Page 67 of Half Truths (Secret Society 1)
“I’m supposed to wear this?”
“Yes.” He glanced at his watch. “You have twenty-five minutes to dress and meet me downstairs. Can you do that?”
“I mean, I’m basically throwing a shapeless black thing over myself, so yes.”
“I’m right next door if you need me.” He left the room and closed the door behind him.
I stared at it for a moment before kicking myself into movement. Unzipping the duffel bag on the floor, I found underwear, the skimpy kind you buy on an anniversary to wear for your significant other. Not the kind you buy to wear under a cloak.
“Bastard.” I threw the underwear down, kicking myself for not having his number to text him about this.
It wasn’t like I had anyone I could send a picture of this to for conversation or advice. Celia couldn’t find out about this. Hailey was out of the question. So, I kept it to myself and looked at the rest of the stuff. A pair of leggings, a pair of jeans, two T-shirts and a sundress. All my size. That gave me pause, but I didn’t have much time to dwell on it now. I slipped off my coat and pulled my shirt over my head. Should I put the cloak over my jeans? I frowned for a beat. I couldn’t imagine why that would be a problem. I would’ve gotten away with leaving my shirt on too, I supposed, but I didn’t want to waste more time.
According to what he’d said, I had five minutes to meet him downstairs. I made sure everything was put away before looking at myself in the mirror. I looked like a creepy nun with this getup. A creepy nun who was wearing a lacy red bra. Turning away from the mirror, I walked over to the window. The woods were behind the house, but there was a big white shack looking thing that seemed to share land with the house right beside us. I hadn’t even noticed there was a house there when we pulled in. It had been impossible to see with all the trees in the way. I craned my neck to get a better look at their yard. There were holes on the ground that looked like a cemetery. I shivered. Were we staying beside a cemetery? I made myself snap out of it and walk out of the room to meet Logan downstairs.
The hall was spookier now that I was walking it on my own. I could hear a light hum of chatter as I passed some of the doors, so I hurried past those, rushing to the stairs, which I sped down. At the bottom, I found Logan standing there in a black cloak of his own, his face uncovered. Somehow, he looked handsome even in that getup, and you couldn’t even see his athletic frame or washboard abs. His face though, that jawline and those dark green eyes that seemed to be tuned into everything they looked at, made him sexy regardless of what he was wearing.
“Did you do anything naughty while you were up there?”
“Did you do anything naughty while you were fantasizing about me in all the lingerie you bought me?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe.” His gaze heated as he looked me up and down. “Are you wearing any of it right now?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“I might be wearing something red.” I leaned in closer and whispered, “but I might not be wearing anything at all. I guess you’ll never know.”
We stared at each other for a beat. Logan opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by a door opening behind us.
“You may enter,” Nolan said. His head was covered, but I knew his voice now. “Pull your hood up please.”
I did as I was told. I assumed Logan did as well, but I couldn’t see very well with the stupid thing on my head. With the limited sight I had, the only thing I could make out was a long dinner table with candles lit all down the middle. There were at least ten others wearing black cloaks in here. I felt a hand at my back leading me, and I walked slowly, careful not to trip over the hem of the cloak. Logan, or who I assumed was Logan, stopped me once I reached the front of the room. A black wall with an enormous gold octopus painted on it was in front of me and a stage was set up there too. An empty stage, save for a podium off to the side, and a large chair fit for a king or queen. The doors opened again, and on instinct, I turned my face toward the noise, but all I saw was a black figure moving to the stage.
“Tonight, we are welcoming you into our family. You will sign our creed, you will spill blood for us as we will for you, and you will sleep under our roof, which will soon be yours as well. Being part of our family means above all else—loyalty.” It was a female voice, and she paused. “You don’t want to test our loyalty by talking to others about us or what happens behind closed doors here. People who have done that in the past have been banished from The Eight.”
