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

"Come in and sit down, Son."

I hesitate but eventually do as he requests.

"How'd you—"

“I make it my business to know things, Bexley." He leans forward on his elbows and looks me dead in the eyes.

"Well, thanks for the warning."

"I said I know things, not that I'm psychic."

"I'm done, Marcus. I'm so fucking done with this." I push to stand and begin pacing. I'm too irritable to sit still. "I'll transfer somewhere else. I don't need this fucking shit."

"You can't—"

"Because they'll find me? Kill me? Let them. I'm not fucking doing this. I'm not letting him do this, control us like this." I scrub my hand down my face. "The look on her face this morning… I've never seen hurt like that before. She fucking hates me. I get it. I hate myself. I thought it was her. I woke up this morning thinking that I had this amazing night with her, and it wasn't. It was that fucking whore." My fist connects with Marcus’ office wall, my knuckles splitting with the force of the hit and pain shooting down my arm. "And she watched. She wanted me—" A sob rips up my throat, cutting off my words.

"Bexley," Marcus says softly, but I don't react. Instead, I rest my palms against the wall and hang my head, squeezing my eyes closed and picturing what I thought happened last night. Mia's flawless face flushed with pleasure as she rode me, throwing her head back as she came, my fingers gripping her hips tightly as I pistoned in and out of her.

But it wasn't fucking her.

My stomach churns, and I think I'm going to puke right here on Marcus’ carpet.

"Bexley, you can't leave."

"Watch me." Pushing from the wall with blood dripping down my hand, I stalk toward the door.

But I don't get through it, because he says the one thing that will ensure I do anything he wants.

"If you love her, you need to be here to protect her."

I suck in a deep breath at his words.

"She needs you, Bexley. She needs you here, doing as you're told and protecting her from a distance."

I don't turn to look at him. Instead, I close my eyes and speak what's on my mind, no matter how much it hurts. "I can't stay here and watch her be his."

"You have to. Cade is… Cade is a liability. He—"

"You think I don't fucking know that?" I bark, spinning around and pinning him with a look that most would cower away from—only Marcus doesn't so much as flinch. "Do you know what he's done to me? To Alex? To Mia?"

"Yes."

"They locked us underground and gave us a fucking hallucinogenic…"

"The vault. I know. It's a standard initiation task."

"A standard—the fuck?" I run my hand through my hair. "This is fucking crazy. He's out of control."

"And that is exactly why you need to see this through."

I stare at him, trying to read the truths that are hiding in the depths of his eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"

His lips part but no words come out, not for long seconds. "This is bigger than you think. You need to play your part. We all do."

"I fucking hate these games, the lies… the cryptic secrets. Why can't you just tell me everything? I'm on the inside now." I drag my shirt aside, showing him my fucking brand that will forever remind me of this fucking disaster.

"I know, Son. But it's too dangerous for you to know everything. You have to trust that Q knows what they are doing. You have to take your place and do as they wish."

"And what the fuck is that? I haven’t even spoken to them outside of bullshit ceremonies where someone brands me or draws my fucking blood," I seethe.

"You will. You will be invited to a meeting soon enough."

"Great," I mutter, less than excited about the prospect.

"You must play your part, Bexley. Protect her."

"She hates me. She won't let me near her ever again." I blow out a long breath as I finally fall back into the chair opposite Marcus.

"You can do it from a distance, for now."

I stare at him, waiting for him to say more, but he never does. "You want me to accept this, don't you?"

"We don't have a choice, Bexley."

"Someone needs to take his power away before he really hurts someone."

"It's not that easy. He's the only Kingsley heir. Without him—"

"Yeah, I get it. But I don't fucking like it."

"Trust me, no one does. Just… please, Bexley. Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”

"Why does everything have to be a fucking game?"

"It's life, Son. And you are the Easton heir. Life as you know it will never be the same again.”

4

Mia

“Hey.” I march up to Annabel. “What’s up?”

“Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

Her expression morphs into a grimace. “I heard that Bexley and Brook are—”

“Don’t.” I bristle.

“So, it is true?” She laces her arm through mine and we walk the short distance to the humanities building. I have a psychology class first, which means I’ll have to see Bexley.

The permanent knot in my stomach tightens, but I’ve got to get used to seeing him, to being around him. If I’m going to play the part I’ve been given, then our paths are going to cross.

He’s Electi. One of them now.

I’m going to be over at the house, and he’s going to be there.

God, how am I supposed to do this?

“Hey, are you okay?” Annabel squeezes my arm gently, pulling me back to the moment.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“So Bexley and Brook?”

“It’s none of my business.” I shrug, determined not to break. Not even in front of Annabel. After what happened yesterday in the house, I need to control myself around Cade and his lapdogs, especially Ashton.

“I’m glad you think so, because she’s coming over.”

Crap.

“Annabel, Mila.”

“You know my name,” I hiss. “Use it.”

“There’s no need to be so rude. It was an honest mistake.” Her words are as saccharine as her smile. “Some party Saturday night, huh? I still ache.” Brook flicks her long blonde