Tarnished Crown (Gravestone Elite #2) by Caitlyn Dare (books like beach read TXT) 📕

over the rest of the town. This shit isn't me." He zips his hoodie back up and tips his head to the ceiling.

"I know," I reply. "I thought shit was meant to get easier moving here. What a fucking joke."

I feel his stare as I rest my hands on the top of the drawers and lean forward, hanging my head.

The silence continues between us as we both contemplate our new lives.

"You hungry?" he asks after the longest time.

"Yeah, although not if it comes with having to see them."

"We just moved into their fucking house. Everything is going to involve seeing them."

Fucking great.

There's no outrunning the devil now.

Ripping open the top drawer, I find my boxers all neatly folded. I frown, wondering who did all this while we were out of it on Friday night. Dragging a pair out, I drop my towel and Alex balks.

“Seriously, dude. I know we’ve seen each other naked, but that was… different. Put it away.”

“Shy of a little dick, Rexford? Color me surprised.” I chuckle, pulling them up my legs and going in search of some clothes.

“Fuck off,” he mumbles, staring anywhere but at me.

After running some wax through my hair, I turn toward the door. "Ready?" I ask Alex.

"To run away and never return? Hell yeah."

While it sounds appealing, the thought of leaving Mia behind in this mess shuts down any possibility of it ever happening.

"This place is fucking massive," Alex murmurs as we navigate through the hallways to find the staircase. Just like downstairs, modern art lines the flawless soft gray walls. The whole thing confuses me.

Finally, we make our way down, the scent of food directing us toward what I hope is an empty kitchen, but the second we turn a corner and hear deep, rumbling voices in the distance, I know we're shit out of luck.

"You ready for this?" I whisper to Alex.

"Pretty sure I should have had more pain pills to deal with these assholes."

"Yeah," I mutter, the gentle pounding at my temples not getting better at the thought of having to look at them.

At him.

My stomach twists as I consider the possibility of walking into that room and seeing them together. Of him lording it over me with his arm wrapped around Mia, touching her, kissing her.

My fists curl and my muscles tense, but I know there's nothing I can do right now. Hell, there might never be anything I can do. With that depressing thought swirling around my head, I continue forward to find out what the day might hold.

The second we step into the room, all talk halts and all sets of eyes turn on us. I breathe a sigh of relief that she's not here and pinned to his lap.

All four of them assess us as we stand there. Cade's eyes are dark, but instead of the usual anger that fills them, I want to say he looks amused. Ashton doesn't even attempt to hide his delight at our arrival as a wide, menacing smile tugs at his lips. Brandon looks torn as he glances between the two of us. He knows he should follow his leader, but there's clear concern in his depths. Same with Channing. Actually, he looks downright pissed. As usual, Tim isn’t around.

"Ah, look. Our new recruits decided to grace us with their presence," Cade announces. "Mulligan, could you please get our new Electi their breakfast."

A middle-aged man eagerly nods at Cade's command, and my lips part to be a little more polite, but I notice Channing shaking his head at me so I decide against it, instead pulling out the chair closest to me and sitting my ass down.

"So…" Cade starts. "What did you think of last night?"

"Want to be more specific? When you branded us like fucking cattle, or when you drugged us… again?"

He waves me off as if the last part is nothing. "We were just celebrating. Enjoying ourselves. You can't be mad about that. Alex sure isn't." He nods his chin toward my friend. "Feeling nice and… sated this morning, Rexford?" He smirks.

Alex growls in frustration. I can only imagine how he feels about Cade and his posse knowing the exact details when he has no memory of them. The sick motherfuckers probably watched.

"Come, eat, you must be starved." But as he says this, his eyes lock on mine.

My stomach twists, and the alcohol that's still in my system threatens to make an appearance.

Does he know?

Does he know what I did—who I did—last night?

Fuck.

My hands tremble. If he knows, then there's no way she's not in danger. That motherfucker is deranged, and he's staring at me as if he knows all my secrets.

My heart continues to thunder in my chest as Ashton takes one of the empty chairs beside me. "Good lay, right, Easton?"

Bile rushes up my throat.

Has he been fucking her this whole time? Was all of this a game? Has she been lying to me? Playing me?

I can barely breathe as images of my time with Mia flash through my mind.

Every confession, every touch, every promise.

Were they all lies?

"Sir, I hope you enjoy."

A plate of food is lowered to the table before me, but I can't even think about eating it.

Feeling eyes drilling into the top of my head, I look up. Cade's wearing a shit-eating grin on his face, as if he knows something I don't.

Who am I kidding? He knows a lot of shit I don't.

"How much do you remember about last night, Easton?" Ashton asks, earning himself a scowl from the devil.

"It was a great night," I say with the fakest smile I can muster while the memories of having Mia in my arms refuse to leave my head.

"Oh yeah, I've heard all good things about that one," he mutters with a smirk.

My fists curl under the table. He's lying. He knows nothing about her.

I'm the only one she's been with… right?

"Eat," Cade demands.

Alex immediately picks up his silverware, probably ravenous after his exploits with an unknown girl last night.

I do the same, but I'm hesitant to eat anything because that motherfucker has history when it