Chapter Twenty-Four
“Veronica Parker, what can you tell this Council that Finnley hasn’t already?”
Marcel Trent looked down at me from his place in the center of the table high above my head. Lisa Valentine was on one side, peering at me through her thin-rimmed glasses with her cold eyes that showed she clearly didn’t trust me. On Marcel’s other side was Kevin Boyle, an ancient vampire that looked as bored with life as Holly. Briefly, I wondered if all vampires felt that way after a certain amount of time.
I remembered that he’d asked me a question, and I stood up a bit straighter. A hot shower, a decent meal, and a short nap had transformed me into the girl I was before I left, and I felt strong enough to talk about what happened with Andrew. So, I took a deep breath, and started from the moment I woke up.
I told them about Andrew’s first visit, and the tea and biscuits, and how Andrew revealed his plans to me. I told them about being drugged for two days, and of his test in the library. As I talked, I noticed a look of concern on their faces that grew as the minutes wore by. Kevin looked the most worried of the three, and I could see the gears turning in his mind. He was obviously thinking about what a threat I was. I could tell because of his tense body language and the hardness in his eyes. He wanted me gone. Away from anyone he might care about or be elected to protect.
When I finished my report with Finn’s miraculous escape, Marcel leaned forward with interest. “The two of you left Andrew at the bottom of the stairs. Are you sure he is not dead?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Finn said we didn’t have time to kill him, not if we wanted to get out of there alive.”
“He should have done it,” Kevin said, eyeing me with distaste. “The two of you should have risked it. Now a very powerful necromancer is still alive and well. Well enough to harm us, and the world. Leaving him alive was a serious error on your parts.”
“Back off,” Finn growled. I looked over my shoulder and noticed him leaning against the back wall. How long had he been standing there? Had he heard all the positive things I’d said about him? “I had a choice between saving Ronnie and killing Andrew, and I think I chose right. We’ll have another shot at killing him.”
“You’re letting your feelings for this girl affect your judgment,” Kevin said with a frown.
“I don’t have any feelings for her. I was thinking rationally. Something you’re apparently incapable of doing at the moment.”
“How dare you–”
“If I tried and failed to kill Andrew, who had hired goons swarming his place, then I’d be dead and he would still have Ronnie in his dungeons. What purpose would that serve? Yes, Andrew is still alive, but I’ve taken back his powerful weapon. Without her, his plans have no chance of succeeding. I made a quick decision. Deal with it,” he snarled, clenching his hands at his sides.
Finn and Kevin stared each other down for an entire moment. Finn’s pale blue eyes glowed fiercely even in the brightly lit room, and Kevin’s dark eyes burned crimson in color. The two powerful supernatural beings refused to look away from one another, and I tensed up along with the other Council members. Marcel was the head of this Council, but he obviously wasn’t as old or powerful as Kevin was.
“Kevin, I believe that Finnley made the right call, even if he did make it for the wrong reasons,” Lisa said, startling everyone. “We don’t know if he could have even taken Andrew, especially with all of his hired guns. At least this way his plans have been delayed, giving us time to come up with a plan of our own.” Lisa peered through her thin-rimmed glasses at Finn, who was trembling from anger. “I understand that your friendship with this girl may not have been the only deciding factor of yours. Do not let your anger at your former pack mates allow you to do something stupid.”
Finn looked down at the green and white tiled floor beneath his feet.
Kevin spoke next. “We should kill her,” he said bluntly.
“What?” Finn exploded. “I just risked my life to bring her back, and you wanna kill her? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Finn!” I gasped. “Don’t antagonize them.” I didn’t know much about how the supernatural councils worked, but I didn’t want to risk Finn getting reprimanded, or banished, or even worse, just because he chose to speak against them on my behalf.
I put my hand on Finn’s shoulder, and the angry trembling stopped. He gave one final shudder, before turning his head away from me and shrugging my hand off. “Don’t touch me again.”
It looks like the amazing rescuer that I started to bond with last night is long gone, and we’re back to arrogant jerk that hates me.
“Killing her could be disastrous,” Lisa said. “She already died once, and look at what it did to her. If she dies again and he found a way to bring her back, there’s no telling what her power could amount to. No, at least for now, it will be safer to keep her here and alive.” She looked at me. “You will continue your training with Annie. Do not disappoint us. You’re excused.”
Dark Secrets (Dark Heritage #1) Page 35
