Page 1 of Shattered Oaths

PROLOGUE

NOAH

EIGHT YEARS AGO

My body thrums with electricity as I take another drink from the red solo cup in my hand. The bitter liquid burns as it glides down my throat, warming my blood and making my head swim. I have no fucking idea what I’m drinking, all I know is it tastes like diluted piss, but I couldn’t give a shit about that so long as it gets the job done.

Music pulsates from the overly large speakers in the corner of the room as people dressed in every kind of Halloween costume dance and grind against each other in every available space.

A zombie cheerleader straddles the lap of her matching zombie jock while Pennywise sucks on the neck of a Playboy bunny next to them and I make a mental note to double check all the bedrooms upstairs remain off-limits to the ever-growing crowd of horny teenagers.

The stench of liquor, cheap perfume and sweat permeates the air, turning the alcohol in my stomach sour as I search the room for a familiar face.

I haven’t a fucking clue who half these fuckers are. I’m not even sure Killian knows a lot of them and it’s his party. Speaking of Killian, I haven’t seen him in at least an hour now. Not since his girlfriend, Daisy, showed up and dragged him away.

I’d bet every dollar in my pocket that he’s probably balls deep in said girlfriend somewhere in this house at this very moment despite my earlier speech about no sex in the bedrooms.

Must be nice.

I throw back the rest of my god-awful drink and grimace as I look down into the empty cup.Yup. Still tastes like shit.

Tossing my cup in the trashcan in the corner, I twist and turn, manoeuvring my way through the crowd toward the kitchen in search of something that tastes a little less like piss.

A few people Idorecognise from school nod at me in greeting as I pass and I nod back, not bothering to stop and talk. It’s hot as hell in here and I just want to get a real drink and get outside for some fresh air.

The crowd thins out slightly as I push my way into the kitchen and make a beeline for my dad’s stash. And yes, I know what you might be thinking.I thought you said this was Killian’s party.It is. But it’s being held at my house, because unfortunately, Killian’s mom isn’t the most welcoming of people.

My parents are out of town on a business trip with my eldest brother Hunter, and Grayson, the middle child ofthe three of us, is at a bull-riding event for the weekend with his best friend Rueben, leaving me alone with this big ole’ empty farmhouse.

Foolish on their part, if you ask me. They should know me better by now.

With Killian’s birthday falling on the first of November, and it being the weekend of Halloween, it only made sense to combine the two and throw him a Halloween themed birthday party.

It couldn’t have worked out any better.

I grab a bottle of whiskey and a glass, pouring two fingers into it and throwing it back. I repeat the action twice more before deciding to forgo the glass altogether.

I turn and lean against the kitchen counter; my legs crossed at the ankles and drag my gaze around the room. A blonde dressed as a slutty devil eyes me from across the kitchen and I raise a brow at her in challenge, my tongue darting out to catch a drop of whiskey on my lips. The girl whispers something to her friend, who nods at her, before making her way towards me, a sly smile climbing up her heavily made-up face.

The moment she reaches me I notice the glassiness in her eyes and my earlier excitement quickly dissipates.

She’s wasted.

Far too wasted for my liking.

“Hey, handsome,” the girl slurs, attempting to be sexy but failing.

“Hey,” I respond, lifting the bottle to my lips and sucking down a mouthful of the dark liquid.

“What are you supposed to be?” she asks, her eyes roaming my body appreciatively.

I look down at my all black assemble and combat boots before pointing at the black and white Ghostface mask resting on top of my head. “The mask didn’t give me away?”

She opens her mouth with a response, but I don’t hear what she says because raised voices from the hallway outside the kitchen catch my attention.

The girls – whose name I still haven’t gotten – friend from earlier is standing off with a small blonde.

A small blonde I know well.