Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 89074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Feelings don’t work for me, unfortunately. I had to learn to kill that part of myself long ago.
“Ready to fight?”
“Always.”
I suit up in the locker room and then come back to select a foil sword from the racks of available weapons. I try a few, getting a feel for their different weights.
The moment the handle of the right sword is in my hands, I feel myself coming back into my body.
Yes.
I spar with Coach Hemson first, and he’s damn good. He’s particularly stylish with his parrying, and he moves backward much faster than I’d expect based on his frame and laid-back demeanor.
But when I spar with Briar, it’s another feeling entirely.
She’s incredible.
Within moments of her metal clinking against mine, I know she must have trained for far longer than her college years.
I knew she’d be quick, but she’s even more agile than I am.
Her sword hits mine, over and over, the sound reverberating through the room as Coach watches us.
“Good. Great, Zhang,” he calls out as he narrows his eyes, watching us fight.
I stay focused on her movements, and she catches me out once, and then twice. But in the end, I back her into a corner and catch her on a misplayed parry.
She’s faster, but I’m taller.
And I use it to my advantage.
She stumbles backward onto her ass on the mat.
I exhale as I pull up my mask, reaching down to help her up.
“You’re great, Knox,” Coach says. “Don’t think I have to even say this, but you’re on the team, if you want to be.”
“Thank you,” I tell him.
Briar’s eyes are wide, and she’s breathing heavily now. Coach heads over into the supply room, and I’m left with just her on the mat.
“I’m not going to kiss your ass like Hemson,” she says. “You’re good. But you just got lucky, getting me on the ground there.”
I hum. “Maybe next time, you should parry quicker.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “Nice attitude. You pick that up in London, too?”
I bite my tongue.
I wish I could say my attitude was just meant to be light banter, but I’m not about to show Briar how deep my darkness goes.
My tragic life isn’t exactly good conversation.
Not for someone I just met.
Not for anyone.
Because poor Hunter Knox has a sad, ugly little story.
When my sister Lune died, many years ago, it left a deeper wound than any of my others. But sometimes it felt like I was destined for darkness anyway, since the day I was born. Before I lost Lune, my parents made life bad enough for me and Weston anyway.
I didn’t ask for darkness.
It just always found me.
“Thanks,” I tell Briar, ignoring the iceberg of trauma that exists below the surface of my mind.
“Come grab a drink with me?” Briar asks.
Maybe she really does want to fuck.
“What kind of drink?”
She gives me a look. “Not trying to get you in bed. I don’t swing your way, no matter how pretty you are. But maybe you can help me find a nice girl to bring home?”
I nod.
Better than heading to that stupid fucking Stone and Flame party.
I was supposed to show up at the Onyx Society house last night. I opted to sleep in my car instead, because I couldn’t stomach seeing my brother yet.
Apparently, some former Onyx member had been attacked last night.
I didn’t want to deal with my brother’s reaction to that. Weston is particularly insufferable when he’s in a terrible mood.
But tonight I finally had to show up.
I was only allowed into Onyx with a stipulation: I had to attend all society events, otherwise I’d be removed.
The Stone and Flame party was the first of many events I’d need to attend.
Roman Petrov, the heavily tattooed senior Onyx member who pulled strings to let me in, had that stipulation.
So I’m going to show up at the party.
Wearing red.
Because that’s another one of their stupid fucking rules.
Rayne Colson will be there, too.
Something heats in my chest as I think about seeing Rayne for the first time in two years.
Rayne used to come over to our house a lot after school.
Used to love trying to fight me.
Like he craved losing.
Never stopped trying, even though I had every advantage.
Rayne followed in my brother’s goddamn gold-plated footsteps every chance he could get. My brother always wanted to show Rayne “the good life,” bringing him into our world of wealth.
Rayne always watched me.
Lingered on me.
I couldn’t tell if deep down, somewhere behind that Abercrombie jock exterior, Rayne idolized me.
Maybe this party won’t be so bad, after all.
I’ll get to watch the look on Rayne Colson’s face when he sees me again.
3
Rayne
I see the tongue in Mikael’s mouth before I even realize it’s Mikael.
The Stone and Flame party is more than a rager. It’s our biggest party ever, and this time, everyone seemed to show up.
And now I want to tackle Mikael to the ground and punch him in the jaw.