Page 29 of Divine Oaths

“Isn’t that what you’re trying to do with Kasem? Why are you so convinced he hurt me?”

“I just want the truth,” Alaster said quickly. “Even if it means my cousin will no longer be able to study here at Westfield.”

But it wouldn’t matter what I said. He’d already decided who my attacker was, even though everything I’d seen and experienced screamed of something else entirely. Yet, I couldn’t explain how Kasem had found me, how he’d pulled me out of the hedge before the other figure could take me. And then there was the vision, the echoes of the past and future bleeding together.

I closed my eyes, letting the lie marinate before I could speak it. “I was confused and disoriented. Kasem was trying to help me.” That was at least partially true. I had been lost in the maze. And even if I didn’t know why he’d been there, Kasem did save me.

A shadow cast over Alaster’s gaze. I’d defended Kasem. And for some reason, that infuriated him. He clenched his fist, his lips pursing into a sneer. For a second, alone with him, I became afraid. But then he saw the bracelet on my wrist, looked at it the same way Honey had in the fan boat.

Honey had recognized the bracelet as Kasem’s back then, and Alaster and Jojo knew that too. Somehow, Kasem would be the one inheriting Westfield. Not Jojo, the older brother, or even Alaster, the cousin, who appeared to be the oldest among them.

“Did Kasem promise you a portion of the Saint James estate?” Alaster asked. “Or is he giving you all of Westfield when he turns it into piss?” When I didn’t answer, he leered down at me. “Just so you’re aware, he’s not seeing a fraction of the Saint James inheritance. Not while he’s alive, and sure as hell not while I am.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. But I was lying. At least partially. In the vision of the future I’d seen, Kasem had gotten an inheritance. But at what cost, I didn’t know.

Alaster drew closer and I recoiled.

“The Westfield inheritance,” Alaster said, reading the confusion in my expression for what it was. “If he promised you anything in exchange for your silence, he’s using you. But if something did happen back there in the maze, something you think might be worth reporting to the board of trustees, then you can tell me. I actually care about Westfield and its reputation. My father, as you might know, is our university president. And when he retires, the Board will look to me for the role, as they always do with our side of the family. I can make this worth your time, even if it means you’ll probably have to transfer elsewhere.”

For the second time that day, a Saint James was asking me to lie. Kasem had wanted me to pretend I hadn’t witnessed the figure in the maze. Alaster wanted me to accuse his cousin of being behind the attack.

I’d known that coming to Westfield would feel twisted and wrong. But this—this was something else entirely. If Kasem, Alaster, and Jojo were all desperate to inherit the Westfield estate, I wondered how they’d respond if I told them what I’d seen. Because in my vision of the future, it had been Kasem who would receive it. Not Alaster. Not even Jojo.

I tried to collect myself, but the reality of what I’d walked into was suffocating. Here was Alaster, with a motive and the means to eliminate his rival and cousin. Even if it hadn’t been him in the alleyway, maybe he’d paid others to kill Kasem? He was trying to bribe me now, wasn’t he? If I made the false accusations against Kasem to the board of trustees, Kasem stood not just to be expelled, but likely his claim to the Westfield inheritance would be at risk.

“You don’t have to decide now,” Alaster said. “Take a few days to think it over, and then, when you’re ready, perhaps when classes start, we can talk.”

It wasn’t a suggestion. As a tenured professor, he could probably find a million ways to make my life at Westfield hell if I challenged him on this.

“Fine,” I said.

“Good. I’m not used to hearing ‘no.’”

“I bet you aren’t,” I snapped.

We’d been walking now for a few minutes and were nearly back at the main halls where the party was taking place. One of the waiters passed us, and we made room for them to squeeze by. But then Alaster leaned toward me, his figure casting a dangerous shadow as he placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.

A chill crept along my neck, and behind him, the glow of light from the medieval sconces that lined the hallway flickered softly. It was as if the air had been sucked from around us, as if we weren’t at all alone in this hallway and some quiet force was waiting to make its presence known.

Then he gave me a quick squeeze before, thankfully, letting me go.

“Can you find your way back to your dorm from here?” he asked. “I’d hate to be seen near Poppy House, but I can escort you there if you really need it.”

“I’ll be fine on my own,” I said. I’d forgo the medical center. The nosebleed had stopped and the less time I was on campus, the better. I was desperate to get back to my dorm.

“Enjoy orientation,” Alaster said. “And then I’ll see you when classes start.”

To my relief, he left after that.

I was alone. But the presence in the hallway didn’t relent, and I found myself fidgeting with Kasem’s bracelet, as if it might protect me from whatever invisible force had remained.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Our doubts are traitors

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” VIVIAN’S voice was muffled from the other side of the door.

I rolled over, covering my face with the sheet. Secondhand bedding was the worst. It meant flashbacks whenever my fingers touched the fabric. The last person who’d used these sheets had been a lacrosse player. Every night, he’d thrown himself in the linens without showering or changing. Through my visions, I caught faint traces of his scent and echoes of him snoring in his sleep.