Lincoln took another hit and barely managed to stop himself from going down again. Before he righted himself, Seth, at lightning speed, delivered another terrifying blow that I suspected dislocated Lincoln’s shoulder, from the awkward angle of his arm afterwards. I heard a whimpering sound and realised it was me.
‘The sooner you give me your hand willingly, the sooner we can stop this,’ Drenson said.
So that was it. I had to give my hand willingly to Drenson or his power wouldn’t work. I bet it had been Josephine’s suggestion to beat the shit out of Lincoln until I cooperated.
Just her style.
Lincoln landed a fist in Seth’s gut. The Assembly members seemed to stiffen as a unit. I smiled at Josephine’s look of surprise. They’d underestimated Lincoln. Unfortunately though, Seth still had the advantage.
I put my hand in Drenson’s.
It was slow to start and I concentrated, as Griffin and Evelyn had instructed me, on keeping up my barriers. But I couldn’t keep my attention away from Lincoln and Seth, fighting like gladiators in the middle of the room. Lincoln was covered in sweat, Seth delivering lethal blow after blow. If Lincoln had been only human, just one of those hits would have killed him. But he kept getting up, kept fighting back, putting serious power behind his punches.
Then Drenson’s true power hit, as if he’d only been peeking from behind a curtain before. He kicked open the front door and charged into me. My body would have fallen back with the impact, but his vice-like grip on my hand held me in place.
I fought to keep my guards up, tried to hide who I was, what I was, but all the while I could see what was happening to Lincoln. He was being beaten to death and his pain was taking me over even as Drenson pushed into me – all I could concentrate on was Lincoln.
And that’s when I realised – that was the other reason they were doing this. Seth was pounding Lincoln not just to force me to let Drenson look into my power – but to force me to lose my concentration and let down my guard. When that happened – they would see everything.
Lincoln took another punch to the face, his head jerking back. I was sure he’d already had his nose broken and a number of ribs.
But instead of screaming for them to stop, instead of running in to fight with him, I fought every natural instinct and … I closed my eyes. I blocked out the sounds of his body being pounded. One by one, I put back the bricks that had slipped from my defences. I put back the barrier that kept me safe. That kept us all safe.
Drenson was powerful. He pushed, he shoved hard and didn’t bother being polite. I could feel his energy edging around my bones like a serrated knife, scratching and slicing, looking for a way in, eager to reach the well of power that lay within me. But even as he pushed more, even as I felt the tears slip from my eyes with the pressure and felt the trickle of blood from my nose, I held strong.
I was strong.
Drenson gripped my hand tighter until I started to feel the sharp snaps. He was crushing it like someone would juice an orange. But his own hand was starting to tremble and that gave me all the encouragement I needed. He was weakening.
When Rudyard had first used his power on me, I hadn’t been expecting it and I was new to the game. A lot had happened since then and I was stronger than I had ever been. I opened my eyes and stared right into Drenson’s.
‘If you haven’t got what you were looking for by now, I suggest it might be worth considering you are never going to get it.’ I knew my words would be taken as the threat I had intended them to be.
His nostrils flared and he tightened his grip on my hand. More small bones crunched. I didn’t react.
‘That’s enough,’ Wil said from behind Drenson. ‘This isn’t getting us anywhere.’
Drenson’s eyes were locked on mine and I knew that I had not made a friend in him today. But we were both going to have to find a way to deal with that, because I wasn’t going to let his power steamroll me. As long as I was breathing, I wouldn’t let anyone control me like that.
He dropped his hand, the release sending a wash of relief through my body. It made me want to scream in pain as the blood returned to my hand. Instead, I held it behind my back and turned to where Lincoln and Seth had been fighting.
Lincoln was on the ground. He was breathing. I could feel his heart beating. But he’d been pulverised. I forced myself not to run to him.
Griffin went over instead and crouched beside him, checking his vitals as Seth made his way back to his chair. When Seth passed me he paused and glanced at me briefly, yet somehow seemed to look right through me, as if I was nothing more than a small distraction.
‘Nothing personal. He won’t be so easy to best next time, I imagine,’ he said, then continued.
‘Why Seth, I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said,’ Rainer chimed in.
I half expected Seth to rip her out of her chair, but he actually turned to her, gave a small bow and – shock horror – smiled. For like, half a second.
‘If we are done here we’ll be taking Lincoln to his room,’ Griffin said, standing now with Lincoln in his arms, unconscious. Griffin’s face was a mask of calm but I doubted anyone could miss the fury in his eyes. Lincoln was one of his.
My stomach sank looking at the damage that had been done to my partner.
Breathing shallow. Shoulder definitely dislocated. Cuts over both eyes. Broken nose.
‘Surely Violet can heal him?’ Josephine threw in, innocently. ‘We’ve all heard so much about her extraordinary healing abilities. Perhaps a demonstration would help us understand a little more.’
Yet another motivation for having Lincoln thrashed.
I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. ‘Josephine, you have my parents locked up. You have had my partner beaten to within an inch of his life. I’ve just been subjected to an incredibly intrusive power struggle …’ I moved my mangled hand out from behind my body. ‘And my hand is all messed up. We came here at your request. I intend to stay and abide by the Assembly and Academy rules while I’m here.’ I glanced at the other Assembly members. ‘I would very much like to do anything I can to help stop whatever Phoenix and Lilith are planning. But right now, instead of standing around here playing games with you, I’d really prefer to take my partner away so that I can rest before what will no doubt be the rather exhausting job of healing him.’
All eyes darted between Josephine and me. I’d just challenged her in a way that was only going to make her look bad and hate me even more but I was damned if I was going to subject myself and Lincoln to any more of her bullshit.
Josephine put a hand to her chin. ‘Will you submit to full Grigori testing in three weeks’ time?’
My eyes widened. If I didn’t know better I could’ve sworn her voice held a note of respect.
Surely not.
I looked over my shoulder to Griffin. We’d discussed this and knew that this was one thing I was going to have to do – all Grigori do.
Turning back to Josephine, I gazed over the entire Assembly, showing – despite Griffin’s advice to the contrary – that I was not afraid.
‘In three weeks,’ I agreed.
Then, without waiting for permission, I marched out of the room, Griffin following with Lincoln in his arms.
Welcome to New York, indeed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
‘Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.’
C .S. Lewis
Morgan and Max were waiting outside the doors.
‘Hey.’ Then, ‘Oh my God,’ Morgan said, hand over her mouth, when she saw the state of Lincoln. ‘Is he …?’
‘He’s fine,’ I snapped. ‘Where can we take him?’
‘Follow us,’ Max said, already moving.
We stormed through the halls, Max and I clearing the way – people were smart enough to move fast.
‘Seth?’ Max asked.
‘Yes.’
He whistled. ‘Oh man, he never stood a chance. No one has landed a hit
on Seth and lived to tell the tale.’
‘Well, they have now,’ I said, not slowing even as my rage towards the Assembly and Josephine in particular continued to build. ‘Where?’
Max pointed to the right. ‘Infirmary or his room?’
‘His room,’ Griffin and I both said.
‘Right, here. We’re going to have to cross the walkway.’
I led the way with Max but stopped in my tracks when we came to the end of the corridor. We faced a gap in the wall, a huge opening in the building.
‘Whoa!’ I said, looking over the edge. We were more than a hundred storeys above ground level. One more step and I would be falling and I didn’t imagine it would be the kind of fall that would land me in the angel realm.
‘What’s the hold-up?’ Griffin called from behind.
‘Violet’s at the walkway!’ Max called back.
‘Hurry up, for Christ’s sake!’ Griffin yelled.
‘What do I do? Where do we go?’ I looked between Max and the open space before me.
Max rolled his eyes and pushed me aside, storming towards the edge. I reached out just in time to grab the back of his T-shirt before he fell.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ I screamed.
He steadied himself and turned to face me, his feet dangerously close to the opening.
‘Violet, it’s a walkway. Just because you can’t see it …’ he took a step backwards. I lurched forwards to grab him again, but before I got there, his foot landed on something in mid-air. Nothing visible – but something that supported his weight. ‘Doesn’t mean it is not there.’
I’m hallucinating. Drenson must’ve messed with my head.
Max took another step back and I was suddenly staring at a man standing perfectly still in the sky.
Morgan pushed past where I stood frozen, staring at the impossible. She marched right out onto the invisible walkway without so much as a second of hesitation, turned back to face me and then released her power. It flowed from her in a multicoloured mist, floating out. I watched, amazed, as it hit invisible walls, revealing the transparent tunnel they were now standing in.
‘These tunnels connect all of our buildings,’ Morgan said. And when she saw the question in my eyes, she added, ‘Just think of it as a glamour. A really complex glamour.’
With that she started to walk towards the building ahead. I could see now a similar opening in its wall and a person stepping out into the open air, who started walking towards us as if it was no different from taking a flight of stairs. This is what Lincoln had been showing me earlier.
‘Violet, we need to move,’ Griffin said, now behind me. I didn’t like the urgency in his voice.
I nodded, but didn’t look at Lincoln. I couldn’t, not yet.
Ignoring every natural defence in my being, I followed Max and Morgan and stepped into thin air. My foot found a solid landing.
‘Whoa!’ I said again, marvelling. But now I knew it worked, I was moving at full speed, my feet seemingly walking on air. Logic struggled to keep up – the sensation not unlike stepping onto a stationary escalator. I looked down. The streets below buzzed with activity.
‘Can’t they see?’ I called out to Morgan.
She followed my gaze. ‘Nope. The whole thing is glamoured. They can’t see it, or anything within it. Once you know it’s there, you can see it a little. It has a kind of golden glow, but unless you know it’s here you’d never see it.’
I felt Lincoln’s heartbeat, which I’d been tracking since the fight had started, speed up. ‘Griffin, I think he’s waking up.’
We both knew when he did he’d be in a world of pain.
‘Let’s go!’ Griffin called out and we picked up the pace.
In the other building, Morgan and Max led us through a maze of halls, eventually coming to an area that was set up like dorms with several doorways close together, some open to show small and simple bedrooms.
They led us down another corridor, into a more updated area, stopping outside a door at the end. Max pulled out a set of keys, unlocked and held the door open for us.
Griffin carried Lincoln in, laying him on the bed.
His eyes were starting to flutter and I could tell the pain was registering as his body convulsed and he started to gurgle with sharp intakes of breath.
Griffin checked his vitals again then looked to Morgan and Max. ‘Thank you, but you need to leave now.’
Morgan looked offended. ‘But we can help.’
Griffin didn’t even consider it. ‘It’s best if you go. You’ll only be asked questions that are too difficult to answer if you stay.’
Max seemed to accept this first and nodded to us as he pulled Morgan towards the door. ‘Let us know if you need anything. We’ll be in the cafeteria in building A.’
How many buildings are there?
Griffin nodded.
I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Lincoln. His eyes opened. Blood covered his face so I reached for some tissues and tried to blot some of it away so that he could see.
He winced, and swallowed heavily. ‘Griff, you … go, too,’ he mumbled.
Griffin shook his head. ‘No, Lincoln. I’m not going anywhere.’
I knew what Lincoln was doing. He was trying to protect Griffin – and all of us. The more Griffin knew, the more he would be expected to report. He was a truth detector and deliverer, so if he was asked to give details and then couldn’t deliver those details with absolute honesty, it would cause him big problems.
I ran into the small bathroom and wet a hand towel, bringing it back out, trying to wipe away more of the blood.
‘His heartbeat is strong, he’s going to be fine, Griff. Lincoln’s right, you should go. The less you see the better for all of us and you know it. Go with Max and Morgan. We’ll find you later.’ I saw the conflict in his eyes. It just wasn’t in him to walk away from one of his Grigori when they were hurt. Especially Lincoln. They were like brothers. But we both knew it was the right option.
‘Jesus,’ he said, admitting defeat. ‘Call me if you need me.’
‘I will.’
Lincoln moved in and out of consciousness. I spent a little time just sitting beside him, making sure I was fully in touch with my power. Apart from just after I first embraced I’d never had to heal Lincoln from injuries this severe – I really didn’t want to make a mess of it.
As if he could tell what I was thinking, he slipped his hand into mine before passing out again.
‘Oh, Linc,’ I ran a hand down the side of his face. ‘I’m so sorry they did this to you.’
It was my fault.
And he hadn’t even tried to resist.
There was a time when I could only access my healing abilities by kissing Lincoln. But I was stronger now.
I closed my eyes, put my hands on his chest, and drew up on the well of power that simmered within me. It came to me easily, like an old friend, eager to help. Lincoln was my partner and despite anything else we were made for healing each other. It was the one thing I could do that felt completely good and natural.
My amethyst mist flowed from me, frosting the room and settling on Lincoln, searching out the source of his pain and gradually healing him. I was thorough, taking my time and starting at the base of his body before working my way up. I left his shoulder till last, wanting him to be as strong as possible. Because before I healed the pain – I was going to have to put his shoulder back in place manually.
Lincoln’s eyes opened.
His nose was healed and the cuts on his face were now gone. I used the towel on his face again, wiping away the rest of the blood carefully. He tried to move a few times, an intensity that he rarely let out showing in his green eyes.
My breath caught but I kept going. He wasn’t healed yet.
Before I could say anything, he lifted his good arm, wincing at the pain from his dislocated shoulder, and put his hand on mine. The one Drenson had crushed.
Over my dead body.
I shoo
k my head at him. ‘I need to fix your shoulder first.’
‘You’re going to need both your hands for that,’ he said, breathless.
It wasn’t exactly true. I was pretty sure I could do it with one hand. And I didn’t want to be fixing anything about me until I knew he was okay. As if he knew exactly what I was thinking, he didn’t wait. His power, the array of colours led by green, poured from him and into me.
‘Violet,’ he said, insistent. He could be irritatingly stubborn when he wanted to be.
Reluctantly, but knowing from his look that it wasn’t worth fighting, I added my power to his. It wanted to go back to him, sensing he was still hurt, but I directed it towards my hand instead, each of the broken bones knitting together until they were completely healed.
Immediately, I broke the connection between us, not wanting to waste any extra energy.
‘You should rest for a while,’ Lincoln said, his eyes watching me with that same deep concentration. My heart picked up its pace.
To cover it, I narrowed my gaze. ‘Would you stop ordering me around?’
‘I can wait until you’ve rested. I’m feeling better. It’s just my shoulder left. I don’t want you doing too much.’
I ignored him and instead began to prepare his arm, but the angle was off. His shoulder had popped out of its socket in such a way that putting it back would require great pressure on him. It wasn’t a huge ask with my strength but the angle had to be right.
‘You’re just avoiding me yanking your arm back into place.’
I knew it wasn’t true, but he gave up on disagreeing with me.
‘Just do it,’ he said.
I batted my eyelids, trying to keep him talking and distracted. ‘Oh Linc, you’re so brave.’
He tried to roll his eyes but his attention was really focused on the impending joint adjustment. Grigori or not – it was going to hurt.
I took the pillows out from under his head so he was lying flat. He pretended it didn’t bother him, but the muscles in his neck betrayed him, bulging. I moved up, straddling him to get in the best position, ready to push his shoulder back into place. Suddenly, Lincoln’s attention shifted back to me. I gnawed on my lower lip, and an idea.
Endless: Violet Eden Chapters: Book Four Page 11
