He was just leaning back in for another kiss, when his phone started to vibrate under my thigh. With a scowl, he half-lifted me and pulled it from his pocket.

Beck never liked to let the phone go, just in case it was one of his friends needing help. He glanced at the screen and grumbled. “Fucking Delta,” he said before he slid the screen and answered the call.

“What?” he said roughly, his free hands caressing my lips before trailing down to my chin to stroke across my necklace. For a second I worried he was going to rip it from me, because Evan had placed it on my body, and I wasn’t fully comfortable explaining that Bulma was married to Vegeta and that Beck was my Vegeta, because that was quite a heavy conversation. Which meant Beck didn’t really know the full significance of this name.

Thankfully he didn’t break it, just letting the chain fall before he continued to run gentle fingers over my thin black top. When his thumbs brushed my nipples, I squirmed against him.

“When did that happen?” Beck suddenly asked, distracting me. His hand stilled on my body, and that’s when I started paying closer attention too. I could hear the other person talking fast on the line, but I didn’t know what they were saying.

“Yep, I’ll be there,” Beck finally said before he hung up the phone.

“What happened?” I asked.

His face was hard and unyielding. “Someone destroyed Oscar’s grave.”

I stilled. “What do you mean?”

“They smashed the marble, and there’s possible damage to the coffin.”

“You going to check it out right now?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, I need to make sure that nothing else has been destroyed in our plots. There are some family secrets out there that need to stay buried.”

I nodded, sliding off him and standing tall on my new heels. “I’ll come with you.”

He shook his head. “Nah, Butterfly. You stay here and enjoy the party. It’s your birthday.”

“I’d rather be with you,” I said honestly.

He stood, towering over me, his body leaning down into mine as our lips met again. “I’d rather be with you as well, but the entire fucking council is there, and I really don’t want those bastards around you any longer than is absolutely required. You’ve not been called, so I’m keeping you out of it.”

I shuddered at the thought of going near them. “Yeah, okay. Will the other guys stay?”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the only reason I’m comfortable enough to leave you.”

I didn’t argue anymore; accepting that Beck didn’t solely belong to me was an important step in our relationship. I would always have to share him with Delta and his responsibilities there. At least until I could figure out how to end them.

29

Beck made sure that Dylan, Evan, and Jasper were nearby before he left. He hadn’t been drinking, so he was driving the Bugatti. Once he was gone, I was a sad bitch, so Eddy dragged me onto the dance floor, all the while plying me with more drinks than was safe for me to consume. Dante reappeared at some point, and it was almost like the entire scene with Beck hadn’t even happened. He smiled and laughed and flirted with Eddy. I tried my best to get lost in the beat and alcohol, but I was uneasy, never able to fully relax.

“He’ll be fine, right?” I asked Dylan, who was propped against a nearby wall, not drinking either. “Why would anyone destroy a grave? That’s so fucking weird.”

Dylan wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer. “Beck is fine. But he says there’s something unusual going on with the grave. He didn’t want to say anything more over the phone, but he’ll be back in an hour or so to fill us in.”

Knowing he’d be back soon was enough for me to head onto the dancefloor and try and enjoy what remained of my birthday. “Everything okay?” Dante asked. I nodded, smiling.

“Yeah, just a weird Delta thing. You know how it is.”

He balked. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he snapped suddenly. “I don’t know shit, and I never thought you’d stoop to these low, underhanded accusations. That’s more Beck’s speed.”

Eddy had stopped dancing, both of us staring at him. “I just meant because of your,” I lowered my voice, “gang stuff. There’s always something weird and fucked up going on.”

Dante was pale, and I didn’t like the sweaty brow he was sporting. “Is there something you need to tell me?” I asked him, giving him this one chance to confess. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I found out Dante was involved in this world somehow.

“I don’t have anything to tell you, Riles,” he said, visibly calming. “It was just … you know … a hangover from Beck before.”

I probably would have pressed him a little harder, because there was something there, only an idiot wouldn’t see it, but a large shove in the back distracted me before I could say anything else.

Spinning around, I glared at Katelyn, who stood in a tiny white dress, her long blonde hair dead straight and gleaming.

“Whoops,” she said, smirking at me. “Didn’t see you there. You blend right into the floor with that outfit on.”

I had on a black shirt and skinny jeans. Nothing fancy, that was for sure, but I hardly looked as bad as her expression implied.

“This party is off limits to Huntley trash,” Eddy snapped, stepping in close to me. “How the fuck did you even get in here?”

Katelyn leveled a glare on her. “Edith,” she spat. “I keep hoping to read about your untimely death, but you somehow keep kicking.”

Eddy smirked. “You’ll probably be dead before me, bitch. Remember who’s an heir here. No one gains anything by killing me.”

I looked around then wondering if we should be having this sort of conversation in public. Luckily, most people hadn’t noticed the fight going down in their midst, but that quickly changed when Katelyn snarled and reached out to grab Eddy’s hair. She yanked it hard, and my friend started cursing and throwing punches in an attempt to dislodge her.

“Girl fight!” Some dickhead nearby yelled, and the crowds closed in around us, effectively blocking Dylan, Evan, and Jasper, who had been heading in our direction. In an attempt to help Eddy, I got smacked in the face by a flailing arm, and with a chuckle, Dante reached out one of his long arms, and yanked Katelyn up and off Eddy. There was a shriek as more than a little of Eddy’s hair went with her, but Dante didn’t care. He just held Katelyn up, practically by her throat.