Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Wyn

Christian and I end up getting a trunk-load of decorations. We even stopped at a bakery to grab a cake. Several members are milling around when we drive up to Rush House, and they help us bring everything into the kitchen.

Christian pulls his phone out and looks at the time. “I gotta run, but I’ll grab a few people to help you set up. You have about two hours until the party starts.”

“Thank you for your help,” I say, grabbing one of the bags of decorations, so I can start sorting things. “I appreciate it.”

He flashes me that devastating smile that’s identical to his brother’s. “You got it, but remember…” He points at me as he walks backward out of the room. “I’m counting on you. Don’t take any of that martyr bullshit…”

I laugh and get straight to work. A couple of girls are sitting around the breakfast table, and they jump up to help me. We focus on decorating the entryway, and living room. By the time we’re done, the living room looks like a party supply store threw-up all over the walls.

A huge “Welcome Home” sign hangs over the couch, and multi-colored streamers dangle from the walls and ceiling at every angle, along with two dozen balloons. Christian thought a helium tank could be “useful for all sorts of things,” so he bought three. I don’t even want to know what “other uses” he could have for a helium tank. I’ve learned it’s best not to ask.

When we’re done, we have about twenty minutes left until the party officially starts, and people are already starting to arrive. I run to the kitchen to throw away all of the bags and packaging, then get myself a much-needed drink.

Thankfully, someone already brought in all the booze from the garage and set up the makeshift bar on the kitchen island. I grab a red solo cup and pour a healthy amount of cinnamon whiskey into it.

“Hey, girl. You’re here already!”

I whip around to see Alexis standing in the kitchen doorway. She’s so damn adorable, it’s painful. She’s wearing feathers in her long hair, and a pink velvet tunic that looks like it could be a top, but also works as a really short dress. A pair of cute knee-high boots complete the hippy vibe.

“Yeah, I was setting up,” I say.

“It’s looks great! God, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place so festive-looking.” She walks over to me, grabs my cup, and tips it back to take a gulp.

“Hey!” I snatch my cup back before she can drain it. “Get your own.”

She wipes the corner of her mouth and looks around. “Where’s Gabriel?”

I lean back against the counter and take a drink. “He should be here in a few minutes,” I say with a sigh.

Alexis grabs her own solo cup and fills it with some pre-mixed margarita. “You don’t sound happy about that,” she points out.

I glance around the room. There are way too many people around who could overhear this conversation, so I opt for the diplomatic answer. “It’s been… a lot. ”

Before Gabriel went missing, I confided in Alexis. She knows most of what happened between Gabriel and me during our relationship. She lifts a brow and purses her pouty lips. “Girl, I hear you. I can only imagine. We’ll have to do coffee tomorrow so we can catch up properly .”

I take another sip, then push out a harsh breath. “If Gabriel will let me out of his sight,” I say in a low tone, so only Alexis can hear.

She blinks at me like you’ve got to be kidding . She reaches over, grabs the bottle of whiskey, and pours more into my cup. “Oh, girl, you need this.”

I laugh, pulling my cup away before she fills the entire thing. Whiskey splashes onto the tiled floor, and I jump back. “Jesus! If I drink that much, I’ll be passed out before the party even gets started.”

She holds the bottle up, laughing. “God willing!”

People start filing in through the back door, and the whole energy inside the house starts ratcheting up. Music pumps out of the living room, which is all the way on the other side of the massive house. That’s how loud it is.

A couple of minutes later, there’s a commotion in the entryway. People start filing out of the kitchen to see what’s happening. I’m guessing Gabriel and the Sacred Sons have arrived.

I lift my solo cup. “Welp, here we go. Wish me luck.”

Alexis taps her cup against mine. “You got this, babe.”

The hallway is already packed with people, and I could elbow my way up to the front, but I decide to hang back. Maybe I can sink into the chaos and avoid Gabriel’s attention tonight.

I’m plastered against the wall in the hallway, sipping on my whiskey, as everyone erupts into cheers. I’m so far back that I can’t even see what’s happening in the entryway, but it’s clear Gabriel is getting a hero’s welcome.

Good. Great. Perfect. He’s probably eating this up.

When the crowd finally disburses, I find my way over to the living room. Gabriel and the other guys are probably hanging out in the study. That’s their inner sanctum, where they usually hold court.

The living room is insane. More people than usual are here tonight, and bodies fill every available space. As I walk in, though, people slide out of my way to let me pass. It takes me a second to realize why—I’m the queen consort.

My hand flies to my throat, but there’s no pendant there. Doesn’t matter, though. Queen consort is a venerated position within the Burning Crown. Disrespecting a queen could invite trouble that most members don’t want to fuck with.

As I step deeper into the room, I see a familiar face and I walk over. Ava is standing next to the pool table, looking just as uncomfortable as I feel.

“Hey,” I say, feeling just as awkward as she looks. “I’m glad you came.”

She’s clutching the beer can in her hand with white knuckles, and she flashes me a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m glad Gabriel is okay,” she says, practically shouting over the insanely loud music. My bones are pulsing in time with the music. I nod and swallow.

“Lucas must be so happy,” she says.

I nod again and thank God, there’s a break in the music. The next song is slower, and not as loud. My ears ring with the abrupt shift in volume. “Yeah. Listen, I just wanted to say, I’m really sorry about what went down a couple of nights ago. That was shitty.”

I don’t even remember everything that happened, but what I do remember was super fucked up. It must have been hard for her to be dethroned so abruptly and in front of everyone. I doubt Lucas gave her any warning because he’s an asshole like that.

She purses her lips and nods. “Yeah, it was. But…” She shakes her head, and I can see unshed tears pooling in her eyes. “I’ve always kinda known Lucas had a thing for you.”

I blink at her. She’s the second person to say that to me today. And it’s so weird because I never saw it. I still don’t. He’s just so angry—even more so now that Gabriel is back.

“So, um are you back with Gabriel now, or…?”

I detect a note of hope in her voice, like maybe with Gabriel back, she can slide back into Lucas’ good graces, and reclaim the title of Queen Consort.

Honestly, I’d hand the title back to her on a silver platter if I could. But it’s not my decision to make. I can’t even tell Lucas I don’t want it. That’s not how this works. The Sacred Sons decide what happens, point blank, period. The bylaws are pretty clear on that. Free will isn’t a thing in a centuries-old secret society like the Burning Crown.

I shrug and take another healthy sip of my whiskey. It feels like swallowing fire, but the burn feels good. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen. It’s complicated, I guess.”

She takes a sip of her own drink. “Yeah, I believe that. Everything with the Sacred Sons is complicated.”

“You know, Ash seems like an okay guy…” I say. “I mean, he seems like the most normal out of all of them, and he doesn’t have a consort yet…”

Ava smiles, and touches the tip of her finger to her nose, then points at me. “I like the way you think.”

The music kicks up again, and I can feel the whiskey moving through my system, warming my blood. The song switches to something upbeat, and I put my cup down, then I take Ava’s can out of her hand and set it down, too. “Fuck the boys,” I say. “We should dance.”

Several other girls are already dancing, their short skirts riding up their thighs, hips swaying to the beat of the music. I pull Ava out to the center of the room, and we join them. I’m already buzzed, and I move my body to the music, lifting my arms, gathering my hair up, my hips jerking in time with the bass.

At some point, I lose Ava. She’s dancing with some guy and they get swallowed up by the crowd. Doesn’t matter. I’m just enjoying the feeling of freedom. Gabriel would die if he saw me dancing seductively like this, but he’s busy being worshiped in the other room, and I'm going to take full advantage of his absence.

I’m sweating now, the music moving through me. I’m only vaguely aware of the crowd surrounding me as I close my eyes and swing my hips. People bump into me, and a couple of guys stop to dance with me, but it’s short-lived. Once they get a good look at my face, they move on pretty quickly. No one wants to invite Lucas’ anger by dancing with his queen—and after the beating Kai took, I can’t really blame them.

About halfway through the next song, some brave soul comes up behind me and presses their body against mine. I can’t tell if it's a guy or a girl, but at this point, I’m way too buzzed to care.

I push back against them, my ass swaying. A pair of strong hands grip my hips, and the person’s head dips, so their mouth hovers next to my ear, their warm breath sending ripples down my spine. I don’t dare turn my head to see who it is. Doesn’t matter. Not now, with the energetic beat moving through my veins. I could dance like this forever, and just let everything else fade away…

After a few minutes, the mysterious stranger—who I’m guessing is a guy—grabs my wrist and pulls me out of the crush of people. That’s when I finally see who it is. Lucas. Of course. I can only see his back as I follow him out of the living room, and into the hallway.

He releases my wrist as he turns to face me. I scrunch my nose because I just realized I left my drink on the pool table, and something tells me Lucas won’t allow me to go back in and get it.

Thankfully, someone is heading into the living room with a tray filled with red solo cups, and I grab one, draining it. It’s something sweet. Lucas just glares at me, but I’m too tipsy to be bothered by his disapproval.

The music is still pretty loud out here, so I start dancing all by myself, continuing right where I left off. Fuck if I’m going to let Lucas ruin my one fun night.

Reaching out, he grabs me by the arms, stopping my one-woman dance party. I scowl at him, my head spinning. I blink to bring him into focus. “You are no fun, do you know that?” I say in a lecturing tone, only slurring slightly. It was barely noticeable. I’m sure he didn’t even catch it.

“You’re drunk,” he says.

Okay, so, maybe he caught it.

Whatever.

Being drunk at a party isn’t illegal. Except, well, I’m not actually twenty-one until next summer.

Lifting my finger, I move it toward his face with the intention of booping his nose. But my aim is off, so I end up booping his cheek instead. “You are so cute when you’re angry.” I straighten. “Wait, why are you angry, again? I forgot.”

“I haven’t told you.”

“Oh, right. So tell me.”

As he glares at me, I rub my temple with the tips of my fingers. That whiskey must have been strong as fuck, and I have no idea what was in the drink I just shot back. It tasted like some kind of fruity mixed shrink.

“Wyn, what the fuck are you doing?”

I indicate our surroundings. “I’m celebrating.”

Another tray of drinks is coming straight toward us, and I reach out to steal another cup as it passes, but Lucas grabs my arm, preventing me.

“Wyn, go up to my room and lie down. You’ve had enough for tonight.”

I scoff at that, ripping my arm out of his grip, which causes me to stumble back a little. “You can’t tell me what to do,” I bite out.

He takes a menacing step toward me, people moving all around us. “I can, actually, and I will.”

I shove him hard in the chest. He doesn’t even budge, of course. But I can see the annoyance on his face, which is a small win, at least. “Fuck. You.”

“Yo! Yo! Yo!” Gabriel appears from somewhere down the hall. The study, I’m guessing. “Everything okay?” he asks approaching us, his gaze moving quickly from me to Lucas. “What’s goin’ on?”

Gabriel’s presence breaks the tension and Lucas blinks, shaking his head. “I was just telling Wyn that she’s had enough to drink.”

Gabriel looks more closely at me, then slaps his cousin on the shoulder. I notice he’s a little more animated than usual, and there’s a trace of white powder clinging to one of his nostrils. “Good lookin’ out, Cuz, but don’t worry...” He reaches over and pulls me against him, his arm around my waist in an unmistakably possessive move. “I’ll take it from here. Enjoy the party.”

Lucas’ ocean blue gaze shifts to me, and I can see the hesitancy in his eyes. It’s crazy how quickly I’ve learned his little tells. And one thing is super clear about Lucas—he hates being told what to do. So when he nods abruptly and moves away, I know his ass is clenching.

As soon as Lucas walks away, Gabriel turns to me. “Where have you been?”

My head is swimming, and my vision is blurred. I blink. “Well, let’s see, I was in the kitchen first,” I say, struggling to remember. “Thennnn…I was with Alexis–”

“Why didn’t you come find me?” he clarifies harshly.

I sway, and he tightens his hold on me, but it feels better when Lucas does it. “Oh, um, I don’t know. I was finishing with the decorating, I guess,” I lie. “Oh and, I got you a cake,” I add, hoping that will distract him.

He narrows his eyes like he doesn’t believe me. “Maybe Lucas is right,” he says, his jaw clenched. “Maybe you do need some rest.”

Before I can even protest, he grabs my hand and pulls me down the hallway, and up the main staircase. I struggle to keep up with his long, clipped strides.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask.

“You’ll see,” is all he says in response, and my stomach sinks…

This can’t be good.