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“Only the ones who turn out to be Noctu,” I correct him. “And the Noctu will inevitably bring in reinforcements if the hunters openly attack their people.”
I’m stunned. I feel nothing but horror. As if it weren’t bad enough already, now we’ve thrown oil on the fire in this war.
“We shouldn’t have covered up the truth,” I say. “Maybe we could have invented some explanation for why Mr. Brian attacked Kate.”
Ayden shakes his head. “You don’t believe that. They’d put Kate under the microscope and start to question her strange blackouts and pain attacks. She’s been to the infirmary a couple of times. The Council’s not stupid. Once they suspect that Kate may have a gift, they’ll never leave her alone. Look what happened with you. They wouldn’t tread any lighter with Kate.”
“She’s already suffering enough because of her gift. She couldn’t handle that,” I mutter, thinking back to my grueling destiny test.
“Tess, none of this is your fault,” Ayden says in an attempt to comfort me. He puts his arm around my shoulders. “The Noctu would have attacked again soon anyway. This just means it happens sooner and involves more people.”
“Are you worried about who could die? Noctu who had nothing to do with Mr. Brian’s death will be killed.”
“You know they’re our enemies. They don’t show us any mercy either. They’re ruthless killers. They’ve taken out so many of our people. And don’t forget the fact that they murder people on a daily basis for their dying breaths. They have to be stopped. I wish there was another way. But unfortunately there’s not.”
“What if something happens to you or Noah?”
He avoids my eye. It’s only for a split second, but I know what it means. “You’ll be in danger. What’s the plan?”
I can tell he doesn’t want to answer me, and I know he’s not supposed to say. He won’t tell me. He’s been drilled for years to keep these things to himself. The hunters’ secrets have to be safeguarded, and he knows I’m still friends with Noah. He can’t risk me leaking their plan.
This realization hurts, but it shouldn’t surprise me – I know Ayden. And that’s why the next thing he says takes me by surprise.
“I’ll be on the front line of the first wave of attacks. Basically, I’ll be the one launching the attack and signaling the rest of my group to follow. Nobody in the retirement home knows who I am, which makes me the best choice. To minimize the risk, I’ll be doing another session tomorrow to enhance my powers.”
I gulp. What am I supposed to say? He knows I don’t like these trials and that I’m afraid for him every time he subjects himself to them. When I think of how bad he looks afterward, how wrecked he is … But I promised not to meddle. It’s none of my business – and yet in a way it is. Because I love Ayden, and I’m really worried about him. But I know I can’t interfere, just like he doesn’t interfere in my friendship with Noah. I can’t talk him out of this decision. As much as I’d like to.
“I know you hate these trials. But I have to do it. Trust me, everything will be okay.”
His fingers gently trace my jawline. They feel so good, so tender. When I look into Ayden’s eyes, I see his resolve, plus a bittersweet undercurrent. It hurts him to go against me in this. But he won’t relent. He’ll live up to his responsibilities and protect me too.
Chapter 4
Igingerly towel-dry my back and hips and suck in a hissing breath. Damn that Cesar. He was my training partner this evening, and, as usual, he was anything but gentle. I wrap the towel around myself and go to my room to pick out some clothes. It hurts just to walk, and I grimace again.
“That guy is going to kill me one day. But then he’d miss out on the fun of torturing us,” I mutter with a glance at Yoru, who’s licking the bandage on his paw.
I kneel down beside him and inspect it. It wasn’t a deep wound, but I didn’t want to take any chances, so I bandaged it.
“Don’t lick it,” I warn him, “or it won’t heal.”
Yoru looks at me. He seems annoyed. But he obeys me and rests his head on the carpet. I ruffle his soft fur and swear to myself that one day we’ll teach Cesar a lesson. I check the time. About three hours, and then the house should be quiet enough for me to sneak out. I need to finally put my plan into action. I can’t waste any more time. I plan to go to the Odyss tonight and look for Frida. I hope she’s okay.
At that moment, I receive a message on my phone. I take it out and check the display. It’s from Noah.
“Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to reply until now. You wanted to talk to me?”
“Yeah,” I write back. “Something happened. Can we meet?”
I can go to the Odyss after I talk to Noah.
He takes ages to reply.
“Sure, in one hour outside the Starbucks near the hospital?”
“Okay, see you there,” I type, then I get ready to leave with Yoru.
Luckily, the Fabricis haven’t noticed that it’s possible to climb through the window beside the downspout. Or is this part of the carrot-and-stick strategy that I overheard Alfredo and his father discussing? Letting me get away with minor misdemeanors in order to lull me into a false sense of security?
