Текст книги "Pure"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

Kissing wasn’t a big deal, so this kiss shouldn’t be any different. But by the gods, I’d never been kissed like this before.

I looped my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair, and then I was kissing him back. Kissing him with the same wild abandonment he’d dived into, and gods, I liked kissing Seth.

He was really good at it.

Seth nipped at my lower lip as he pulled back just enough that I could breathe. “You can’t tell me you didn’t like that.” He pressed his lips to mine again, soaking up my response. “And don’t you dare tell me you didn’t kiss me.”

I let my hands slid down to his chest. I knew, if I opened my eyes, I’d see the marks. “I… don’t know what that was.”

He chuckled and brushed his lips across mine. “You have a choice, Alex.”

I opened my eyes then. The marks stretching across his face were faint, but I still had the insane desire to run my fingers along them. It took everything in me not to. I met his eyes. “What choice?”

His hands dropped to my shoulders, then made their way to my waist. They fisted the soaked material, holding me still. “You can choose to continue wasting away for something you can never have.”

I swallowed. “Or?”

He smiled. “You can choose not to.”

“Seth, I—”

“Look, I know you aren’t over him,” he said himlike it was some kind of venereal disease, “but I do know you like me. I’m not suggesting anything. Not asking for stupid little labels or promises. No expectations.”

I took a shallow breath. “What are you suggesting?”

“You choose to see what happens.” Seth let go of my dress and stepped back, running his hands through his wet hair. “Between us—you choose us.”

Choose us? I shivered and wrapped my arms around me. Choose between what? Aiden was completely off limits, and Seth and I—even though we were stuck with one another—couldn’t go a day without wanting to knock each other’s heads off. This didn’t seem like a great choice.

Seth smiled faintly. “Think about it, at least.” He turned around and went back to where he’d left his clothes.

I sagged against the wall and sighed. Seth had done some pretty nice things for me. He’d stayed with me after Caleb’s death, defended me against the Master. But then there was Aiden and all that I felt for him, and the way he’d looked at me tonight.

But choosing Aiden meant choosing nothing.

Choosing Seth meant submitting to a whacked-out fate.

Or did it?

My gaze fell to my hand. The rune on my palm shone an iridescent blue, as if it were pleased by Seth’s suggestions. And his suggestion didn’t sound so bad. No labels. No expectations. No feelings. And that was good, because my heart… my heart was somewhere else. Soon, I’d be heading home to North Carolina, where there would be no Caleb, no halfs who really wanted to be around me, and no more Aiden.

But there would be Seth.

I pushed off the wall. Seth had his back to me, head bent in concentration. What was I doing?I stopped a few feet behind him, my heart jumping in my throat. “Seth?”

He turned sideways, fingers finishing the last of the buttons. “Alex?”

“I… I choose you—or whatever it is that you’re saying.” I flushed. Gods, I sounded stupid. “I mean, I choose the whole seeing what—”

Seth’s mouth cut my words off. His arms swept around me, dropping something warm and dry over my shoulders. I realized it was his suit jacket, but then I was thinking about how warm hefelt. Before I knew it, I was gripping his shirt, arching against him, soaking up his warmth.

Then I felt it waking up like some kind of slumbering giant, sending sparks of electricity over my skin. My palm itched—burned, really. I gasped against his lips. The kiss wasn’t enough. I slid my hands under his shirt, over the hard expanse of his stomach.

He jerked back, breathing heavy. A fleeting, satisfied look shot across his face—gone so quickly I couldn’t be sure what I’d seen. Then he smiled, and I knew I couldn’t have seen that calculated edge to his stare. The transformation that occurred was nothing short of amazing. “You’re not sleeping in that bed—in that terrible little room—tonight.”

CHAPTER 22

I DID SLEEP IN MY BED, IN THAT TERRIBLE ROOM.

And I did so alone.

It’d taken every ounce of my self-control to convince Seth that sharing the same bed wasn’t a good idea, which was difficult, mainly because my body had thought it was an awesome idea. Surprisingly, my brain had won that battle.

I didn’t know why I’d kissed Seth—once, then twice. Hell, I didn’t even know why I agreed to seeing what happens.The smart thing would’ve been to punch Seth and make a run for it.

But I never did the smart thing.

“That wasa beautiful dress.” Laadan wore a slight, curious frown. “I guess there are several ways to ruin silk, and I suppose a midnight swim would be one of the more daring ways to do so.”

Cringing and flushing, I ran my hands down the only pair of dress pants I owned. They were made of some thin, black material and they swallowed my feet, which sucked. Even after I’d destroyed Laadan’s dress, she’d let me borrow some sexy black pumps that made me feel tall and clever.

“I’m really sorry about the dress.” I glanced back at the double doors adorned with a golden eagle. “I have some money saved up. I can pay for it.”

“No. Don’t worry about it.” She patted my shoulder. “Although I am curious to what actually provoked you to leave the ball so quickly, and then go swimming. You left with your Seth. I’m assuming you went swimming with him?”

My cheeks flamed at the mention of Seth. If mySeth had been here to catch that, I’d never hear the end of it, but he wasn’t allowed in the Council building. “He’s not mySeth.”

Marcus and Lucian rounded the corner before Laadan could do more than give me a knowing smile. Oddly, I felt grateful to see them.

Lucian floated up to me, clasping my cold hand in his. Or maybe his hand was so warm that mine felt chilled to the bone? “Dear, you look so nervous. There is nothing to be worried about. The Council will ask you a few questions, and that is all.”

I met Marcus’s stare over Lucian’s shoulder. He looked like there was something to be worried about. Sliding my hand free, I resisted the urge to wipe it across my pants. “I’m not nervous.”

Lucian patted my shoulder as he slid around me. “I must go in and take my seat. It’s about to begin.”

Itbeing the whole reason I’d come up here. Watching the Council Guards hold the doors for Lucian, I decided I wasn’tnervous. I just wanted to get this over and done with.

Marcus’s lips were drawn tight when I faced him. Passing a meaningful look at Laadan, he waited until she nodded and followed Lucian into the Council before he spoke. “Alexandria, I expect you to be on your best behavior in there. Do not allow yourself to get drawn into any arguments. Only answer their questions—nothing more. Do you understand?”

My eyes narrowed as I crossed my arms. “What do you all expect me to do? Go buck wild and start cussing people?”

“Anything is possible, really. You’re known for your temper, Alex. Some probably expect you to lose your cool,” said a deep, familiar voice from behind me.

Every cell of my skin recognized and still responded to that voice. It didn’t matter than I’d chosen Seth last night. Wasn’t that what I’d done? My brain screamed at my body to not turn around, but it didn’t listen.

Aiden looked every inch a pure-blood. One lock of his otherwise tamed, dark hair kept falling forward, brushing against thick, sooty lashes. Dressed in that white, mafia-style getup, he appeared even more untouchable to me.

Marcus cleared his throat, and I realized I was staring.

Blushing fire-engine red, I turned to Marcus. “I know. Just answer their questions, blah, blah. I got it.”

Marcus glared at me. “I hope so.”

I didn’t know how else to prove to them that I wasn’t going to jump out of my chair and body-slam someone.

Marcus checked his watch. “We must head in. Alexandria, the Guards will call you when the Council is ready.”

“I won’t go in with you all?” I asked.

He shook his head and disappeared into the Council, which left Aiden and me alone with the silent Guards. Ignoring him was out of the question. “So… how have you been?”

Aiden stared somewhere over my head. “Good. You?”

“Good.”

He nodded and then glanced at the doors.

The awkwardness of all of this pained me. “You can go in. You don’t have to wait out here.”

His gaze fell on me finally. “I do have to go in.”

I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek. “I know.”

Aiden started toward the door, but then stilled. Seconds went by before he pivoted back to me. “Alex, you can do this. I know you can.”

Our eyes locked, and I sucked in air. Speechless, I stood there as his gaze left mine and roamed over my face. I couldn’t remember if I’d put on any makeup today. Maybe some lip gloss? My hair was under control so it fell around my cheeks and covered my neck perfectly. I touched my lips, happy to find they felt glossy.

His eyes zeroed in on my movements before he broke away, running a hand over his head. He let out a ragged sound and when he spoke; his voice was so low that I barely heard him. “I think… I’ll remember how you looked last night for the rest of my life. Gods, you were so beautiful.”

I may have stroked out.

The next thing I knew he’d disappeared beyond the heavy Council doors. He left me spinning in confusion. Hot then cold, kind and then standoffish. I didn’t get it. Why tell me that… and then walk away? Like the day he’d said he wished Seth had killed the Master for hitting me. Why admit any of that?

Leaning against the wall, I let out a long, tired sigh. Now wasn’t the time to obsess over Aiden’s manic mood swings. I needed to focus on—

The door to my left opened, revealing a Council Guard. “Miss Andros, your presence has been requested.”

Well, that came sooner than I’d expected. I pushed off the wall and followed the Guard into the Council. It looked different from what I remembered. Granted, the only time I had seen it was from the top balcony, hidden from the pures below. Titanium trim graced the curved benches that filled the ground floor of the coliseum. The symbols etched into the tiles were artfully done—nothing like the chicken scratches in the pathways back home. Things had to be bigger, better here.

Those in attendance swiveled around in their seats as I made my way down the center aisle. Openly curious stares met mine. Others were not so curious—more like downright hostile and suspicious.

Steeling myself, I focused on the raised dais ahead instead of the violent roiling in my stomach. The Ministers sat like gods about to rain down some great and terrible divine justice. They watched my progress, picking apart everything about me before I’d even reached them. Only one didn’t seem bothered by me. Reclining in one of the smaller thrones, dressed in lavish white robes, Lucian stared at Telly. Or perhaps he was staring at Telly’s throne, imagining himself in the seat that offered the closest thing our world had to absolute power.

An open chair faced the audience in front of the Eight, directly between two thrones occupied by Head Minister Telly and Diana Elders. I stared at the seat, unsure if I was supposed to wait until I was given the okay to sit or make myself at home.

I sat.

A hush of disapproval swept through the crowd of pures. Apparently, that’d been

the wrong action. This was starting out great. Lifting my eyes, I glanced at the balcony and caught a shadow flickering back from the railing.

Seth.

I felt Telly rise behind me, but I didn’t dare look. Somehow I knew that would also give rise to another murmur of censure. Casually, I rested my hands on the arms of the chair and stared out at the crowd in front of me. I searched out Aiden immediately. He was leaning forward in his seat, eyes fastened on the Ministers behind me.

“Alexandria Andros.” Head Minister Telly drifted around my chair. He stopped beside me, tipping his head to the side. With an elegant wave toward the audience, he smiled broadly, making him look like a demented cherub past its prime. “We must ask that you swear an oath to the Council and to the gods that you will answer each question today with the utmost honesty. Do you understand?”

I nodded, eyeing the Head Minister. Was it just me, or did the gray clinging to the hair around his temples appear to be spreading?

“Breaking this oath would be an act of treason not just against the Council, but also the gods. Doing so would result in your removal from the Covenant. This is also understood, I assume?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you, Alexandria Andros, swear to disclose all information regarding the events that took place in Gatlinburg?”

I met Telly’s pale eyes. “Yes.”

His smile turned brittle as he held my gaze. “Good. How have you found your accommodations here, Alexandria? Have they been to your liking?” Telly tsked softly. “Look only at me, Alexandria.”

The arms of the chair groaned as my fingers dug into the wood. “Everything has been lovely.”

One dark brow arched as he glided to the other side of my chair. “That pleases me to hear. Alexandria, why did your mother leave the Covenant three years ago?”

I blinked tightly. “What does that have to do with what happened in Gatlinburg?”

“You have been asked a question—no, do not look out to the audience. Why did your mother leave the Covenant three years ago?”

“I… I don’t know why.” I kept my eyes on Telly this time. “She never told me.”

Telly glanced at the audience while he rubbed his thumb and index finger together. “You do not know?”

“No.” I heard myself say, staring at his hand.

“That is not true, Alexandria. You know why your mother left the Covenant.”

Jerking my eyes away from his hand, I shook my head. “My mother never told me why. All I know is what other people have said.”

“What were those reasons?”

Where was he going with this? I followed his slow, purposeful movements. He was circling me. “She left because the oracle told her I would become the next Apollyon.”

“Why would that make her leave?”

I couldn’t help it. My gaze moved to the balcony, to where I knew Seth watched.

“Alexandria, do not look away!” he snapped.

Now I understood why Marcus had looked so worried. My entire body thrummed with the desire to plant my foot into Telly’s gut. I glared at him. “She wanted to protect me.”

A different Minister spoke next. The older pure woman’s voice rubbed like sandpaper over my skin. “From whom would she have wanted to protect you?”

Was I supposed to continue looking at Telly or the Minister? “I don’t know. Maybe she was worried about the gods getting upset over there being two of us.”

“That would be a concern,” she responded. “There should not be two of you in the same generation.”

“What other reasons would there be?” asked Telly.

Words tumbled out of my mouth. Not good or smart ones. “Maybe she was afraid of what the Council would do.”

Telly stiffened. “That is absurd, Alexandria.”

“It’s what she said.”

“Really?” His brows rose. “I thought she never told you why she pulled you from the Covenant?”

Dammit. I could imagine the look on Aiden’s and Marcus’s faces. “She never told me why before she was... before she changed.”

“But she told you after she chose to become a daimon?” asked a male Minister.

“My mother didn’t choose to become a daimon!” I gripped the arms of the chair again, drawing in several deep breaths. “She was forced to become one. And yes, she told me that I wouldn’t have lived if I’d stayed at the Covenant.”

“What else did she tell you about why she left?” asked Telly.

“That was it.”

“Why did you never report her during the three years you were missing?”

“She was my mom. I was afraid she would be punished.”

“Rightfully so,” said the elder Minister. “What she did was unforgiveable. From the moment she was told of your true nature, it was her duty to tell the Council.”

“That is true, Minister Mola.” Telly paused, placing a hand on the back of my chair. “How is that you did not know your mother had turned?”

Air couldn’t fill my lungs quick enough. “I found her and I thought she was dead. I killed the daimon that… was hurting her.”

“Then what happened?” Telly asked so softly I felt sure no one else could hear him.

My throat burned. “There was another daimon, and I… I ran.”

“You ran?” repeated Telly, loud enough for the entire Council to hear.

“I thought she was dead.” I swallowed, my gaze falling to the floor. “I was trying to get back to the Covenant.”

“So it took the perceived death of your mother for you to remember your duty to the Covenant?” Telly didn’t wait for me to answer, which was a good thing. I had no answer for that. “You were found in Atlanta? With four daimons, is that not correct?”

What did any of this have to do with what’d happened in Gatlin-burg? “They were following me. It wasn’t like I was hanging out with them.”

“Your tone is one of disrespect,” snapped the elder Minister. “It would do you well to remember your position, half-blood.”

I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood.

Telly drifted to the right of me. “Where you aware of your mother’s whereabouts after you returned to the Covenant, Alexandria?”

A fine trickle of sweat traced down my spine. “No.”

“But you left the Covenant in August to find her, did you not? After she took part in the Lake Lure massacre? And you did find her?” Telly’s full lips twisted cruelly.

Telly had tripped me up again. I closed my eyes and inhaled. “I didn’t know whereshe was. I didn’t even know she was alive until Lucian told me.”

“Ah, yes.” He glanced behind me at Lucian. “What did you do once you found out she was alive?”

Punched and kissed a pure-blood, but I doubted he wanted to know that. Actually, he’d love to know that; he’d use it to send me to the Masters within the hour. “Nothing.”

Telly clucked his tongue. “But—”

Anger pulsed through me, pounding in my temples. “What do these questions have to do with what my mother told me the daimons were planning? They want to overtake the Council. Turn halfs and send them back to the Covenants to kill. Isn’t that more important?”

Surprisingly, Telly handled my temporary loss of sanity well. “It has everything to do with it, Alexandria. What provoked you to leave the Covenant in search for your mother?”

The need to lie was almost too great. “When I realized she’d killed at Lake Lure, I left. I figured she’d find me and she did. I felt like… she was my responsibility, my problem.”

“Interesting.” Telly roamed to the edge of the dais. Looking out over the audience he spoke louder. “Is it true you did not fight Rachelle when you saw her in Bald Head?”

I glared at the back of Telly’s head. “Yes.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Why?”

“I froze. She was my mother.”

“Half-bloods see through the elemental magic. We cannot. How could you see past the monster she’d become?” He pivoted around, smiling at me. “This is what we do not understand, Alexandria. You left Florida, claiming that you believed she was dead. You came back to the Covenant, and your mother followed you, leaving behind a trail of slaughtered pure-bloods and Guards.”

“What? There was only the attack at Lake Lure. She didn’t—”

“You’ve been sadly misled.” His smile grew wider, truer. “She was responsible for over twenty attacks across the southeastern coast. We were able to track her progress right to the doorsteps of the North Carolina Covenant. She sent a daimon half-blood back to the Covenant. Was that to draw you out?”

Twenty attacks? No one had told me that. Not Aiden, Marcus, nor even Seth. They had to have known. Why wouldn’t they’ve told me that?

“Alexandria?”

I lifted my eyes. “Yes… I guess she wanted to draw me out.”

“It worked. You left the day after Kain Poros had returned and murdered several pure-bloods.” Telly strode across the dais. “Tell me Alexandria, a half-blood named Caleb Nicolo was also with you in Gatlinburg?”

My chest clenched. “Yes.”

Telly nodded. “Did he try to stop you in Bald Head?”

“Yes.”

“Is this the same half-blood who died a few weeks ago?” asked a female Minister. “In a daimon attack while he was with this one?”

“I believe so,” Telly answered.

“How convenient,” the Minister murmured, but it sounded like he had screamed those words. “While you were in Gatlinburg with Rachelle, what did she tell you the daimons planned to do?”

Somewhat sick to my stomach, I told the Council what Mom had planned. Remembering my instructions, I didn’t tell them it was actually Eric who elaborated on the whole thing. Nothing crossed Telly’s face as he watched me. Honestly, I don’t even think he cared about what I was saying.

“They plan to attack the Council and bring us down?” The old Minister snorted. “This is ridiculous. All of this.”

Telly chuckled then. “It is to think that a bunch of addicts could form a cohesive plan.”

“Addicts? Yes, they’re addicted to aether, but they are the most dangerous kind of addict,” said Minister Diana Elders, speaking for the first time. “We cannot dismiss what they are capable of. Knowing they can turn half-bloods changes things. And obviously the gods are questioning our ability to rein the daimons back in.”

This started a battle of wills for the next several minutes. A few Ministers didn’t like the idea of ignoring the daimons’ plans, while the others simply didn’t take the threat seriously. Suggestions were thrown around, like increasing the number of Sentinels and sending them out to target large infestations of daimons, but the majority of Ministers didn’t see any reason to do so. The talks kept coming back to me.

My stomach filled with dread as understanding dawned. Telly and much of the Council outright dismissed the daimons’ plans. Suddenly I knew what my mother had told me was not the whole reason why I’d been ordered to attend this session. Marcus had been sadly misled. Or maybe he’d known all along. Distracted by the other Ministers, I was able to look out over the crowd without Telly bitching me out.

Aiden whispered to Marcus, his hands tight and white-knuckled on the back of the bench in front of him. I looked up at the balcony. I could only imagine what Seth thought of all of this.

Telly finally returned his attention to me. “Rachelle planned on turning you into a daimon?”

I wanted to say no shit,but I decided against it. “Yes.”

Telly turned his hawkish nose into the air. “Why?”

I rubbed my hand over my forehead. “She wanted me to become the Apollyon as a daimon. She thought she’d be able to control me then.”

“So she wanted to use you?” asked Telly. “To do what?”

“She wanted to make sure I didn’t come after her, I guess.”

“What would you do for her?”

I met Telly’s stare. Somehow, I think he already knew this part. “She

wanted me to take out the other Apollyon… and she wanted me to help the daimons with their plans.”

“Oh yes, their plans to take out the Council and enslave the pure-bloods?” Telly shook his head, smiling. “How many times were you tagged, Alexandria?”

My entire body tensed. “I don’t know. A lot.”

He appeared to consider this. “Enough to be turned, you think?”

Nightmares of those hours locked away with Daniel and Eric haunted me still. I remember that last tag—the one I’d felt sure would finally darken my soul, shatter it into nothing. One more tag and I would’ve crossed over to the dark side. A fine sheen of cold sweat broke out across my forehead.

“Alexandria?”

I blinked, bringing his face back into focus. “Almost enough.”

“Did you try to stop them? Trained or not, you had already killed two daimons by then.”

Disbelief coated the back of my throat.

“Tagging is very painful,” Telly continued, stopping beside me for what felt like the hundredth time. His face seemed fuller when he stood close. “How could you allow that to happen repeatedly? It seems that a half-blood would do everything and anything to prevent from being tagged.”

“I couldn’t fight them.”

His dark brows rose in incredulity. “You couldn’t or wouldn’t?”

I closed my eyes, struggling with patience. “I promised her I wouldn’t if she didn’t kill Caleb. I had no other choice.”

“There are always choices, Alexandria.” He paused, disgust curling his lip as he stared down at me. “To allow something so revolting seems suspicious. Perhaps you wanted to be turned.”

“Head Minister,” Lucian spoke up then. “I understand that some of these questions are necessary, but Alexandria did not submit to those atrocities willingly. To even suggest something like that seems unnatural and cruel.”

“Is that so?” Telly sneered at me.

“Wait a second,” I said, his words finally sinking in. “Are you suggesting that I wanted to be turned into something that evil? That I asked for it?”

Telly raised his hands haughtily. “How do you think we’d interpret it?”

I looked at the audience then, briefly catching a pained look on Marcus’s face. “Do you know that sounds like a rapist’s motto? She wore a short skirt, therefore she wantedit?”

Several gasps could be heard from the audience. It seemed the word “rapist” was unseemly. The smug look slowly slipped from Telly’s face. “Alexandria, you are out of line.”

My brain clicked off at that point. What Daniel had said to me before he’d tagged me filled my mind. It was like Telly thought the same thing. That I wantedto be tagged, that I enjoyed it. I stood. “You’re telling me I’m out of line?”

“No one gave you leave.” Telly drew himself up to his full height.

“Oh, I’m not leaving.” All eyes were on me. I reached down and pulled my sweater up and over my head. There was a moment when no one seemed to breathe. I met the open mouthed stares; I’d think I didn’t have a camisole on underneath the sweater by the looks on their faces.

“What in the world are you doing, Alexandria?” demanded Lucian.

Ignoring him, I stepped away from the chair and held my arms out in front of me. “Does this look like something I wanted to go along with? That I asked for this?”

Against their will, dozens and dozens of eyes fastened on my arms. Most gasped and shuddered, looking away quickly. Others didn’t. As if they couldn’t tear their eyes from the patchy red skin and its unnatural shine. My gaze flitted across the floor as Telly looked like he was having a heart attack beside me. I saw the proud tilt to Laadan’s chin. A few rows in front of her I saw Dawn’s horrified gaze. Further back, behind the Council members, Marcus paled. It kind of hit me that he’d never seen my scars, only caught glimpses of the ones on my neck. I don’t think he’d known how bad they were. I felt a hot flush crawl up my neck, but the stunned look of pride on Aiden’s face gave me the confidence to face the Ministers.

I wondered what Seth’s expression looked like. He was probably smiling. He loved it when I was irrational, and this was reallyirrational.

Twisting around, I showed them my arms. “They look like they hurt, don’t they? They did. It’s the worst kind of pain you can imagine.”

“Alexandria, sit down. We get your point.” Telly reached for me, but I stepped aside.

A Guard moved in, picking up my sweater. He held it, his eyes nervously bouncing between Telly and me.

I glanced at the other Guards, hoping they weren’t planning on body slamming me to the ground. All but one were half-bloods and none of them seemed willing to stop me. Tipping my head at the Ministers, I tried to keep the smile off my face. “So do you really think I went along with my mother? That I wanted this?”

Diana paled and looked away, shaking her head sadly. The remaining Ministers reacted much like the audience had. Either way, I’m pretty sure I’d gotten my point across.

A furious shade of red covered Telly’s cheeks. “Are you done, Alexandria?”

I met his scowl with my own. Leisurely, I went back to my chair and sat down. “I guess so.”

Telly ripped the sweater out of the Guard’s hand. I could tell he wanted to throw it at me, but with amazing self-control, he handed it over. I didn’t put it back on. “Now where were we?”

“We were at the point where you were accusing me of wanting to become a daimon.”

Several Ministers inhaled sharply. Telly looked seconds away from exploding. Leaning down so that our faces were inches apart, he spoke low and quick. “You are an unnatural thing, do you understand me? A harbinger of death to our kind and to our gods. The both of you.”

I shrunk back, wide-eyed. “Harbinger of death” sounded extreme and crazy.

“Head Minister,” called Lucian. “We could not hear your question. Would you care to speak again?”

Telly straightened. “I asked her if there was anything more she would like to add.”

My jaw hit the floor.

He smiled evenly. “There are areas besides the event in Gatlinburg that concern me greatly, Alexandria. Your behavior before you left the Covenant and the fighting you have taken part in upon your return have served you a great disadvantage, I’m afraid. And how is it that the night the Covenant was breached in North Carolina, you were outside your dorm after the curfew implemented for half-bloods?”

I so knew where this was going, so I cut to the chase. “I didn’t let the daimons in, if that is what you’re suggesting.”

Telly’s smile turned sour. “So it appears. Then there is your behavior since you arrived here. You accused a pure-blood of using a compulsion against you, did you not?”

“She did what?” screeched the old female Minister. “To accuse a pure-blood of such an act is shocking. Was there any proof, Minister Telly?”

“My Guards could not find anything to support the claim.” Telly paused dramatically. “And then you attacked a Master who was disciplining a servant.”

Several Ministers lost it then. Telly preened as they demanded to know exactly what occurred. I pictured rushing across the dais and kicking Telly in the groin over and over again.

When it calmed down a bit, Telly addressed the Council. His voice rang loud through the coliseum. “I fear that we have a greater concern than daimons pulling together and attacking us in droves. What you see sitting before us may look like an ordinary half-blood, but we all know that is not the case. In a matter of a few months, she will become the second Apollyon. If she is even half as uncontrollable as she is now, what do you think will occur when she Awakens?”