Page 11 of Wicked Devotions
Golden rays of light flicker through the verdant green canopy above us as Cillian drives us down the quiet residential street in Briarwood Bay, the small coastal town where Trinity University sits. All the homes sit back from the street on large plots of well-kept land dotted with magnolia and oak trees. He pulls into a driveway already clogged with vehicles.
I see Declan’s Audi, a sleek matte black motorcycle, and a Jeep without a top all parked in front of a detached garage. The house itself is Tudor style withdark trim and paint contrasted with stone masonry. It should feel too moody and out of place for the rest of the neighborhood, but with the wooded lot it’s set back on, it feels right.
“Ready?” Mom turns around in her seat and squeezes my knee.
“Not remotely,” I say quietly.
“It’ll be great.” Cillian turns off the car and exits. “You’ll have Declan, Cyrus, and Emerson to help you navigate your first year,” he says as he holds my door open.
“Are they all home?” I ask.
Cillian looks at the cars in the driveway before answering. “Declan’s Range Rover is missing, so I assume he and Emerson are at practice together.”
“That’s perfect.” Mom holds out her hand for mine, and I’m not too proud to let her take it. “It’ll give us time to get you unpacked and settled in your room.”
Cillian opens the trunk and grabs a couple of boxes. I pull out a suitcase and my backpack while Mom takes a duffel bag in. We follow him up the stone steps and under the arched front porch alcove.
The dark color scheme from the outside facade carries over into the interior. The walls of the foyer are painted a deep maroon with walnutfloors and wainscoting. An iron chandelier hangs from double height ceilings above us while a curved staircase runs along the wall.
I follow Cillian as he moves upstairs, heading to my bedroom. The second level has a catwalk passing over a large living room. Based off the decor and design of the rest of the house, I’m expecting something dark and gothic in my room. Maybe even a casket instead of a bed because this house definitely gives vampire vibes.
Instead, I’m taken by complete surprise when Cillian pushes open a door at the end of the hallway and I’m met with a large, bright space. A king-size bed is situated against one wall with two tables on either side with a dresser directly opposite. The walls are painted a light, airy blue color. The walnut woodwork is the only thing providing continuity between this room and the rest of the house from what I’ve seen so far.
“This is beautiful. Who picked everything?”
“Declan.” The answer comes from Cyrus, who is standing in the doorway. “We ordered everything based off your room at Cillian’s house.” He’s wearing cut off sweatpants and a white t-shirt with paint splatters of various colors. His tan, tattooed skin is covered in smudges of paint in the samecolors. Even his hair has a streak of paint just behind his ear.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” He shrugs and looks at Cillian. “Do you need help with anything else?”
“Yeah, there are more boxes and bags out in the car.” They disappear down the hall together.
“It was really kind of them to decorate for you.” Mom looks around the room, running her hand over the duvet. “I know this isn’t what you thought your life would look like, but you’re getting a second chance to do whatever you want. To be who you want to be instead of following your father’s every whim and order.” She grabs my hands and squeezes them, looking straight into my eyes. “I need you to live to your fullest potential, chase your dreams.”
My eyes sting with unshed tears. “I don’t know what my dreams are.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” She pulls me close and wraps her arms around me. “Promise me that you’ll find them.”
I nod, clinging to her, and suddenly overwhelmed with fear. I’ve never been given the smallest amount of freedom, and now I’m being set free like this. I don’t have Banks. I don’t have anyone to fall back on. But I want, no need, my mother to beable to breathe without worrying about me. She deserves this as much as she believes I do.
The sound of heavy footsteps on the creaking wood of the stairs finally breaks us from our embrace. Both of us swiping our tears away quickly as the guys drop boxes down gently. Cyrus does a double take, no doubt noticing my reddened eyes and nose. I look away, walking into the bathroom for a moment to compose myself. I don’t want anyone seeing me upset.
After everything is unloaded from the car, I go over to the registrar’s office with Mom and Cillian to finalize my enrollment and get a schedule. They enrolled me in all general education requirements since I don’t have a declared major. My grades from high school weren’t the best either, mostly because Dad always told me I wouldn’t be going to college, so I didn’t see the point in trying too hard.
I feel wholly unprepared for this.
Mom and Cillianleft hours ago, and while I hear the guys moving around in the house, I haven’t come out of my room. Even though none of them have made me feel unwelcome, I still feel like aninterloper. I don't want to disturb them, but the deep grumble in my stomach means I have to go downstairs.
The murmuring of voices and light filters down the hall from the game room, but the kitchen is empty and dark aside from the light over the sink. I grab a bowl and fill it with some cereal. My almond milk has been pushed to the back of the refrigerator, so I have to move things around to get to it. I’m closing the doors when I notice someone to my left.
“We wondered when you would come down.” Cy blends into the darkness like a demon and sends my heart racing.
“Goodness.” I grab my chest as I recover from the fright. “I didn’t hear you.”
“No one ever does.” His eyes are fathomless as they skim over me. It feels like he’s assessing me for weaknesses the way a predator would watch prey. “Sorry for startling you.”
“It’s okay.” I say a silent thank you to the universe for keeping my hands steady as I pour the milk over my cereal. “I was just getting a little dinner before bed.”