Chapter 4

I’m in my underwear,tearing through boxes, looking for my favorite shirt when there’s a light knock on the door. I know it’s not Roman, because he’d just barge right in, and I know it can’t be any of the guys. They’re barbarians, and they’d practically beat the door down if it was one of them knocking.

“Yeah?” I call out, elbow-deep in a box full of my random clothes. Whoever packed these boxes did a shit job. The boxes all have handwritten labels, but inside, there’s no organization whatsoever. Lotion and toiletries were tossed into the same box as socks and sweaters. It’s maddening.

The door opens slowly, and when I turn, Wyn is in the doorway, peeking in through the cracked door. “Hey, girl. I saw Roman downstairs, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to check on you.”

“Come in,” I say. I don’t find my shirt, but I find a plain blue baby-t that will work, and I shrug it on. “Sorry, I’m just looking for something to wear.” I find a pair of my gray sweats, too, and pull those on.

“Yeah, no worries.” She steps deeper into the room. “Did you hear the news about Tyler?”

I suck in a sharp breath. “Um, yeah. Roman told me. Crazy.”

It’s probably a weird response, but whatever. I just lost my best friend. Maybe she’ll chalk my reaction up to that.

“Yeah, it is.” She sits down in the armchair by the fire, watching me. “You doing okay? Everyone is really worried about you.”

I know that has to be a lie. Most of the Debs despise me, and the guys barely know I exist, except for Nathan. But it’s sweet of her to say.

I sit at the edge of the bed. “Yeah, I’m uh…hanging in there, I guess. But Bree being gone…I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel real.”

“Yeah,” Wyn says, folding her hands in front of her. “I heard her parents are here, making final arrangements and all that.”

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Her parents called me a couple of days ago to tell me, but I just haven’t felt ready to see them.” I shrug. “That’s probably selfish, but—”

“No, Lux,” Wyn interrupts. “I’m sure they understand.”

“I hope so.” I blink back the tears that always surface whenever I think about Bree or her family. “I’ll reach out eventually.”

“So what are you going to do, in terms of school? Are you going to take a few weeks off, or…?”

I blink at her, unsure if I should tell her. I haven’t even mentioned it to my grandma, or Roman yet. “I’ve spent a couple of days thinking about it, and…I’m going to withdraw from ExU.”

“Withdraw?” Wyn asks, shocked. “Why?”

I shake my head. “This place is twisted, Wyn. Since the day I set foot on campus, nothing but trouble has followed me. I can’t stay. I told myself I’d find Bree, and after that, I’d leave.”

Wyn leans forward. “You have to stay if only to find out what happened to Bree. You owe her that.”

I lean back on my hands. “The police are investigating, and I’ve given them everything I have. They’ll find out who did this.”

She looks skeptical. “Will they? Honestly, Lux, they didn’t even believe she was missing, despite all the evidence you dropped in their lap. Do you trust them to make this a priority?”

“She was murdered, Wyn. How finding her killer not be a priority?”

“I’ve heard rumors that they’re saying it was a college argument gone bad. Maybe she was drunk, got in a fight with someone, and shit went sideways. Doesn’t sound like they’re really worried about a threat to the public. No alerts have gone out, even from the school. So, yeah, I’m guessing finding her killer isn’t a priority.”

I’ve been under a rock for the last three days, not really talking to anyone other than Roman, so I didn’t know the police were already floating a theory.

“Are you sure that isn’t just a rumor?” I ask.

“Someone in our circle has a connection in the police force, and that’s what they’re saying.” She shrugs. “Take that for what it’s worth, but the source is pretty solid.”

Anger coils tightly in my chest. “A fight gone wrong? Is that what they think? After all the evidence I’ve handed to them?”

I shake my head. There’s no possible way the police are just dismissing the note, the eyewitness accounts, and her cell phone….But then again, Wyn is right, they’ve dismissed it all before. I just assumed that since her body had been found, they’d take her case more seriously.

“All I’m saying is that if you want to know who did it, I have a feeling you’ll need to find out yourself, and you can’t do that from five hundred miles away.”

I bite my bottom lip, thinking. She’s right. I owe it to Bree to find out what really happened, because I have a feeling that whoever is responsible for Bree’s death wanders Exeter University’s halls.

I nod once, decided. “You’re right. But where do I even start?”

Wyn stands up. “Now, that, I don’t know.”

Wyn walks to the edge of the bed and holds her arms out to me. “Let me give you a hug.” I stand up, and she pulls me into a tight embrace. When she pulls back, her face is serious. “Just…whatever you do, be careful. If someone gets the idea you’re asking around…” Her throat moves as she swallows. “I just don’t want what happened to Bree happening to you, too.”

“Yeah, I’m going to have to walk a fine line, that’s for sure.”

Wyn steps toward the door, but just as she’s about to open it and walk through, she pauses, and turns toward me, like something just occurred to you. “You know, if you were to embrace your position as Roman’s consort, then you’d be pretty much untouchable. No one wants to fuck with Roman or his family.”

I lift my arms and spin slowly. “Look where I’m living. I am embracing it.”

“No, you’re tolerating it, and everyone knows it. There are bets on how long you’ll last. Most people have their money on six weeks.”

Six weeks? Damn. That’s longer than I would have given it.

“But if you become a fully-fledged member, then…” She shakes her head. “You could rule this whole damn place. Every resource would be at your fingertips.” She opens the door. “Just think about it, Lux. You might as well use what you’ve got to get what you want.”

With that, she’s gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sit back down on the bed. I felt like I was embracing my relationship with Roman, but maybe she’s right. Maybe I’ve been half-in, and half-out this whole time.

And if I want every resource this place has to offer, then I need to slip into my role as queen of this campus and really embody it. It’s so against my nature to be in the spotlight, but I don’t feel like I have a choice. I need everything Roman’s name and money can provide, and if that means whoring my soul out to the campus king, then that’s what it means, I guess.

Leaning back on the bed, I sigh heavily and close my eyes. I miss you, Bree. A tear slips down my cheek. I’m going to find out who did this to you, and then I’m going to make them pay…