The Ritual: A Dark College Romance

I SHOULD HAVE fucking known! I should have demanded to know more. The fucking Lords kept me from getting all the information. You can’t question them.

I know you killed an important bitch! Is what Lincoln had yelled at Matt afterward before putting him on probation and throwing him out of his office. LeAnne was important because Phil Anderson made her important. Mr. Mayes wasn’t that high up on the Lords ladder. That’s why I never questioned why he needed to die. He betrayed his oath. It was simple.

“Why would you say that?” Blake asks me, her bottom lip quivering. “I … I don’t understand.”

I run a hand down my unshaven face. “When I threw Valerie out of your apartment, I ripped a piece of her hair out and had it tested with yours.” I received the results when I was sitting in her father’s office downtown Dallas after she ran from me. I haven’t had the time or concern to dig into who her biological mother is.

Her wide eyes stare up at me, unblinking. “No …” she whispers.

“I knew about the arranged marriage. It’s just par for the course of being a Lord,” I add quickly. “I had a hunch.” Surprise, surprise, they weren’t a match, but I had no idea her biological mother was LeAnne until now. After Phil said her name, it took me a couple of minutes for my mind to put it all together.

“Blake.” I walk over to her bed, and she pulls her knees up to her chest, her eyes now on her father, pleading with him to explain everything to her. I’ll fucking do it! “Blake?” I sit on the side of her bed and pull on her arms, unwrapping them from around her knees to take her hands in mine. Slowly, her watery eyes find mine. “Junior year, Matt and I were partners for an assignment. It was our initiation. We were handed a name and a location. To take out a Lord who had betrayed his oath.”

“I don’t …” she whispers, swallowing. “What does this have to do with … my mom—LeAnne?”

“Something …” I’m not going to give them the benefit to hear me tell them what exactly happened. “Went wrong and his wife was also killed.”

Her eyes go to her father, but he’s too big of a coward to face her. Instead, he’s staring at the floor, rubbing his neck. “When we got back from the assignment, Matt was put on probation. Then come the following year, two weeks before classes started, I had just taken my oath, your father called me to meet him and told me I had to choose you.”

“I was trying to save you from Matt.” Her father’s voice breaks as he speaks up. “We knew he killed LeAnne.” He pauses. “And needed time to prove it.”

I can feel his eyes drilling holes in the back of my head as I sit facing my wife. They thought they could talk me down, break me into giving him up, but it wasn’t going to happen. Not then and not now. That is what confession is for. When I string Matt up like Tyson suggested at the cathedral, Matt will not only spill blood, but all of his secrets to a room full of Lords. He will be the one who tells everyone what he did that night.

“So”—her brows scrunch together—“Matt killed the Lord’s wife?”

“Yes,” her father growls. “She was my chosen … and your mother. I loved her.” His voice drops to a whisper. “Still do.”

I almost feel sorry for the bastard. Silence falls over the room again, and the first tear rolls down her bruised cheek.

I hear her father sigh. “Blakely, you have to understand—”

“Please leave,” she whispers, interrupting him.

He comes around to the opposite side of her. “I know you’re upset …”

“Please.” She ignores him, her pretty blue eyes meeting mine. “Please make them leave.”

I release her hand and stand, facing her father. “Do I need to show you the way out?” I arch a brow at him.

He straightens his shoulders and grabs his suit jacket and tie off the back of the chair and storms out. My father goes along with him.

Leaning down, I kiss her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

Rushing down the hallway, I come to the nurses’ station to see them spot me.

Her father sighs. “Ryat, when you’re a father, you’ll understand.”

I step into him, my chest hitting his. “You need to understand the next time I have a meeting with you in downtown Dallas at two o’clock in the morning, I’m going to knock you the fuck out.”

“Ryat,” my father hisses.

Like I give a fuck what he has to say. I don’t. He knew all this time why Mr. Anderson wanted me to choose his daughter. My father never questioned that. He even called me after the ceremony to make sure it was Blake. When in New York, he asked me how much I would offer for her … and I’d bet my life that’s why he didn’t force me to marry Cindy. This was their plan.

My hands fist, and I think about just doing it right now. Why the fuck wait until God knows when? But I catch sight of Miss Bleach Blond behind the nurses’ station with the phone up to her ear and her wide eyes on me. She’s probably already got security on speed dial. The bitch has been staring me down since I broke the vending machine a couple of days ago. So, instead I step away. “I want these men removed from the list of visitors for my wife’s room. They’re no longer allowed.”

“Ryat,” her father growls. “You can’t keep me from her.”

“Watch me.” Then I turn around and go back to her room. Entering, I find her on her side in the fetal position with her back to me, crying. I turn off the main light and go over to her bed. When I crawl into it with her, she turns over and snuggles into me, crying harder.

“Shh.” I try to calm her by rubbing her back. Knowing if she cries too hard, she’s going to give herself another headache

BLAKELY

WALKING INTO THE cabin feels … different. There are black curtains up that hang from the ceiling, covering all the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the woods. It makes the place look darker. Reminds me of Blackout.

“When did you put these up?” I ask.

He places my bag that Sarah had brought to the hospital for me down on the coffee table. “I had Gunner and Prickett do it while we were staying at the club.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought maybe Matt was hanging out around here, and I didn’t want him seeing inside the house.”

I nod in understanding.

Sighing, he comes over to me and kisses my hair. “They won’t be here forever,” he promises as if he can tell that I hate them.

He walks into the kitchen, and I make my way to the bathroom, wanting to take a hot bath. I’m mentally and physically drained. Getting undressed, I remove my shirt, then shove my shorts down my legs along with my underwear. I turn and stand in front of the mirror. I haven’t looked at myself since Matt slammed my face into the steering wheel. I didn’t want to have to see what I already knew—he made me ugly.

This was his goal. To make Ryat see me as repulsive. Matt wants Ryat to throw me away. It’s no longer that Matt wants me. No. He couldn’t beat Ryat, so now he’s going to turn him against me. It’s the only angle he has left to play.

Ryat enters the bathroom, and I drop my head, unable to meet his eyes in the mirror.

“Hey.” Feeling the tips of his fingers on my neck, he pulls my hair off my face with one hand while the other pulls me from the counter to face him. “Blake, look at me.”

Feeling defeated, I lift my head.

“Are you hurting?” he asks, concerned the moment he sees me fighting back the tears.

“No,” I whisper.

He gives me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

I look away from him, staring at the white ceiling and refusing to let those tears fall. They’re so close to the edge.

“Blake,” he demands my attention. “Talk to me.”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I give up fighting him. “He wants you to throw me away,” I whisper.

“What do you mean throw you away?” His face scrunches at the question. “Who are you talking about?”

“Matt. He wants to make me ugly, so you’ll leave me.”

“Blake …” He sighs heavily. “Is that what you think?”

“It’s what I know.”

Stepping into me, he slides both hands into my hair and holds my head steady. “I love you,” he says, making me sniff. “You are the only woman I’ve ever told that to. And it’ll stay that way until the day I die. Your face will heal, your scars will fade, but my love for you isn’t going to change. So, whatever he said to you, or made you feel, don’t let it get to you. That’s what he wants. Understand?”

His words do what I tried to avoid, and the tears spill over my bottom lashes, just for a different reason. That night is still pretty foggy. I know it was Matt, but I don’t really remember any conversation we had if we even did. I just know that this has to be his plan. He wants me away from Ryat, and he knows I’d never leave him.

Leaning down, he presses a soft kiss to my lips, knowing he can taste my tears. When he pulls away, I grip his shirt, not letting him get too far. “Will you take a bath with me?”

“Of course.”

_______________

“DO YOU HAVE any questions for me?” he asks, sitting across from me in the massive Jacuzzi tub. I overfilled it with a ton of bubbles. He picks up my foot and starts rubbing it as he places it on his thigh under the water.

“About what?”

“About the night Matt and I had our assignment.”

“You said you wouldn’t rat him out.” I’m not sure I want to know. I didn’t even know LeAnne existed, and now I’m supposed to just listen to how my ex killed her? Even that’s a little too fucked up for me.

“I’ll tell you anything,” Ryat answers.

“Anything?” I arch a brow at that, and he chuckles, a playful smile on his lips.

“That was probably the wrong answer.” His laughter grows.

“You said it.”

He nods. “Okay. Anything.”

“Tell me about when you went to jail.” Ever since he made that remark, I can’t get the image of him in handcuffs out of my head. I’m sure he’ll look as hot as I imagine it.

“You caught that, huh?” He lets go of my foot for a second and reaches up, running his hand through his hair, getting it wet and making it stand straight up. “Remember when I drugged your water and put you to bed at your apartment before I disappeared?” His hand sinks into the water and goes back to rubbing my foot.

“Yeah …” What’s that have to do with anything? “Wait … you were arrested? That’s where you were?” Prickett told me he was on an assignment and not to call or text him because he wouldn’t answer.

“Well, not technically arrested. It was an assignment that Matt volunteered me for.”

I frown. “Why would he do that?” Another one of his crazy plans?

“Exactly,” he says, confusing me even more. “Remember when we were here before we went back to your place, and I had the TV on? There was a shooting?” I nod. “That was a judge’s house. He’s a Lord. There was a hit out on him. Someone broke in, but he wasn’t home at the time. Instead, they killed his six-year-old son.”

I gasp, placing my hand over my mouth. “That’s why you were so mean to me?” I ask remembering what he said to me at the house of Lords after his meeting.

“I said I’m not doing this right now. And I meant that. So, unless you want to really see me pissed, I suggest you back the fuck off.” His voice is low, his words controlled, but his hand around my throat is shaking, giving away his true feelings at the moment.

He nods. “We had an emergency meeting at the house of Lords. They needed two volunteers. I was going to offer when Matt beat me to it, offering both of us.”

The guys weren’t on good terms then, so why would he do that? “What did you do?”

“Said yes.” He shrugs.

“Then what happened?”

“I had five hours to get my shit together, and one of those things was you. I drugged your water, needing you to be asleep while I took off. Matt and I met at the cathedral and got kidnapped where the judge met up with us and ….”

I sit back and let him tell me all about his experience in jail with Matt while he rubs my feet under the warm water. Every word has my heart hammering. How does he do this every day? Just go blindly into an assignment that he has no idea what it is? Or why he has to do it?

“Wait.” I stop him. “You came back to my apartment barely able to stand. You had just gotten out?”

“I had.” He nods. “Matt tried to have me killed while in there. He volunteered me for the assignment to get me away from you, but when he realized I’d be back to you in no time, he had to come up with a new plan.”

I let out a long breath as the dots start to connect. “Unbelievable.” I shake my head.

“What?”

“That’s why you married me,” I say knowingly. “Because he tried to kill you. So, you needed new ammo to throw in his face.” He just watches me while I go on. “And what better place to announce it than the house of Lords annual party in front of everyone?” It was all planned. I can’t even be mad at this point. It was pretty well thought out.

“I did.” He nods. Reaching forward, he grabs my hands and pulls me toward him, our faces almost touching, our bodies smashing the bubbles. “I’ve always been a selfish person, Blake. Willing to do whatever it takes to get where I want to be. And out of all the things I’ve done, you are by far the greatest reward for my selfishness.”