Page 88 of Heartless Sinner

And that terrified me more each day.

Twenty

Daphne

Brooks was gone when I woke up.

Last night could’ve passed for a dream if my bed didn’t smell like Brooks and his bloody clothes weren’t scattered across my bathroom floor.

So, me cuddling him—and him pulling me closer in the middle of the night—hadn’t been a dream either.

As I got ready for class, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

He’d barely been able to walk without help.

Should I have taken him to the hospital?

Then I wondered how bad Cory looked.

During my first class, my thoughts went from Brooks to my Initiation.

Two days.

I had two freaking days, and I wasn’t ready. If Brooks looked that bad after Cory’s Initiation—and Cory looked even worse—what the hell was waiting for me?

Blair and my mom both swore the Fawn Initiation wasn’t physical. Just psychological.

Because that sounded so much better.

My spiraling thoughts ended when Headmaster Arisono walked into the lecture hall. She wore another one of her signature pantsuits. Blue today.

She stopped beside the professor’s desk, and her attention landed on me instantly. “Miss Kenward, I need to speak to you in my office.”

Great.

My morning had already sucked. My professor had denied the extension I’d begged for after not writing my paper last night. And now this.

Arisono tapped the toe of her Chanel heel while I collected my belongings.

I shoved them into my bag and hurried down the stairs. I followed her across the vestibule toward her office.

Definitely not my first trip here. Probably not my last either.

When we were inside her office, she shut the door and motioned for me to sit. I did, my ass halfway off the edge of the chair.

I’d known Arisono before coming to Saint Vale. She came from one of the First Benefactor families and had attended SVU with my parents.

She took a seat behind her desk. “Professor Sinclair said he asked you to stop by his office yesterday and you never did.”

The latte I’d chugged earlier threatened to come back up all over her pristine office.

“Crap.” I smacked my forehead. “I completely forgot.”

“You forgot?” she repeated slowly.

I nodded.

“That’s unacceptable, Miss Kenward. He stated you were disruptive to his class. I expect you in his office by the end of the day. If I find out you didn’t go, it’ll be a suspension. We’ll also have to reconsider whether Saint Vale is the right fit for you.”