Page 34 of In Darkness We Claim

But my father is a controlling bastard, and he’s seen this day coming since I started at Shadowmere. His control over me has been slipping, which is why he’s been trying to get the Council involved. He doesn’t give a shit about the other Pledges; it’s all about getting me to toe the line, which I’m refusing to do in this instance.

“It’s done, Father. She’s agreed, and Xander has signed off on it.” In other words, nothing you do can change this.

He pauses, and the sudden, profound silence hangs heavily between us. I can practically see the cogs turning in his mind. He absentmindedly strokes the stubble on his chin as his gaze becomes almost vacant.

More time passes in silence than I’m comfortable with, but I know not to interrupt whatever he’s thinking about, and I breathe a sigh of relief when he lets out a loud huff. His gaze meets mine once more, and his usual cold, calculating expression is back.

“I don’t care what you have to do, but you will make this right. You will go to Xander and tell him you’ve changed your mind. Do whatever you have to do to get him to accept a new Prize. I will be in the audience tomorrow night, and I expect to see you do our family name proud,” he states, puffing his chest out with an overwhelming sense of importance.

I don’t bother arguing with him, as he won’t back down—but neither will I. My mind races with possibilities as I depart his office. I have no intention of choosing another Prize, whether my father likes it or not. So, tomorrow night, I am going to have to show the Obsidian Order, and my father, that I’ve made the right decision by selecting Harper as my Prize…I just don’t know how I’m going to do that yet.

I’m well aware there will be repercussions for going against my father, and that’s something future me will have to deal with. I just hope Harper is worth all the trouble.

Arriving at the Black Chapel, I continue to review the plan in my head, trusting it’s thorough enough for things to proceed without a hitch. Thankfully, Harper has agreed to do whatever is needed to show she’s all in, but I’m not sure if she’ll regret that when the time comes.

I can’t stop tapping my foot as I glance at my watch for what feels like the hundredth time since arriving not even five minutes ago. Call it a nervous tic, but I’m anxiously waiting for Harper to arrive.

I offered to pick her up and drive her here, but she declined, saying she wanted to get ready on her own. I picked out the outfit I expect her to wear, so I’m hoping she’s wearing it.

Who am I kidding? At this point, I’m still just hoping she fucking shows up.

Just when I think I couldn’t get any more on edge, a sleek canary-yellow Jaguar pulls into the parking lot, and a smug-looking Ryan climbs out, with Sienna on his arm. She has on a long, red velvet dress, and her bleach-blonde hair is in a big bun on top of her head. She’s applied much more makeup than usual, and her red lips are nearly brighter than her dress.

I knew it would be too much to ask for Ryan to just keep walking into the Grand Hall, and I curse under my breath when he stops in front of me. He makes a show of looking around, noting that there’s nobody else out here, and his smug grin grows larger.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been stood up, Lawson? Did your Prize change her mind? I thought it was suspicious that you never told anyone who you chose.” He doesn’t even try to hide the gloating in his voice.

“She’ll be here,” I tell him, keeping my voice neutral, almost disinterested.

“Maybe she’s ugly,” Sienna says in her fucking annoying girly voice.

I glare at her, causing her to take a step behind Ryan, which puts a bit of a smile on my face. Then Ryan opens his mouth again, washing it away in an instant. “It will not look good for someone of your status to not have a Prize.”

There’s no denying he’s gloating, and it only makes me want to punch him in the face even more.

“He has a Prize.” The quiet, almost timid-sounding voice seems to appear out of nowhere, but the recognition is loud enough to cut through my nerves.

Harper steps out of the shadows into the moonlight, and it makes me wonder how long she’s been standing out of sight. But all thoughts quickly vanished when I actually see her.

The short, silky white dress she’s wearing seems to glisten under the moonlight, rippling over her delicious curves in the most perfect way. The softness of the fabric complements her; the white making her appear even more innocent.

The dress stops just above her knees, not showing off too much of those creamy thighs that I can’t wait to part later when it’s just the two of us. But I made sure that the neckline on the dress drops low enough to show off her impressive cleavage.

I can tell she followed my instructions and didn’t wear a bra, as her peaked nipples press against the soft white fabric that’s almost see-through. I allowed her to wear a white lace thong, as I’ll enjoy ripping that off her later.

Harper has paired the dress with some white lace ballet flats, which only emphasises the aesthetic. Most of the Prizes will be in hooker heels, and I wanted Harper to stand out from the crowd—like she always does.

Her long strawberry-blonde hair has been styled into perfect curls that fall loosely down her back, flowing behind her in an almost angelic way. And I have the sudden urge to run my fingers through them to see if they’re as soft as they seem.

Fucking hell, get a grip!

Harper catches me staring, and her pretty pink lips lift into a small smile as redness flushes her cheeks, emphasising the splattering of freckles over her nose. She’s only got a bit of black liner under her eyes, and mascara to make her lashes longer, which both make her bright-blue eyes pop.

It’s almost like we’re in a bubble, just the two of us, as I take in how fucking gorgeous she looks. I love the way she shuffles around, her eyes downcast, as if she’s not used to anyone looking at her the way I am.

When she finally looks at me, her gaze lingers on the raw intensity burning within me, a silent testament to the desire I make no effort to conceal.

Unfortunately, our bubble is popped by Ryan’s obnoxious voice. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he snaps at Harper, as his gaze rakes over her body in a way that sets my nerves on edge.