foyer. There is no music, no chatter, and no dancing. Excitement crackles through the air, inflicting a heavy bout of nausea onto me. The last time I felt an atmosphere like this, an Unfortunate was forcing his fingers inside of me—by Vince’s instruction.
My gaze locks with Vince’s and I’m met with that same cruel, wry smile. To his left, Elizabeth stands tall, her slim hands planted firmly on her hips.
“Time for your initiation,” he calls out, lifting a handgun above his head.
An outrageously loud applause explodes around the room, sending my pulse sky-rocketing.
I glance at Kade over my shoulder and he tilts his head, his face sympathetic and apologetic. Why?
Cautiously, I move toward the staircase and descend it as calmly as I can. Kade is close behind me, his hand occasionally brushing against my spine. Fortunates part, creating an obstruction-free path to Vince, who refuses to drop the smug look off of his face.
Five metres away, I see it. The young Unfortunate in front of him. He sits on his ankles, his bare knees pressing against the cold floor. My breath hitches and my heart rips in half. Clenching my jaw, I don’t let my pain etch onto my face. I can’t. Not here.
Vince beams widely, extending the handle of the gun in my direction. “I want you to shoot the Unfortunate.”
I flinch, taking a minute step back. “What did he do?”
Vince scoffs with a glance around the room.
“What did he do?” He chuckles, drawing the snicker of a few others. “That’s cute.”
Kade moves in behind me, planting a firm, comforting hand on my hip. It does nothing to calm the cataclysmic storm inside me.
“He was born, Anna.” Vince steps close and holds out the gun. “We need to make sure you understand the way the food chain works around here.”
I shake my head and a collective gasp echoes around the room. He’s out of his mind. I’m not shooting anyone and definitely not for entertainment.
“I don’t have to listen to you,” I say, my voice shaking.
“Me? No, but you will prove that you’re on our side by killing this Unfortunate.”
Killing an innocent places me on their side? Surely they can see that puts them so clearly on the wrong side?
“This exercise has no merit, Vincent. It doesn’t prove anything,” Kade protests, hi
s booming voice sending a tremble through my knees.
“Oh, but it does, and it’s been approved by three of the four families. She has no option.”
“You didn’t consult me.”
“I didn’t have to. Majority rules. We didn’t need a unanimous decision. You’re outvoted.”
Kade falls silent beside me, but the grip he has on my hip is anything but placid. Sauntering closer, Vince snatches my wrist and slaps the heavy gun into my palm. I cave to the pressure, to the eyes glued on my every move, and close my hand around the handle. It’s heavy and warm…a whole lot of death and sadness packed into one small metal weapon.
The Fortunates watch me with their eager stares, waiting for blood to be spilled. Tears sting my eyes as I finally drag my gaze to the Unfortunate on his knees.
He doesn’t look back at me. He’s not allowed to. We grew up in the same hell, went through the same motions, and experienced the same fear, but I’m no longer allowed to see him as being worth anything? Yesterday he could have spat on me and no one would have cared, but today my skin is too good for his gaze to rest upon?
A simple blood test confirmed that Fortunates were my birth parents and that suddenly makes my blood gold? It doesn’t make sense.
I’m faced with a dilemma. Right now, I can shoot him and be accepted into the Fortunate community with open arms, or I can lower the gun and be even more of a pariah than I already am. Two souls rage inside of me. One wants to be loved by someone—by everyone—and the other wants me to take a stand and defend the defenceless.
I clench my jaw and focus on Kade’s hand on my hip. His grip is tight, but allowing. Through the touch alone, I know he’s letting me decide what to do.
I lift the gun, ignoring the way my whole arm trembles. Rogue tears spill over my lids and drip down my face, but I’m not crying. I feel Kade’s breath on the back of my ear as it blows against my hair. With his whisper, he tells me it’s going to be okay.
It’s not going to be okay. This life will never be okay and I’m not okay with that.
“Look at me,” I bark at the Unfortunate, surprised by the aggressive tone in my voice.