Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

ROMAIN

I tried to follow her out that day, four years ago. But I was a sixteen year old runt who'd been captured by a pack of wolves, and they knew it. Maman knew it. I didn't stand a chance. The way she turned over her shoulder with wet eyes and an apology hanging from her lips. Yeah, she knew it. And my confused brain couldn't quite make out if I should be terrified or excited. This was Edouard Beaumont, after all. Girls wanted him, boys wanted to be like him. I…

Edouard clasped a collar around my neck and watched me carefully. Those gorgeous, grey eyes peered into my blue ones, searching, as if soaking up every single emotion that went through my mind. And I honestly feared that he would see. Would see my attraction toward him. It made me feel terrified, and upset.

"You like to disgrace me?" I spat at him.

He grinned, then walked away, tugging on the leash for me to follow. It was a miracle he allowed me to stand and trudge after him, bodyguards hot on my tail. I thought of Maman and her being alone in our worn out trailer, and it made my gut churn. I thought of where we were heading as he brought me deeper into their mansion, up the wide, shiny stairs to a carpeted corridor that had numerous doors, until he finally stopped and opened one that led to his room. The place took up three times our trailer and was clean as a whistle. I couldn't help but stare at the large, king size bed that covered a good part of the wall, on each side bedside tables and closets filled with books and other curiosities. Built miniature cars and maps, shiny ashtrays that looked to be real gold for my untrained eye, were scattered over several shelves.

Behind us, a few women flooded the room, rearranging things as they swiftly, and silently, went through the place. I bawled my eyes out until I caught sight of the basket that was neatly placed between the bed and the large en-suite bathroom. It stood on the carpet and was filled with plush pillows.

"Welcome to my bedroom," Edouard said, then walked up to his bed. He sat down on it, spread his legs and tugged on the leash. "Sit."

"What? Absolutely not!" I pulled on the rope, gritted my teeth at the ache I felt around the tender skin of my neck, then pulled again. "Fuck you. Fuck all of you. I didn't come over to end up here. I didn't come here to be disgraced by you." I turned over my shoulder and my blood ran cold. Two broad-shouldered bodyguards were waiting for any signal now to come up and make me do as he wanted. Edouard had me cornered and that knowledge made me feel both defeated and rebellious at the same time. I was just some poor fucker with nothing to lose. I looked back at Edouard, who was grinning, waiting for me to throw more word vomit over him. It wouldn't make a difference. My misfortune suddenly hit me hard. "You can't mean this," I pleaded at his toothy grin. Why the hell was he so attractive? Why him? "We go to the same school. We live in the same town. Our parents… Maman —" God, I couldn't leave her alone in our trailer. She wouldn't survive.

"I know," he said, as if had heard my thoughts, and petted his thigh. "Come and sit here and I'll let you go home tonight."

"You will?"

He nodded. "If you promise to be back here tomorrow morning by seven."

I nodded, and my knees gave way then, the insecurity of this situation making them go all wobbly. Landing between his spread legs, his hand guided me forward until I touched his inner thigh. My skin was clammy, and my cheeks felt inflamed. Shame, anger, it all felt too much. Clenching my jaw, I forced myself to look up at him.

"What do you want from me?"

Leaning back casually, Edouard grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one. I seethed at the ease with which he shoved away my concerns.

"I already told you that I don't have the money, but I can work double shifts and I can get you the money. I promise you."

He ignored me. Inhaling deeply, he let out a puff of smoke, and that smouldering gaze turned back to me. It was unsettling. "I don't think I've ever truly looked at you," he suddenly said, effectively shutting me up immediately. He smiled then, and my heart rattled violently in my ribcage at the beauty of his face. At that moment, he didn't look like the cocky, bad boy kid he was in school. He looked…gentle? I inwardly reprimanded myself and let my gaze zoom in on the glimmering stone in his mouth. When he caught me watching, his gaze turned smug, and his eyes danced as if he was waiting for me to find the courage to ask him.

I did. "You really think you can get away with this, don't you?" I asked.

He shrugged, looking amused. "Why not? I can do whatever the hell I like."

"I could go to the police when I go home. Tell them what happened."

"Tell them to come over for a few drinks, they know the place." He grinned, took in another drag of his cigarette with his gaze down at me. The leash felt too tight, skin too hot, my stomach too full with flutters. "The entire force knows our family very well, Romain. So, if not them, or your mother, who will come for you? I thought so." His finger dipped under the golden collar around my throat. "Look at you. I've always wanted someone for myself, and here you are, literally dropped by my feet. You look so beautiful like this, my pet." His tips were warm on my fluttering vein, and my brain…how it hated my body right now.

Edouard tugged on the golden band and my face went horizontal before my cheek ended on his thigh. He felt warm through the material of his jeans, and strong. He felt of everything I never had back home in our cold, unsafe home. My heart thumped at our physical connection. Wiggling my ass, I let myself relax, the feeling strangely comfortable. Edouard hesitated, then slowly put his hand on my head, his fingers running through my dark hair. It had been such a long time since someone touched me. It was…soothing, despite the fact that he had me trapped between his thighs. Or maybe it was because of that fact.

It was… the first time I realized that we didn't have to be enemies.

" W elcome to your altered future."

The words of the old man with his golden cane echo through my mind as I shove Edouard hard in his ribs. He backs away with a gasp of surprise and hurt, ‘cause I may have accidentally touched the gash I inflicted, and perhaps part of me feels guilty, but I immediately use it to my own advantage. Too many vulnerable years on the streets have taught me how to survive. Taking off, I don't hesitate, but make my way straight for the other tree where strange hands are still gesturing to me wildly. The shrubs are treacherously high, and the lack of light and knowing where the hell I am, make the short journey a challenge.

I never go into the forest that surrounds Monterrey Castle. We make use of the sport fields that are built between the lush gardens and the woods, but I have never once considered going into the actual forest. Now I know why. It's vast, dark, and terrifying. And I don't even know what's really lurking out there in the shadows, since Edouard won't talk to me.

The moment I reach the other trunk, hands pull me away and curl me out of sight. Panting, I look around me. "Hi."

Another guy grins at me. From this close, I can rule him out as a participant. "You're not—you're not—" I stammer. Is he even on my side? A nerve ticks in my jaw, a reflection of so much adrenaline.

"A participant?" The stranger smiles, shaking his head. "Not anymore." Instead of wearing his school uniform and that silk mask that covers most of my upper face, he's wearing a black cloak with the hood down and a simple, black mask with silver details. He gives me a soft smile that looks almost apologetic, sweeping his golden blonde, angular fringe from his face and onto the messy strands on top of his head. He looks genuine, somehow. And that, in a place like this, at a time like this, with Edouard being out here, is so absurd it could make me laugh. It doesn't. Because he is devastating, on multiple levels, the boy who has turned into a man, and whom I have always secretly called my love.

"I wanted to meet you." The stranger says. "We all did."

Blinking my eyes, I zoom in on him. "Who are you?"

"We came to check upon you. To see if you are alright. Come." The stranger shoves me forward, deeper behind the shrubs, until we are invisible from the path. We? "O-kay?" I ask instead, inwardly slapping myself.

His smile widens, but it's filled with worry as he nods, jutting his chin toward the tree where I stood against less than a minute ago. The spot is now empty, Edouard no longer there, and my insides crawl with awareness. Where is he? "You guys looked pretty intense."

"Yeah, we—uhm—" I swallow, gripping the knife tighter in my palm when I hear the rustling sound of parting leaves from the obscure shadows. "We have a history." When I catch sight of the arrival of another guy, I turn back to the black and silver stranger. "Sorry, what did you say your name was again?"

"Thurel," he says. "I hadn't introduced myself yet. And that is Robin." I watch as the other guy comes closer. He's wearing an identical outfit, safe for the details on his black mask. Robin doesn't speak, but nods his head in greeting, the copper details in his outfit unmistakable. Somewhere in the back of my mind, those details ring a bell.

"History, huh? Do you guys know each other?" Thurel asks, making me drag my gaze back to him. I don't know if it's in the way he asks the question, or the true meaning he's seeking, but it makes me take a step back, startled, unsure if I can trust these guys.

"That's none of your business." My fist clenches around the knife. Robin catches the movement and curls his lips into a snarl.

"I know you," he says, the words surprising me as he glares at me from a closer distance. They shouldn't. After all, we're all students. But running around in cloaks and masks makes reality turn a darker shade, that's for sure. "You're in third year, right? Romain." I shrug, but Robin nods his head. "Yeah, that's you. You're that guy who had his friend carved up by—holy shit." He spins his head to his friend, surprise written all over his face. "That was him . Oh yeah, you know each other. I mean, Edouard is bad news, but the way he got after that guy? I'd never seen that before, man."

The memory makes me shiver. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. The shock when I found Pierre in his room. I know that I shouldn't have worried so much after what he tried to do to me, but when he failed to attend class for two days, I did. Looking back, it was my unattended presence, including forcing open his door when he didn't reply to me calling for him, that had ultimately saved his life. Motionless, that's how I'd found him on his bed. Deep slashes on his exposed chest showed the brutality of the attack. His shirt, rippled to shreds, had turned rosy-pink from where it had soaked into the blood.

And I…I had just stood there, frozen. Nurses had performed first-aid and I'd just stood there. They'd tended his wounds and bandaged his carved-open skin, and I'd just stood there. Later, they had taken him away and sent him to hospital, and I'd just stood there. Thinking of the shape of his carved skin on his torn shirt and exposed skin.

The symbol of a star was Edouard's signature. He used to love when I talked about them. The solar system has always fascinated me, and he could listen to me for hours. Yes, looking back, I should have realized he had come at Saint-Laurent for me. But I…I believed that if I ignored his presence and casual seat at the center of the table in the canteen, the proof that he'd become part of the elite of the elite, he wasn't really here.

How utterly stupid of me.

"This here is the biggest grump you'll meet," Thurel laughs, clasping Robin's shoulder with his hand. "Come on. So it's Romain, right? Let's find an easy way out of this maze. We have another hour to go."

My muscles tighten and I halt my tracks. "Why would I come with you?" I ask, eyes darting between both guys. "If you aren't participants, and you're not out here to eliminate me either, then who the fuck are you?"

"We are your brothers," Thurel says.

I snort at that. "My brothers ? I don't have any brothers, I'm an only child." Biting my tongue with that piece of over-shared information, I snarl when Thurel gives me a genuine pitiful look. Then he visibly pipes up.

"Well, soon you won't be anymore. Tonight's your night and the brotherhood of the Alpha Fraternarii is eager to meet you."

"The brotherhood of the…come again?"

"Your Initiation," Robin clarifies, smirking. "I hope you like fucking."

"Robin!" Thurel calls out. But those words are enough to make my chest clench, and the pit of my stomach fills with dread. I huff out a muffled snort. "You've got to be kidding me. I knew he'd be back just to torment my life even further."

He tries to disgrace you. Like he always has. In front of Maman. In front of Father Beno?t.

I know that. I fucking know that. Then why does it hurt all the same?

The tip of my knife splits open the delicate skin of my palm and I wince at the sensation. It sharpens my senses, makes me see all those things clearer I won't allow myself to admit.

Robin grunts. "He didn't tell you what's going to happen next? What the hell were you guys talking about out there for over half an hour?"

I frown. "Were you watching me?"

"Well, it was hard not to watch when he had his hand in your pants and made you come." He grins. "You guys look hot."

"Robin…" Thurel warns, but Robin just shrugs and brushes a hand through his light, longish hair.

"Whatever, it's just the truth, is all. Right, Romain?"

"Yeah, well—" I'm not sure what I was actually going to say, but a huge, dark shape appearing from the shadows nearly makes me jump out of my skin. "What the hell?" My eyes widen with terror, and then I'm standing face to face with an enormous, dark horse.

"So you are Romain?" A cloaked guy with black hair and a similar black mask exclaims. He eyes the knife, still clutched in my palm like a lifeline, then drags his gaze up to meet mine, giving me a wolfish grin. "Ohh, you're going to dish out the same thing as he does? This is going to be fun." The horse snorts, scraping its foot impatiently into the gravelly sand.

Somewhere in the background, someone cries out, the guttural sound vanishing into the warm forest air as soon as it appeared in the first place. Robin stares at Thurel, who visibly shivers, then smiles apologetically. "Sorry," Thurel mumbles, "I still can't get used to it. Who was that?"

"Silver Mask," the rider says, staring into his phone. "Two participants are eliminated." He looks back at the guys. "I think it's time we make a move inside, don't you think?"

"What the—" I start, but they continue their conversation as if I'm not there.

"Where's Olivier?" Thurel asks.

"Who's—"

"Already inside the castle, waiting," the rider says. "He didn't want to say it as much, but he's excited to finally get to meet Romain."

"Excited, yeah?" One of them answers, smirking.

" Putain de merde , what on earth is going on?" I finally snarl. I'm panting, a dangerous cocktail of nerves and anger. I'm scared, I'm tired, and anxious to see Edouard again. I've done so well in playing it cool the entire school year. In staying away from him during daylight. And aside from that one incident , he has never looked for me. He has let me admire him from a distance, my hand tire itself pathetically under the safe blankets of my bed.

"Will you let him, Alexandre?" Robin asks.

The rider—Alexandre—shrugs, and smiles my way. "If Edouard doesn't mind. I heard he likes to kneel and be good. That's good for Olivier, some gentle hands to take good care of him."

"What the—" Awareness crawls through my system. " What? "

A crackling sound in the air has us all look up. For a second, I fear it might begin to rain, but the sky has been clear for days, with high, summer temperatures. Someone clears his throat through a speaker, the absurdity and recognition of that voice making the hairs on the back of my neck stand.

"Participants of the Wicked Chase." It's the creaking sound of the old man's voice. The one who introduced us to the rules during the beginning of the games earlier tonight. "Outside in the forest, two of you are remaining, yet inside the castle, we are organizing tonight's Initiation for only one of you. It will be a true party."

"Party? Already? They still have one hour?" I hear Thurel ask behind me.

"He's impatient," Alexandre says, followed by a dry chuckle that does nothing to soothe my fretfulness. I don't need to ask who he's referring to.

"Make haste inside the castle, and find the location of our soirée . But be careful. On your way inside, you might come across the necessary challenges." Someone cackles in the background. I'm not sure if that person is with the old man with the cane, or if it's Thurel, or Robin, or Alexandre. It doesn't matter either, my mind is turning foggy and my hand feels sweaty around the knife.

Thoughts are scattered all over the place. Memories of Edouard flood my defenses. There are so many of them.

On your knees, mon chat. There's a good boy. If you stay like this until I come back, I'll give you the reward you need.

"You have thirty minutes to make your way to your party!" The old man roars. "Thirty minutes to show us you're worthy. Thirty minutes to alter your life forever." The end of his phrase echoes through the night. Pour toujours.

Move. Move . Yet here I stand, frozen.

"There." Robin points his way towards the castle. "That's the way to go."

"I know that," I snarl. The tip of the blade in my fist scratches more flesh when I look over my shoulder, to where we started. Has it only been an hour that I've been out here? It would make sense that we finish the night at the same place. Still, I hesitate. Tonight's rules were clear. Survive two hours in the woods and try to not get caught by the mask who's out there to eliminate you.

Golden Mask. Handsome, dangerous, Edouard.

Then why do I get the feeling they're now changing those rules?