Claimed by the Devils

Chapter 40

Sebastian POV

Most of the time, I was the kind of guy to orgasm and get the hell out of there. With Aria, I had wanted to stay, but I also knew with my dad out of the house, every moment of searching was important. There was no time to waste.

After Aria had given me the best blowjob of my life, and considering she had no experience, that was saying a lot, I didn’t want to leave. I’d been tempted to stay and hold her, but duty called.

I had no choice but to leave her in Lucian’s care. I knew I f****d up with relying on him, but he was part of us. She belonged to him as much as she did us.

Rubbing at my temples, I steered clear of my father’s office and instead went into his bedroom.

The room he never shared with my mother. She rarely stayed home. In fact, my mother was not much of a presence in my life. She lived hers, coming and going as she pleased. My parents never had a love match. To be honest, from what I saw of them together, they didn’t even like each other.

It sucked.

My mother had her own wing of the house. Going to my father’s closet, I remembered from years ago that he had a safe hidden away in the back of his wardrobe. He’d given me the combination once, and I quickly checked to see if it was the same.

I smiled as the lock clicked open with a simple spring. Awesome.

Checking inside, I saw a few stacks of money, several brown envelopes, and a couple of files. I glanced through them, seeing some DVD discs and a couple of USB keys.

Fuck. Now I wished I’d brought Fred along with me. I didn’t know if I could sneak them away without my father noticing.

This was more important, so I shoved them into my pockets.

Just as I was about to close the safe, a single photo fell between the files. Curiosity got the better of me, and I reached out and took it.

I recognized my dad, along with Lucian’s, Elliot’s, and Rowan’s dads. The woman was Joan in the center. They all looked happy. My dad rarely smiled. His humor had long since faded.

I turned the photograph over and saw the writing: What happiness really feels like.

I put the photograph back, making note of the date, and made sure nothing was out of place apart from the DVD and USB keys.

One last lingering look around the room, then I stepped out to come face to face with Steve, my father’s butler.

“Steve, holy s**t, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Why were you sneaking around in your father’s room?” he asked.

“I wasn’t sneaking around. I thought I had left something in there, but guess what, I didn’t.”

I laughed. This was why I hadn’t gone straight to his office downstairs. Steve protected my dad at all costs. They were glued together.

“How come you didn’t go with my dad tonight?” I asked.

“He felt it was best here. Make sure nothing bad happens.”

“Bad? What bad could happen here?”

“Four guys, two girls, you do the math.”

“Steve, I’m insulted if you even think of it.”

He gave me a pointed look. It was almost as if his eyes saw right through my lies. Don’t get me wrong, we had no intention of hurting Heather or Aria, but this trip wasn’t for homesickness, and I thought he knew that.

“You know, Dad never mentioned anything before about knowing Vales. In fact, he’d never invited them over,” I said.

“Your point?”

“How does he know them?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t have the answer to that.”

Now I knew he was lying.

“Steve, you and my dad have been inseparable for as long as I’ve known you. If there’s something about my dad that you know, then why hide it?” I asked.

Steve looked at me and shook his head.

“We don’t talk about it. It’s better this way.”

“What don’t you talk about?” I asked.

Steve looked past my shoulder, then down the stairs.

“No one is around. I won’t tell.”

“It’s not just about you telling. There is a lot at stake, and I worry about you.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle myself.”

“Doubtful.”

Steve shook his head.

“One day you will find out, but I’m not telling you everything. Joan, Aria’s mother, was a special person to your dad. I’m not going to delve into the whys or whatnots. Your father… I loved her. So much. They all had plans. A carefully organized and mapped-out life that involved all of them. I will never forget how happy your father was. I’ve never seen him like it since.”

“What changed? Joan isn’t my mother.”

Steve grabbed my arm and pulled me into my father’s room.

“Your questions are very telling, Sebastian. I have raised you to be a lot better than this.”

“Help me to understand. We already know Joan was our fathers’ selected. Like Aria is to us.”

“Then why ask all these questions?”

“How did he love her and end up with my mom? That kind of s**t doesn’t happen. Not with The Society.”

Steve slammed his hand across my mouth.

“Do not utter those words so easily. You need to learn to respect the organization.”

“Fill in the blanks for me. Tell me one of us is not f*****g our sister.”

“Aria isn’t, nor will she ever be your father’s, Lucas’s, George’s, or Harrison’s. She is not related to any of you in any way. They would not allow such a selection to occur. Not here.”

“You’re talking in riddles. You’re not making a whole lot of sense.”

I was tired of being taken on this ride.

“Joan was always supposed to be theirs, Sebastian. They loved her, and she loved them. She was the only real selection to fall in love with the men who owned her. Not because of some initiation process. They were loved.”

“What changed?”

“Their third year in college, end of the last semester before vacation. They were all having fun. Against the rules, they went and partied, drank too much—even though your father to this day claims they only had sodas. None of them drank. They got in the car, heading back to the dorms, and no one knows what happened next. The car was badly damaged.

Joan was the only one left in the vehicle. She suffered a miscarriage. At the time, she was carrying their baby. They had been careless. When it came to that woman, they were always pushing the boundaries of what they’d been told. It finally caught up to them. They promised to protect her always, but instead, Joan registered an intoxication level that was off the charts. As per instruction, she took the fall, and your fathers walked free.”

“But… why would they do that?” I asked.

“They broke the rules. They made sure payment was due. With Joan taking the fall and what she lost, it fell to Alexander to pick up the pieces. She was never the same again, nor were your parents. What was once a beautiful romance had been turned into something sinister. He never got over it.

As part of their punishment, they each had to take a woman of their choosing and get her pregnant. Congratulations, this is where you and your friends come in. After everything went down, it didn’t take long for Joan to fall in love with Alexander. They were married, and Aria was born not long after Lucian was. The continued punishment and decision for them was for Joan’s daughter to be their sons’ selected.”

“What you’re saying is even before we were born, it was decided.”

“I don’t make the rules, and neither do your fathers. They know the consequences of not following their instructions. Do not make the same mistake they did, Sebastian. The Society is not to be trifled with. They will know when you break. They will be there to make a profit, decide punishment, and rule upon your fate. You’ve got to decide if you can handle it.”

I watched Steve as he took a step back. The USB keys and the DVD felt heavy in my pocket.

“I will allow you to put back what you took, and we will not talk about this again, will we?” he asked.

“No.”

I didn’t know how he knew I’d taken anything, but that was Steve for you. He knew everything, and we all just had to play along.

Steve left my father’s room, and I had no choice but to sit on the edge of my dad’s bed. Steve’s tale filled in so many blanks, but why? Why allow her to take the blame? Did Aria know about her mother’s miscarriage?

I had to let the guys know what I’d learned. More importantly, I pulled out my cell phone and typed in a warning to Fred. The Society meant business, and for me, I had no choice but to put any digging on hold. I refused to risk his life.

Shit was hitting the fan in a big way. I needed to make sure there were no future casualties. No one was dying because I was too f*****g curious for my own good.