Chapter 1

I can smell her perfume before she comes into my view.

Her first mistake of the evening.

Her scent has always been alluring to me. It's luxurious and easily the most divine fragrance to hit my nose, but the light berry notes are playful, making me feel alive as I inhale her. My eyes flutter closed as I momentarily let myself be consumed by her presence.

She's so fucking sweet.

I've resisted the urge to take her every day for the last year. After my father's death, so much of my time was spent plotting a thousand different ways to destroy Carlos Garcia, Isabelle's father. The options were limitless, which felt overwhelming at the time. I toyed with the idea of torturing him slowly, making Isabelle watch in the same way he forced me to watch my father bleed out before me. I was completely and utterly useless as the tight ropes they bound me with tore into the flesh of my broken wrists.

All he wanted was to leave The Exodus, but once you're in, there's no escaping. The Exodus sinks its claws in as deep as they can go, making it impossible to remove yourself from its grasp. My father knew that, but he couldn't justify this way of life anymore. I pleaded with him time and time again, begging him to lay low and ride it out, but he couldn't. He was tired of the killings, the senseless murders and kidnappings. The drugs, the political meddling.

The monster I was becoming.

He hated how far I got sucked into the secret society. It didn't take long to climb the ranks. The most elite members have the dirtiest hands. Whether they do the work themselves or hire out is questionable, but we've all sinned beyond the point of return. We all have a seat in Hell.

I've grown to enjoy the ways of The Exodus for the most part. The political meddling doesn't interest me in the slightest, but I've enjoyed the endless line of needy girls begging to suck my cock. The money buys me just about anything I could want. I've dabbled in cocaine more than once to take the edge off my stress. There are so many benefits to being an elder in The Exodus, but it has its price.

Ironically, I've been tasked with keeping our members in line, ensuring no one gets out, and only those who earn it get in. I kill who I have to, fuck who I need answers from, and hunt down the few who make a run for it. It's the same story over and over again. They don't make it far before I've caught up to them, and they're always so surprised when I make my appearance. When death makes an appearance. The only way out is death.

Once a decade, we hold the Reckoning. It's not only a staggering show of power and wealth, but also a clever way to recruit new members, keeping the society alive. The rules of the event are simple. Each member brings a guest, willing or unwilling, and that guest either passes a series of games and sacrifices chosen for them by that member, or they die. It's ten hours of madness and chaos, driven forward by drugs, sex, and bloodshed. With law enforcement on our side, everything is legal tonight. There are no boundaries to be broken. Identities are kept confidential for the most part, so all members are required to wear masks.

This year's Reckoning is extra special. I've chosen Isabelle Garcia as my guest of honor. The vision of how I want tonight to play out came to me last fall as I chased a rogue member through the woods. His ending was long, drawn out by my imagination running wild with possibilities for Isabelle. After Carlos pissed off the wrong dealer and got himself killed, I had no choice but to turn my sights on her.

Isabelle has always intrigued me. Her long, brown hair flows in the prettiest waves. The way she carries herself, like she hasn't had the weight of the world on her shoulders since her mother died, makes me wonder if she has any emotion at all. After Carlos died, I watched her to see what she'd do, but she stayed. No one expected her to remain in that big, empty house by herself, but she did. She carried on with life, keeping to herself most days, but she seemed more free than ever.

I've questioned how Carlos treated her, to leave her appearing unaffected, but then I remember back to the days when we were younger. She was his entire world. A real daddy's girl. Her ability to remain unphased when she lost her entire family is admirable, and it makes her the perfect candidate for The Exodus.

I was further impressed with her when she hired personal trainers within weeks of picking up on my hints. She's smart. She's been preparing for this night, even though she has no idea what's in store for her this evening. I've had ample time to plan out every fucking minute of the next ten hours.

Sacrifice or die, she's mine.