"And what did you say?" Sonam leaned forward, slowly sliding off the couch as she waited for my response.

"I was sitting right next to him. I wasn't going to say no and suffer through an awkward car ride."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "But . . . you did want to say yes, right?"

I shrugged even though my answer was a clear yes.

When Cedric popped the question last night, his nervous laughter that he usually responded with after I said something gay, became my own response, and not even because he was asking me out, but because in my hands, I was holding the same question asked by a different guy — and they were both waiting for an answer.

After a short pause, I agreed to go out with Cedric, but never responded to Elijah. It was different when you were face to face. At least with a phone, I could think about it peacefully.

"He messaged me this morning," I said, dangling my phone in my right hand like it was a hot potato that I couldn't hold for too long.

"Cedric?"

"Elijah. Cedric hasn't messaged me today."

"What did Elijah say?"

"He's thinks he scared me away."

Sonam slapped my knee. "Don't torture the poor guy."

"I'm not doing it on purpose."

"You are totally doing it on purpose. Why don't you want to respond to him?"

"I don't know . . ." My mind drifted away, thinking about the two boys who were insanely hot and somehow attracted to me. What the hell did they see in me? There was not a single drop of special in my blood. I was a bag of boring.

"Just go out with both of them," she said.

"Isn't that kinda wrong?"

"Says who? You're single — Date as many people as you want until you find the one who makes your brown star tingle."

"I feel so brand new at this," I sighed, falling back on the couch and laying down.

Sonam stood up as we heard a knock on the front door. "You are so young, Lucian," she said, disappearing from my view as she went to answer the door. "You have plenty of time to get all of the experience you need." When she opened the door, she laughed out loud like some maniac.

"Hello, gorgeous."

I'd recognize that voice anywhere — even deep below the ocean, in the unnerving darkness where mysteries dwelled. The timing was peculiar, but not out of the realm of possibilities for Elijah. That boy was something else.

I sunk lower into the couch, hoping he wouldn't see me.

"What do you want?"

"Is Lucian home?"

"Yeah, he's over there hiding from you."

My lips parted and eyes squinted in disbelief. Sonam just broke the only friend code. She was officially untrustworthy.

With a loud groan, I forced myself to stand up and stretched, pretending that I had been sleeping and not hiding. And surely, there he was.

"Come on in," Sonam said, stepping aside.

"Thank you." Elijah smiled gratefully and walked inside.

She literally let the devil in and she had no idea.

"Hey," I greeted awkwardly, scratching the back of my head.

"You're hiding from me?" he repeated, giving me a look with an eyebrow raised, like I was his kid and he just found my hand in the cookie jar.

Sonam's lips made an O and she quietly sneaked off, leaving the two of us alone in the living room.

"Sorry, Elijah," I said, sitting back down on the couch, feeling like I was at the principal's office all of the sudden.

"I came all the way out here because I was worried," he said, moving to the couch but stopping right behind it with no intentions of sitting down with me.

"Because I haven't responded to your text?"

"Precisely."

He was being dead serious. There was no smug on his face, no arrogant posture, no hostile tone in his voice, he came because he was genuinely worried.

"Why are you worried?"

"You don't seem like the type to be scared of a date, so I had to make sure you were okay."

"Should I be worried?"

Elijah smiled. "Not at all."

"Then why are you worried?" I asked again.

Because of Cedric, I truly believed my persuasion was indisputable. I should have known it only worked on him. Elijah was a different person, and no matter how many times I changed my voice and sounded demanding, I would never beat Elijah's unshakable confidence to be the boss. He did not answer me nor bother to give me a few simple words of reassurance.

My phone vibrated in my hands and I quickly glanced down and saw Cedric's name pop up. I opened it up as Elijah became distracted by Sonam's family photos hanging on the wall, and felt my heart drop.

Cedric was picking me up and he was five minutes away. He gave me no heads up, he was just simply showing up and sweeping me up to take me away. I wasn't allowed to ask questions, I just needed to be ready by the time he arrived.

I dropped my phone on the couch and ran to Elijah, taking the picture from his hands and setting it back on the little table. I turned him around and pushed him towards the door.

"You have to go," I said, opening the door and pointing out.

"Why do you keep kicking me out?"

There was no way in hell I just found a murderer cute and adorable.

"I'm sorry, I really am."

"Do you not like me?" he said as he walked out, turning back to look at me. "You could have just said no to the date. It's okay."

Why the fuck did he sound so sad? Did he really like me that much?

"Fine! I'll go out with you, okay? Now leave before I go get the broom and really show you what kicking someone out looks like."

"Sounds like a fun time to me," he said, smirking victoriously.

"GO!" I screamed and slammed the door on his face before he could get another word in.

My heart pumped nervously as I hurried to my bedroom and fished out random pieces of clothes from the closet, creating a basic outfit that I was going to wear out again. There weren't many options for me, and most of the closet was occupied by Dorian's weird fashion taste that I would never touch. I took a quick shower, had a quick bite of whatever Soman made while she sipped her tea, watching me struggle.

"Gosh, it's so easy being a guy," Sonam said after I put on my outfit in less than ten seconds.

As I finished, my phone began to ring.

"Be back later," I told her as I rushed out of the apartment.

My eyes scanned the surroundings for a suspicious boy. When I saw that it was clear, I ran down the outside hall that led to the parking lot. Cedric was waiting in his mighty car, engine running and ready to go. He saw me running and raised his brows.

"Took you long enough," he muttered as I climbed inside the car. He didn't even wait for me to properly sit down before starting to drive.

"Excuse you," I retorted. "You messaged me out of nowhere telling me I had five minutes to get ready. Five. And you didn't even respond to my last message."

"I was busy."

"Busy being a little bitch?"

He gave me a little bitch look. "No. I was busy at work."

"So what's going on?"

"My boss is demanding to meet you," he said, sighing.

My eyes went wide like the first time Samantha Grey told me how straight sex worked in fourth grade. "Like . . . gang boss?"

"Yes, the leader of Devilian." Cedric didn't seem too happy about this. He drove with an expression full of regrets. "After I told him what happened, he was sincerely amused by your actions and quick thinking."

"I impressed the leader of a gang?" I said dubiously.

"Yup."

"Then why do you look so scared? Isn't that better than disappointing him?"

"Because he's going to ask you to join Devilian," he said, staring dead ahead, no emotions on his face.

"I'll just say no," I said, truly believing that a simple 'no' would solve everything.

He shook his head. "You don't get it. The leader never asks anyone to join. He doesn't just go around recruiting people. It doesn't work like that. If he asks you, there's only one answer."

"How do you know he's going to ask me? Maybe he just wants to thank me for helping you out."

"I've been in Devilian most of my life. I know how it goes."

"You said if."

"HE FUCKING WILL, OKAY?" he screamed, shooting me a look that kept me quiet in my seat. He softened his voice when he saw how panicked I looked. "I shouldn't have taken you with me. The only people I surround myself with are people from Devilian. That has been my life since I was seventeen. I don't socialize with outsiders and this is why."

"Maybe being in a gang won't be that bad?" I spoke hesitantly.

"People die, Lucian. You could get lucky and never have to do missions, or you will have to face reality and accept that one day you might have to kill people — or they kill you."

"Have you killed anyone?"

"I've never had to. I do my job right."

"Except when I came along . . ." I said quietly.

"It's not your fault this happened. It's mine for letting my dick do the thinking. One cute guy walks into my life and suddenly I can't do what I've been doing for years."

Was I supposed to apologize for that? It seemed more like he was thinking out loud, so I kept all input to myself.

I never thought I'd end up in a situation like this. I was positive that even asking not to take me to the boss was a bad idea. Cedric must have gone over it a thousand times. There was no turning back.

Cedric hated himself for this — I could see it in the way his eyes glistened when they landed on me, like he had deliberately pulled the trigger on my life. He was driving me to what could be the last time I'd have a normal life.

Did I hate him for it? Never. It wasn't something he planned to happen. Sometimes life placed us in these weird positions and the only thing we could do was make the best of it. That was my plan.

"I'll never let anything happen to you," Cedric promised. His voice was more reassuring than anything I'd ever heard in my life. He was ready to take a bullet for me, again. "Whatever happens, I will be there with you."

"Thank you, Cedric."

He huffed and turned to look at me when we were at a red light. "Don't ever thank me. It's because of me you're in this mess."

"I trust you," I muttered, staring back.

He sighed and shifted his eyes back to the road.

I wanted to ask questions and be prepared, but actually thinking about it made me realize that nobody could be prepared for this. Not anyone like me anyway. What would Dorian even think? If I had no choice but to join a gang, he had to know the truth.

The ride was longer this time, far longer than getting to the farm. We might have even left the state, I wasn't paying attention to the road signs — my head was floating somewhere else, terrified by what could happen. The way Cedric acted wasn't making it easier on me. He wanted me to be afraid, to not for a second think that this trip was welcoming or that I'd leave in one piece.

I had a little over three hours to make peace with my thoughts. I came to the conclusion that this was unnecessary. All I did was have Cedric's back when I thought something looked suspicious. I didn't kill someone or help rescue the princess. I hit a man and knocked him out cold. So how did that equal to me getting personally recruited by the leader himself? It wasn't adding up . . . until I realized how nervous Cedric was.

What if this was not because I helped Cedric, but because he made the irresponsible decision to take an outsider on a job meant for Devilians? The leader had to be smart, he was the one that ran everything, he knew the consequences of letting me be free could be devastating. The leader must have summoned me to ensure that I wasn't a spy, a threat, or even the cops. Cedric said he had only surrounded himself with Devilian members since he was seventeen. I was the first to break that chain. This had to be the reason.

If only I could promise the leader that I was no threat, but nothing was that simple.

When we were getting closer, the land around us turned green. There were tall trees so beautiful that it looked like someone had ripped them out of some artist's painting.

Cedric drove the car through a stone path that trailed through a forest, surrounded by even more magical trees and flowers. At the end of the long path, there was a black gate that opened when we approached it. We went through carefully, driving through a short tunnel that led us inside the property. As we exited the tunnel, my jaw dropped.

On the other side of the tunnel was a mansion standing ominously tall like a castle from the old days. The structure was beautiful even by today's standards. There were plants growing up the darkly painted stone walls on every side that I could see. There was so much beauty that I truly felt like I had been transported into a Disney movie.

We circled around a gorgeous garden that hugged a small fountain in the center. Once we stopped, Cedric unbuckled his seat belt and remained seated.

I took his hand in mine and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I'm not afraid," I told him.

"His name is Ciaran," Cedric said, making eye contact with me. "He's really not bad, but he's also not your bestfriend. He's charming, likable, and you'll fall right into his arms where he wants you to be." He stared down at our hands, watching as I locked our fingers together. "When I first joined Devilian, there was another leader. He died a year after I joined and that's when Ciaran took over. He's made a lot of drastic changes since. Some more extreme than others, but what you'll go through tonight, I've never personally experienced. I just want you to know that you're safe, no matter what."

I nodded, smiling at him, although it wasn't a happy one.

Cedric reached forward with his free hand and moved a strand of hair out of my face.

"I've never said it, but I love your hair," Cedric said.

"Don't love it too much," I said, biting my lip to stop myself from getting flustered, "I might be cutting it soon."

"Good thing I said hair and not length." He smirked and pulled his hand back, climbing out of the car and signaling me to do the same. "And I know someone who is really good at hair. If I were you, I'd go to her and nobody else."

"Better than Dorian," I muttered, watching Cedric lock up his car.

"Speaking of the devil," Cedric said, looking behind me at the mansion.

"Welcome back, Cedric," said a soft voice that made me turn around immediately. At the entrance of the mansion was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. Like an elegant princess, her wavy brown hair almost touched her hips. She wore a long sleeve, flowy golden dress that was mostly transparent except for the flower patterns that covered everything important. The best part was when sunlight hit her brown skin and it sparkled like thousands of gold diamonds.

"Hey, Lorena." Cedric walked to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"So this is Lucian." She gazed at me curiously, but almost in excitement, as if she knew who I was already.

I walked over to them, but slowly. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was walking up to a royal princess, and if I took another step closer a dozen bodyguards would appear out of nowhere and stop me from entering her breathing zone.

"Nice to meet you, Lorena." I almost bowed, instead I nodded and smiled awkwardly.

She seemed pleased for some reason, and spoke with a thick Spanish accent. "He said my name correctly."

"Do I not say it correctly?" Cedric looked confused.

"You say it like a typical American whose tongue is too heavy for his mouth."

"There was a girl named Lorena in my Spanish class when I went to school," I explained. "That's how I can properly pronounce your name without butchering it."

Her eyebrows raised. She seemed interested. "Is your Spanish any good?"

"I didn't do very well in that class. I think one language is my limit."

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Twenty-one."

"Oh? I'm one year older than you."

I was more surprised by her personality than her age. She seemed sweet and totally opposite of all the girls her age. Her posture was always straight and gentle, never even looking at the ground. Basically, she acted like a real princess.

"Isn't the boss waiting?" Cedric wondered, checking his watch.

Lorena threw him a look. "He can wait."

Was Lorena someone important? She wasn't afraid of letting the leader of a gang wait longer. Was it wrong to assume that maybe she was his wife?

"Okay, but if he gets mad it's on you."

"Are you ready to see my home?" she asked me, grinning at my reaction when I realized she said my home.

"This is your home?" I exclaimed.

"Come in," she said, turning on her heel and marching through the large wooden door.

I followed reluctantly, but Cedric was there with a warm hand on my back to calm me.

When the three of us were inside, another girl showed up. She was way more casual looking than Lorena; she wore a plain black jacket with an oversized shirt underneath, ripped jeans, and no makeup. Her hair was thick and curly, shoulder length and stuck out in every direction.

"Where are you going?" Lorena asked the girl.

"Gonna pick up Jin from school," she responded, kissing Lorena on the cheek. Her eyes then settled on me. "Is this the new guy?"

"Yes, it is."

"Nice to meet you, bro." She raised a fist and waited a full second before my brain turned on and greeted the fist bump. "Good luck in there, you're gonna need it."

"Are you returning?" Lorena raised her voice as the other girl left the mansion.

"Nope! Love you!"

"Love you," she replied, her voice trailing away as the other girl disappeared.

"That was Amani," Cedric pointed out. "You'll meet more of her later."

"Go to his office, I'll give Lucian a brief tour."

Cedric glared at her. She looked back impatiently.

"Fine. I'll be right back," he told me, and left through a long hall.

"How do you own a mansion at twenty-two?" I asked curiously when we were alone.

"It belonged to my grandparents. They gave the mansion to my parents as a wedding gift." I followed her through the massive house decorated with diamond chandeliers and marble statues. There were a few large paintings on the walls of what seemed to be her family and her as a child. The paintings were old and eerie, the colors slowly fading with time. "When my parents died, it was passed down to me. Now it's our base of operation."

"For Devilian?" I asked stupidly.

"Yes."

"How many rooms are there?"

"Fifty. Not counting the ones underground. But that's top secret." She winked.

"Wow."

"Did you really save Cedric's life?" she asked abruptly.

"Is that what he said?"

"Did you?"

"Possibly."

"He thinks of us as his children," she said, stopping at a closed door, lingering long at the door knob. "When someone risks their life to save one of us, they are rewarded immensely."

"Is that why I'm here? To be rewarded?"

"Possibly."

That would normally make me chuckle, but instead I felt nervous.

Lorena opened the door and vanished into darkness. I stood outside, staring in, puzzled by the utter darkness that clouded the mysterious room. Her voice whispered inside, beckoning me to enter. I listened to the voice and wandered inside.

"Do you believe in the devil?" Lorena asked as light finally broke through the darkness, but not the kind that I expected. Red lights beamed up the walls, unveiling hundreds of demonic faces that seemed to be peaking from within the walls. "Which one speaks to you? Which one calls out your name? Lucian . . . pick the one that describes your soul."

The lights flickered, pulling me in and out of the darkness. My heart beat intensely as I gazed at the horrifying expressions of the faces. They were all so unique, but equally disturbing.

"That one." I pointed with a shaky finger.

"I'll see you soon," she said, walking over to the sad looking face and disappearing as the lights gave their last flicker. I stood in the cold silence, waiting for an order, but her voice no longer came. I exited the room in sheer panic and ran to the front door.

I waited for ten minutes before Cedric finally showed up.

"He wants to see you now."

After whatever just happened in that room, I wasn't convinced that this was a gang.

Cedric took me down the same hall he took earlier. Everything inside this mansion was dark and brown, from the wooden walls, to the aged furniture that seemed untouched by human hands, to the paintings on the walls and the many closed doors that peered curiously at me.

"Cedric . . ." I whispered his name as he started going up a large staircase.

"I know," he said back, his voice was soft and understanding. "You'll be fine. I promise."

I swallowed the knot caught in my throat and leaned on the trust I had for him.

We took the staircase to the second floor and moved down another long hall, only stopping at an elevator which was already open and waiting for me. I stepped, ever so cautiously, to the other side of the shaky contraption, and turned to look at Cedric one last time as he pushed a button to activate it.

"I'll see you soon, okay?"

And just like that, Cedric was gone as the elevator pulled me to the third floor.

My nose drowned in the smell of iron and something unrecognizable. It also left a tingly taste in my mouth. When the elevator reached its final destination, it felt like I could breathe again. The door opened to a huge office, and not some scary dungeon like I had anticipated. Instead of bookcases like every old-fashioned office, there were shelves holding more of those demonic masks, protected by thick glass. On the U-shaped desk sat a blond man, who had eager eyes when I finally stepped out of the elevator.

"Lucian Mars," he spoke darkly, fixing his jacket as he rose from his chair.

Ciaran was a beautiful man, no doubt. While he was older than Cedric, he looked younger. He had a handsome face, deep blue eyes, and intimidating cheek bones. Not your typical gang leader, but something about him gave me the chills.

"Hi." My voice cracked at the simple word and I sighed.

"My name is Ciaran, but I'm sure you know that already."

"You're . . the leader of Devilian," I stated.

A small smile crept up his face. "Yes, I am. Please, have a seat." He waved at the only chair directly in front of his desk. As we both sat, he cleared his throat and leaned back, watching my face without a word. He was amused, but that seemed to be the case with everyone who met me recently. Why? I had no fucking idea.

I got brave all of a sudden and popped the question bugging my mind. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Who put that in your head?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Nobody, but I am curious why a gang leader wants to meet me."

He chuckled. "Gang leader. I truly hate that word."

"What should I call you then?"

"Leader is fine."

"Do you want to kill me?" I repeated, desperate for answers.

"No."

"Then why did you want to meet me?"

He stood up from his chair once again and ambled towards me. He sneaked behind me and placed both of his hands on my shoulders. He kept touching me, running his hand through my hair like he was looking for something.

"What is your relationship with Cedric Hunter?" he asked, his voice so deep it sent actual shivers down my spine.

"We're friends."

"Where did you meet?" The way he spoke was as if this was an interrogation. So then, what would happen if I said the wrong thing?

"A bar."

"Which bar?"

"I don't remember the name of it, but I know it was a Devilian bar."

"Are you aware of any other . . . gangs?"

"Only in movies."

"I heard you recently moved to California, is that true?"

"Yes."

I felt the heavy pressure of his weight leaning on me as he inched closer to my left ear. "When you helped Cedric on his run, was your goal to kill the man?"

"My goal was to protect him."

"No matter the cost?"

I looked up at him as he stared into my eyes, waiting for my response.

"No matter the cost," I repeated back.

He released my shoulders, but not before squeezing roughly and leaving a temporary ache.

"Do you know what these are?" he asked, pointing to the masks staring at us.

"You guys use them to mask your identity."

"Do they scare you?"

"I think they just confuse me."

"Do you want one?"

My heart slowly sped up. This was the moment, wasn't it? This was his way of asking me to join. The masks were not just to protect the identities of the members, but they were a symbol of pride and submission.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

"You've already picked one," he mentioned. "But . . . you never answered her question."

"What question?"

"Do you believe in the devil?"

"I don't know."

He smiled down and glanced up slowly, his eyes dark and secretive. "He believes in you."

"That's . . . really nice to hear."

It could be the food Sonam was feeding me, but I suddenly felt nauseous and lightheaded.

"Tell me more about your relationship with Cedric Hunter," he asked, sitting at the edge of his mahogany desk in front of me.

"What else do you want to know?"

"Are you dating him?"

"We're getting there."

"Would you die for him?"

"Like, would I take a bullet for him? Yeah, sure."

I shut my eyes as the room began to spin. I could hear a low beating that was not my own. It came from the walls, like a slow drum.

"Take off your clothes."

My eyes popped right open. "What? What do you mean take off my clothes?"

"Change into this." He threw a bunch of clothes on my lap that had mysteriously appeared in his hands, or maybe I was slowly drifting away into unconsciousness.

Somehow, I found myself standing up and removing my clothes one piece at a time. Even when I was exposed to the scary hot leader of a gang, I felt no shame.

I started to hear voices coming from the walls. They were low, but I could make them out through the drumming.

The clothes were pure white, and I noticed that there was no shirt. I wore plain white pants, nothing underneath, and only a white cloak to cover myself.

"Go to the elevator," Ciaran ordered.

"Okay," I said, happily obeying, wobbling to the elevator as the room made me believe it was rotating and I was somehow on the ceiling.

Ciaran stood at the elevator as it closed with me inside. The already small elevator seemed tighter this time around. I could visibly see it getting smaller around me. When the door opened, I stumbled out before it could crush me.

Underneath my feet there was a black carpet that ran down the hall. It wasn't there before, so I chased it. The carpet brought me down the staircase, through more endless halls and doors, until I found an indoor patio of some sort, and the carpet, or rug, whatever it was, went out under the back door.

I struggled to push the door open, but managed to barely slide it enough to let me pass. My body went rigid when I stepped out on the backyard. First, it was massive. Like, it even had a garden maze. But what made me go stiff were the hundred people in hoods circling a crazy huge fountain showering red. Not only that, but it was night. I remembered just a few minutes ago it was day.

The drums and the voices were now crystal clear—they came from them. They were chanting in unison, creepily and dramatically.

I marched towards them and realized their hoods and cloaks were red, not like mine.

They were all wearing the demonic masks, so I couldn't figure out if Cedric was in the sinister crowd. Some of them carried long staves that held fire at the top, like a torch. Once I was near the fountain, those carrying fire stepped closer to me and illuminated the statue at the center of the fountain. The statue was of a woman. She looked like she was in pain, and in her arms she held the mask that I had chosen.

I looked back at the singing crowd as their voices became higher and even more frightening. It was then clear to me that I was meant to retrieve the mask. But I couldn't do it without letting the red water soak me entirely. The water was coming out of the woman's slashed neck. It poured heavily like a wild waterfall.

At the foot of the stone fountain were a couple of steps. I used them to get myself over the wall that held the water in, and dipped my legs first. The water was not cold, but warm. And it was not light, but thick and heavy.

"B-Blood?" I stuttered, looking down.

Nothing felt real anymore. I was simply moving through a bad dream and it wasn't going to end until I ripped the mask out of the woman's hands.

I dragged my legs through the blood and felt the first splash land on my skin. I braced myself and closed my eyes, moving through the gush of blood that separated me from the mask. I reached up as high as I could until I felt the cold metal sting my finger tips. I jumped and grabbed it, taking it down with me as I plummeted into the red pool and dove under.

When I rose from the pool, I placed the mask under my hood and tied it in place. The blood washed over me, blinding me from seeing through the eye sockets. I crumbled back down to my knees, unable to stand the weight of the blood. I raised my fists triumphantly as darkness squeezed the life out of me and forced me into unconsciousness.

_____________________

[Author's Message]: I am never gonna stop saying how sorry I am for taking long to update. These stories of mine are so important to me and I constantly work on them every day. I know it may not seem like it when I take forever to upload, but if only you were there seeing me struggle and whine about how I'm unable to write, and how I can't seem to describe what's on my mind. My friends see that struggle everyday LOL. So yeah, I am sorry for taking long, this chapter was hard to write and I don't know why. It just was. So, I warned you guys that this book was going to get crazy soon and it's starting. I know this chapter was weird, but there will be MANY types of weird throughout the story. I can't wait to write more and I hope I have better luck with future chapters. If you're still reading, show me some love, I really need it right now. <3

(BTW, remember when I said chapters were going to be shorter? Did you notice how they started becoming longer over time? Yup. I can't escape my love for longer chapters.)