Otherworldly Bad Boys: Three Complete Novels (57 page)

“And Forest Stephens?” Adelaide said. “You still claim you had nothing to do with that?”

“How could I have?” I smiled. “He was a pedophile, Adelaide. They found all those websites on his computer. The FBI took him away. How could have that have had anything to do with me?”

She sipped at her cocoa, chuckling. “You would go that far, Carter. You would ruin a man—”

“I just told you I didn’t—”

“Don’t play games with me,” she said. “We both know what you were willing to do.”

I leaned back in my chair. I smirked at her.

“So, please tell me, Carter, why I can’t shake the feeling that you’re sabotaging the ritual now.”

“I wouldn’t have the faintest idea why you’d think that,” I said. “The ritual is the most important thing to me.” Except that I wasn’t sure that was true anymore. It was quite possible that being balls deep in Teagan’s pussy was the most important thing to me right now. And that terrified me, because it made absolutely no sense.

“I hope it is,” she said. “For all our sakes, I hope it is.”

I got up from the table. I had to finish it. I had to take Miss Moss before she made me lose my focus. Because if she kept distracting me, I might...

The ritual was important to me.

And I only worried about what it would do to Teagan because I wanted to fuck her.

That was all.

So, that was what I’d do. I’d fuck her brains out.

No. I guess that was what the ritual would do.

But it wasn’t funny, not even in a sardonic way. I didn’t think I wanted her hurt.

I strode across Adelaide’s kitchen to her door. I paused with my hand on the knob. “You know I’d never let anything stop the ritual. You know that.”

“See that it doesn’t.”

I flung the door open and stepped out into the night. I couldn’t find Teagan tonight. Whatever Adelaide had done to me had taken too much of a toll. I was exhausted. And tomorrow wasn’t good either. There was another meeting of Scales and Fangs. We were taking the initiates into the inner sanctum.

Could I find her afterwards somehow?

I had to.

* * *

Teagan

The inner sanctum of Scales and Fangs was truly awe-inspiring. It was located underneath the tree in the forest. There was a secret trap door in the forest that opened onto steps descending deep underground.

Down there, the place was all arched ceilings and candlelight. There were hallways and rooms—a labyrinth of tiles and stone fixtures.

All the decoration was snakes.

And I stood in the center of a huge reception hall with my fellow Scales and Fangs initiates, completely unable to concentrate on whatever the hooded members of the society were droning on about because I was feeling really stupid.

The chant last time. There was something I’d recognized, and now I remembered what it was. The phrase “gods of the sky” and the reference to serpents.

Hell, Scales and Fangs was called what it was because of snakes, quite obviously.

My aunts had chanted over me for years of my life, always making me respond that I was a servant of the sky. Always they asked things of Innarra, the sky serpent goddess.

My mother drew snakes all over her walls.

All of this was
connected
somehow.

Why hadn’t I seen this before? I supposed I’d been too caught up in how exciting it was to actually be able to go to college after all this time. I was twenty-one. I’d given up hope of ever being able to get away from my aunts. I wanted this so badly—a chance to be myself, to do what I wanted for a change.

I guessed that I’d allowed myself not to see it. I hadn’t wanted to see it.

And there had been other distractions as well.

Professor Alexander.

Well, Professor Alexander was another layer of confusing badness. Why had he left me last night? What could have been so important that he wouldn’t have finished what we’d started? I wasn’t buying the idea that he couldn’t make up an excuse to get out of planning a surprise party for a fellow colleague.

No, he’d been talking about something else in his yard with Professor Bancroft. I didn’t know what, but I had a suspicion that it had something to do with me.

Professor Alexander was part of Scales and Fangs.

He was in my dreams.

My aunts had always told me that the man in the dreams was dangerous to me. That he would steal my light.

What if they didn’t mean my virginity?

What if he was some other kind of danger, made worse by the fact that he was desirable to me, that I wanted him so badly?

I looked around at the robed figures that surrounded me and the other initiates. One of them was Professor Alexander. I tried to guess which one, but they all looked the same. Dark hooded robes hanging low. Faceless people who were silent except when they chanted over us.

One of the figures was talking now, extolling the virtues of being part of Scales and Fangs, talking about all the advantages we’d have if we were part of this society.

But there was something else at work here. I didn’t know what it was, but Scales and Fangs was connected to the snake goddess my aunts worshipped. And if that was the case, then there must be a reason why they’d picked me for the society. I must have some kind of purpose here.

I wanted to run.

Break through the circle, tear across the stone floor, and...

But I’d never make it out. They’d led us through some kind of maze to get here. I’d never remember all the twists and turns. I’d end up lost down here. Maybe no one would find me. Maybe I’d wander until I died of thirst. Going through the maze until I couldn’t move. Stumbling and falling and waiting until darkness claimed me.

I shivered.

And I stayed. I waited until they were finished with whatever they said.

Then they led us back through the maze, up the steps, and into the forest. We stood in front of that creepy tree, and I remembered the way its branches had turned into snakes.

I shivered again.

One of the robes spoke. “Scatter, initiates. No one must see you together.”

They urged each of us to go off in different directions, telling us that if we started to arrive back at our dorms at the same time to hang back so as not to be suspicious.

I was actually glad of it. Nell would want to talk about how excited she was, and I wasn’t excited at all. I was terrified. My plan was to get back to the dorm as quickly as I could, to call my aunts and talk to them about the secret society, and then—

What?

Was I going to leave?

I didn’t want to leave, and I knew that was what they would tell me to do.

The forest was dark and gloomy around me, misty as the air cooled in the darkness. I was forced to walk slowly so that I didn’t run into anything.

But if I was in danger, I had to leave, didn’t I? I mean, I wanted to go to college, but not if it meant I was going to be hurt or killed. Of course, thinking about going back to my aunts’ house seemed a bit like a death sentence right now. I’d never get a chance like this again. I’d be stuck there with them, safe and boring.

I brushed aside a wayward tree branch. I could see the lights of my dorm up ahead.

“Miss Moss.” His voice was a hiss in the darkness.

I turned to see him, still in his robe, his hood thrown back to expose his face. Just like my dream. In my dream, he was wearing a robe like this. Oh, God, how had I been so blind?

I took steps away from him. “What do you want with me?”

His expression darkened. “You know what I want.”

Oh. He meant that he wanted to screw me. Right.

“One hour,” he said. “My house.”

“Listen, Professor, I don’t think I—”

“Shh.” He put a finger to my lips. “They’re looking for me. I have to go. I’ll see you soon.”

His
touch
.

It was intoxicating. It pulled me to him. I wanted him so badly. I didn’t care if he meant to destroy me. It would be worth it, if only I could have him.

And he was gone, fading into the mists and darkness.

I gulped.

This was bad. This was so bad.

I couldn’t go to his house in an hour. If I did that, I’d have sex with him. There was no doubt that I couldn’t control myself when I was close to him. But what if doing that meant that I’d be hurt or killed or in danger in some way? I couldn’t trust him. That was for certain.

I peered after him.

What was I going to do?

The woods didn’t answer. Crickets chirped, leaves stirred in the breeze, but the trees didn’t know what I should do.

I turned and made my way out of the woods.

Where Reba was waiting for me, a satisfied smile on her face. “Hi there, Teagan.”

Great. She was the last thing I needed right now. “Look, they told us that we were supposed to scatter. So I don’t think we should be talking to each other. It’ll look suspicious, especially since we’re coming out of the woods.”

She dug her fingers into my upper arm and dragged me away from the woods. To the sidewalk. “It won’t matter. You won’t be going to this school much longer.”

“What?” Was she in on it too? Was that why she hated me so much? Because she was going to help Professor Alexander kill me or something?

“I saw you with him.”

Okay, maybe not. “With who?”

“Professor Alexander,” she said. “I saw the way he touched you. What was that he whispered to you? Was it something dirty?”

I wrenched my arm out of her grasp. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I realized what she was up to now. She knew there was something going on with me and the professor.

She laughed. “Try and deny it all you want. I know it’s true. It makes too much sense. He was on the scholarship committee, after all. He’s the one who got you the scholarship. Did you seduce him backstage and promise to keep him happy as long as he got you into this school and got you into Scales and Fangs?”

“No,” I said. I was offended she’d say things like that about me.

There was a
psst
noise.

We turned.

It was Nell. “You guys,” she said, “we’re not supposed to be seen together.”

I glared at Reba. “That’s what I said, but she’s coming after me with this stupid theory about me and Professor Alexander.”

“It’s not a theory,” said Reba. “I saw you two.”

“You didn’t see anything.” Inside, I was nervous, but I was an actress. I pushed it down, turning to Nell. “I saw him in the woods in his robes. He’s a member of Scales and Fangs.”

Her eyes widened. “He is?”

I turned back to Reba. “That’s what you saw. He made me shut up and promise not to tell anyone. Which I’ve now gone and done. Damn it.”

“You expect me to believe that?” said Reba, but I could tell that she was at least considering it.

“You two can’t tell anyone,” I said. “If he finds out I told you, he’ll eat me alive. He says the most awful things to me as it is. I can’t imagine how much worse it would be if he was actually mad.”

Nell touched my shoulder sympathetically. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything. I know he’s really been a dick to you this semester.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Reba?”

She folded her arms over her chest, but she looked even more unsure.

“What was Reba’s theory?”

“She thought I was sleeping with him to get the scholarship,” I said.

Nell started laughing. “Seriously?”

Reba’s face twitched. “It’s not that ridiculous. There’s no other reason for her to have gotten that scholarship.”

Nell sighed. “Reba, you don’t have to be a bitch all the time. You might even like Teagan if you stopped being jealous of her.”

“Trust me,” I said. “I’m not anything to be jealous of.”

“I’m not jealous,” said Reba.

“Well, Professor Alexander would never sleep with someone like Teagan,” said Nell. “So, I can’t think of why else you’d think that up. Is it because it would be better if she was with someone besides Harper?”

“Shut up,” said Reba.

“That’s what I thought,” said Nell.

Reba’s nostrils flared. “You don’t understand anything, Nell.”

“I think I do.” Nell reached out to touch her. “It’s okay to be disappointed—”

“Stop it,” said Reba, pulling away. “I don’t have to listen to this.”

She ran away from us, hurrying up the sidewalk.

Nell shook her head. “How bizarre.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Totally bizarre.”

“You and Professor Alexander?” Nell laughed. “I can’t picture that at all.”

“Me either,” I said. Of course, the problem was that I
was
picturing it now. In a good bit of detail. And I didn’t know if I was going to be able to stay away.