Typhon

Chapter 12

Rylee~

Laney hadn't come home last night, and that was another unnecessary drama that I could blame on Stone Lexington. When I had walked out of that creepy, rundown, deserted mansion last night, I had fully expected on having an argument with Laney once we'd gotten back home. However, a quick text from Alexis Wyatt, letting me know that they'd all been gathered in her dorm to talk, had told me that I had time to go home and try to absorb what the hell had just happened; never mind how Alexis had gotten my number.

Of course, Laney could have given it to her, or that goddamn secret club could have. However, I hadn't been overly upset about it. I imagined that if we were all going to be in this together, then we'd need each other's phone numbers or whatever. So, I had saved her number in my phone and figured I'd get Jennifer's and Kincaid's later. At any rate, when I'd finally gotten home last night, I'd felt lost, confused, and regretful.

Really, really, really regretful.

Once again, I had let my pride get in the way of common sense. I'd been ambushed-again, the blame on Stone Lexington-and I'd felt utterly stupid being surrounded by people that'd been privier to my fate than I'd been. When Stone had declared his intentions, everyone but us girls had known what he'd meant. They'd all known what'd been happening, and knowing that made me still feel like a fool. Between not knowing what had been going on and Alexander George's condescending ways, I had pulled up, then had pretended as if I'd been a part of this monumental decision affecting my life.

Then Arlene had happened.

The entire time that we'd been there, I'd felt sorry for her. I had felt for her when she'd been put on display with Jacob and Donovan. I had thought about her husband and kids, even when it had become apparent that she'd been enjoying herself. I had still felt sorry for her, and I had convinced myself that she'd been put in a terrible situation, and that all she'd been doing was trying to make the best of it. She'd taken a situation that was supposed to have been humiliating and had made it hers, but then she'd made that comment about being able to have any of the guys that she wanted.

Alexander had just explained the magnitude of the Hera contract, and Arlene had still commented that she could have Stone if she'd wanted him.

Pride.

Pride really was a motherfucker.

So, just like I hadn't been about to let Alexander talk down to me, there was no way that I'd been about to let Arlene insinuate that Stone had been an option. If I was his now, then that meant that he was mine, too.

That was also a whole other issue that I couldn't wrap my mind around. I'd only spoken to Stone that one time, so how in the hell had we ended up here?

How had I ended up here?

Now, I couldn't deny that I was attracted to him because I was. I also couldn't deny that the attraction was a powerful one. That undercurrent whenever he was near me was real. It was real, and I'd never felt it with anyone else before. When Arlene had talked her crap, and then Stone had leaned down to place that soft, sweet, reassuring kiss on my neck, my knees had almost buckled. It'd felt like that lightning in the bottle that I'd always been curious about.

Still, marriage?

A secret society?

How was I really expected to marry a guy that I didn't know? A guy that had threatened my family, then had tricked and manipulated me into something that I still didn't understand?

Just then, the knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts, and I knew that it had to be Stone. A part of me wanted to yank the door open and demand answers, but another part of me was afraid one touch would have us in my bedroom, common sense no longer a possibility.