Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
“Where is my uniform I was wearing?” I ask him.
“Burned it,” he answers, not even bothering to look at me.
Motherfucker …
The door slides open, and we enter a hallway and move toward a closed door. Opening it up for me, he steps to the side to allow me to enter. Stepping in, I come to a halt. My legs are unable to take me any farther. My father sits in a chair with a man I don’t know next to him.
“Blakely,” he growls my name and shoots to his feet.
I spin around to leave, but Ryat shoves me farther into the room, closing the door behind him and caging me in.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” my father snaps, rounding the long table.
“Me?” I gasp, pointing a finger at my chest. “You sold me.”
He snorts. “I didn’t take a penny for you.”
I frown. “But Matt …”
“Matt was pissed because Ryat announced your marriage. He would have said anything to make you leave,” the man who remains sitting adds. He seems much calmer than my father, which makes me wonder who he is and why he’s here.
No! Matt wasn’t just convincing, things he said made sense. Like pieces of a puzzle that clicked together. But just to make sure, I spin around to face Ryat. “So you didn’t offer money for me?”
He leans up against the closed door as if to block it in case I try to bolt. Crossing his arms over his chest, he answers, “No. I did.”
My mouth falls open. I fucking knew it! “I’m not a whore, Ryat.”
He says nothing, but my father isn’t done. “I always knew Matt was a sorry piece of shit. That’s why I forced Ryat to pick you as his chosen.”
I blink. He did not just say what I thought he did. “You what …?” I look back at Ryat, and once again, he says nothing. Just stares at me like he did when I was on my ass in the hall after I ran into him. Threatening and indifferent at the same time. That playful and carefree Ryat from our wedding night long gone. Back to all business. I’m just a fucking order to him.
“But he chose to marry you,” I hear my father add.
“What?” I take a step back, so I can see them both at the same time. The back of my neck is sore, probably from when Prickett was pinning me down on the table. I’m tired of looking back and forth between my father and my husband. “You make it sound like I should be grateful,” I snap at my father. What does he expect me to do? Get on my hands and knees and thank Ryat for marrying me so I didn’t have to spend a life with Matt? Right now, I’m trying to see how Ryat is any better? Why did it have to be one or the other?
“You should,” he demands, stepping into me.
A hand grips my upper arm, and I’m yanked to the side, and I hit a hard body before Ryat places his arm around my shoulders.
My father lets out a long breath. “I’m not going to put my hands on her like my wife did.”
I blink, trying to keep up with the change of topics. “How do you know that?” Ryat had to have informed him of what happened. He’s the only other person who knows.
My father waves a hand, dismissing me. “Now that you’re back, we have shit to take care of,” he states.
“Like what?” I ask, my pulse racing. What could possibly need to be done?
“You must be initiated.”
That word has my stomach knotting. “What do you mean?” I ask slowly, pulling away from Ryat. Thankfully, he lets go of me.
“I mean, Ryat is going to be powerful-“
“Yeah, yeah, a renowned judge in New York,” I interrupt him. “But what does that have to do with me?”
The other man stands from his seat. “Who told you that?” he demands, his eyes glaring at Ryat’s over my shoulder.
“Matt,” I answer.
Silence blankets the room, making my breathing pick up. Was I not supposed to know that? If so, what will they do now that they know I do. “I haven’t told anyone,” I add quickly. “Ryat didn’t even know that I knew.”
“Is this true?” the man demands of Ryat.
“Yes,” he grinds out.
Shit! He’s mad at me even more now? Was I supposed to tell him what I knew? “Why … why is that a secret?” I come out and ask.
The man takes his seat, glaring at me now. “Anyway, the Ladies have different tiers, just as the Lords,” he goes on, totally ignoring my question. “You will be as high as you can get. A Lady always matches her Lord.”
I reach up and rub my temples, closing my eyes for a brief second. “I’m fucking tired, and a little slow from being drugged.” My eyes spring open. “So, can someone explain to me what is going on instead of talking in riddles?” I snap. What the fuck is a Lady? And what does it have to do with Ryat being a Lord?
“You will receive a text giving you a name, a location, and a time,” my father starts. “This will be the orders of your initiation.”
I snort. “I’m not joining this secret society!” They’ve lost their fucking minds. “I want nothing to do with the Lords.”
The other man jumps to his feet once more. “You will do what we say-“
“Give us the room,” Ryat interrupts the man.
The guy storms out, but my dad takes his time. Coming up next to us, he places his hand on Ryat’s shoulder. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Then he walks out.
“What is going on, Ryat?” I demand the moment the door closes behind them. “And don’t lie to me.”
He pulls out one of the black leather chairs at the table and gestures for me to sit. Rolling my eyes, I plop down into it. Ryat pulls out the one beside me and spins it so we’re face-to-face. Leaning forward, he places his elbow on his knees. “We’re already married, Blake,” he reminds me. “If you don’t get initiated in, then you are removed as Lady.”
My eyes widen. “We can get a divorce?” Maybe there’s hope after all.
“No!” he snaps, making me jump. Dropping his head, he runs his hands through his hair. A clear sign he’s getting pissy with me.
Taking a second to get a good look at him, I see how tired his green eyes look. I wonder if he’s lost sleep like me. I wonder if he thought of me like I did him. “I don’t understand.” I soften my voice. “You just said-“
“You either kill or get killed,” he growls, interrupting me.
I laugh at that but stop when he just glares at me. “This has to be a joke, right?”
“There is no way around it!” he snaps, jumping to his feet.
He can’t be serious. I must still be knocked out. Maybe I’m having a nightmare. Or possibly hallucinating. “I can’t …”
“Yes, you can.” He nods. “I knew what you would have to do going into this.”
“How could you?” I whisper, feeling my throat tighten. I was an assignment that he tried to buy. And now I’m a Lady who has to kill someone?
“We all make sacrifices in order to get what we want,” he states.
I stand on shaky legs, my hands fisting at my sides. Stepping into him, he looks down at me, his green eyes the coldest I’ve ever seen them. It makes me realize just how good of an actor he was and how stupid I am. “What you don’t seem to understand is that I no longer want to be your wife, Ryat! And I don’t want to join your stupid secret society. So, no, I don’t want to sacrifice anything for you because I don’t want to be with you.” My heart is hammering in my chest while the blood rushes in my ears at the lie. I can’t let him see how much I missed him. I felt something for him the night of the ceremony, but then Matt fucked it all up with what he told me. I hate him too. Maybe Sarah was right-I was better off being in the dark.