Asshole.
My teeth grind together behind pursed lips as I try to focus on something, anything, that will help distract me from the fact that this is fucking crazy.
Phillip pulls out the small slip of paper and unfolds it, keeping his eyes on the prosapia. “Tonight, one of you will be chosen. It is a great honor, a great privilege, to be bound to an Electi.” His eyes flick to the note, a deep frown marring his forehead. The blood drains from his face as he looks back to us. “I-I don’t understand—”
“Spit it out, old man,” Cade jokes, “we have a party to get to.”
Oh goodie, the after-party. I can hardly wait for that.
“Ah yes, of course.” Phillip clears his throat. “Cade Kingsley, on behalf of Quinctus, please step forward and accept Miss Mia Thompson as your prosapia.”
I blink, certain I must have misheard him.
“Thompson?” Cade balks at the same time as Brook shrieks, “What the fuck?”
“Mia.” The girl next to me jabs my ribs. “It’s you,” she whispers. “You need to go up there.”
“W-what?” I croak, unable to process what’s happening.
But then Phillip steps forward, commanding silence. “The calix has spoken,” he says more firmly this time, as if there’s no confusion, no mistake. “Mia Thompson is Cade’s prosapia.”
Oh, fuck.
1
Bexley
"Come on, it's a party," Alex whines. "Our first college party."
"I'm not interested," I mutter, resting back on my bed and staring at the ceiling in the hope he gets the idea and fucks off to the party without me.
"But it's a Cade Kingsley party."
"And that's meant to persuade me? He's a prick," I say with complete honesty.
Alex and I started classes at Gravestone University on Monday, and I can't help feeling like I've pissed Kingsley off, because every time I'm anywhere near him or his little crew they throw me some serious shade.
I've never even spoken to the guy, so fuck knows what his issue is. All I do know is that he won't want me there.
"Granted, but his parties are legendary. At least, so I’ve heard."
"Still not making it sound appealing. I've got weed, and I've got vodka. I'm all set for the night."
"You're a boring motherfucker, you know that, right?"
I cringe at his words. I never used to hide like this. I used to be the life and soul of any party. But that was then. This is now, and things are different.
"I don't care. I just want to go to college and then get out of this weird-ass town. I don't even know why I'm here." Of all the places my parents could have sent me after… after I fucked up and shamed them in our old town, they had to send me here. I know they wanted me out of the way, but it's just bizarre here.
"You owe me one,” he smirks, “in case you've forgotten."
"How'd you figure?" I ask the one and only person I've connected with since I was sent to Gravestone nine months ago.
Despite my desire to keep my head down and just get through each day, Alex, the persistent fuck, won't leave me alone. He seems to think we're friends. I just wonder what's wrong with everyone else in this godforsaken town for him to want to hang out with me.
"I went to Sterling Bay with you for that wedding."
"Yeah, although I don't remember asking you to go." Although having Alex with me to face the mistakes of my past wasn’t exactly a bad thing. Not that I’ll ever tell him.