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All my life, I had believed in the Council. I had grown up in a safe community with two loving parents and all I could ever want. I believed the grade school teachers when they told us the Council kept us safe. That the shields protected us from the Hunters. That the Council made the laws and rules to make sure the Divines would be able to one day return to Agrum Di Vinum. I believed it all. I looked up to the Council. I wanted to beone of them.And now, I was angry. Angry that these so-called leaders would put young Divines in jeopardy over one girl. One girl that had already lost too much.
“And how do you suppose the Council will make sure of this? Because no one was here to prevent the deaths tonight.” I interrupted whatever one of the other Council members was saying, not able to hold back at least saying something.
Zachariah and Jay both turned to look at me with wide eyes. Clearly, they were startled by my outburst. I had never questioned them before. Always doing what I was told. Always following their commands like the docile kid waiting for the approval of his leaders. But I couldn’t do that anymore, not when I had a glimpse of the truth.
Clearing his expression, returning to that neutral gaze I used to admire, Jay responded. “I can understand your frustration Knox, many of your friends were injured and killed during this attack.”
This time I couldn’t hold in my bitter laugh. He sure as shit couldn’t understand my frustration. He hadn’t been there, unable to do anything to help besidesseewhat would happen next. He wasn’t in the midst of attacks, being bombarded with vision after vision of the destruction of every person on campus under the hands of the Hunters. And he couldn’t understand how it felt to want to protect those around him, not when he had caused his own destruction.
“That’s enough Knox. The Council has done everything in their power to protect us from the Hunters. You will treat them with respect or else you will be removed from this meeting. One, I must remind you, you are only privy to attend because of the allowance of the men and women in this room.” Zachariah scolded, and usually his tone would put me in my place, knowing I had access to information most students weren’t allowed, but this time my anger only built.
I kept my mouth shut though, knowing if I said more, I would put a target on my back, the sole thing I told the others to avoid. So, I nodded my head, leaning back against the wall and listening. Truthfully, although I wanted to rip into these assholes and demand answers, listening to their plans would give me more insight and keep me out of trouble.
“The professors and the rest of the Council were indisposed last night because we were tracking the Hunters movements. We may have missed this attack, but we do now know where they are meeting and training. We believe with the right group of Guards and chosen students who have shown immense progress in their powers, we can blindside the Hunters and take them down. For good this time.” Jay explained and as hard as I tried, I couldn’tseeany information from his words, the block he held on his future firm.
Eleanor, the leader of the Guard that sat on the Council, continued. “We have already filled in the current Guard members on the situation and several retired Guard members have returned to duty to further protect the communities while the threat of the Hunters still hangs over our heads. As for the students, we believe that many of them could be useful in the fight.”
Gunther grunted from the side of the room, and I could guess where his frustration was coming from. As the main Drax professor at Willow Grove, he cared about the students that came through his classrooms. And he knew, as did the rest of the room, that the Drax and large Shifters would be the first students chosen to go against the Hunters due to their physical abilities. And he also knew not all of them would survive.
Zachariah eyed Gunther, but when the man didn’t speak, he spoke up. “Students that would be put at risk during the attack will obviously not be called upon to help. And no student will go into the fight untrained. The Guard training from before this attack will continue and when the date nears for our move, the students with the most skill will be chosen as aides to the Guard.”
The Council and remaining professors in the room continued to discuss the details of the attack, but I tuned them out, thinking of what this meant for us. As before last night, I knew I wouldn’t see battle. I was too important to the Council. And I assumed Eli would also be protected as the Council had assured me before. Unfortunately, Madden, Wilder and Kalani would for sure be sent due to their Sector. Except, now Kalani had a new problem at hand that we needed to keep far away from Council eyes. And Halley needed to be as far away from this as possible. If they would risk students getting Halley out of the picture, then they sure as hell would put her in the middle of the battle without any protection. With that in mind, I knew that we all needed to have another meeting to discuss the new plan formulating in my head.
Tuning back into the conversation, I focused on what Zachariah said. “Then the plan is set. Studies will return to normal after the weekend. After classes, students will continue their training with the Guard. And when the time comes, the Hunters won’t know what hit them.”
The room all turned to each other with nods and small smiles, clearly happy with the plan. And I couldn’t help my own small smile as well. Because the Hunters may not know what hit them, but if my plan succeeded, the Council wouldn’t have a clue either.
Chapter Twelve
Halley
I woke in Eli’s arms, chatter from downstairs stirring me out of unconsciousness. My head laid on Eli’s chest and I peeked up, taking in his unruly waves splayed out everywhere. I couldn’t help but smile at the curve of his full lips. Even in sleep the man was happy. Taking the moment to eye him unabashedly, I sighed. He really was beautiful. His blonde hair made him look angelic, but his sharp cheekbones and strong jawline screamed trouble. There was a light dusting of hair on his chin and above his lip and I felt the urge to run my fingers along it. And his lips were full and pink, and I knew how good they felt against my skin. Continuing my appraisal, my gaze fell onto his deep blue eyes, hazy with sleep. Not embarrassed to be caught staring, I smiled up at him.
“Good morning, Sunshine,” he murmured and then laid a quick kiss on my forehead. I relished how easy it was with him. I didn’t know if it was because of the strong friendship, we had or if it was something else, but being in his arms, first thing in the morning, felt natural. It felt right.
“Good morning,” I responded before stretching my arms and legs, giving Eli quite the view of my mostly undressed body. His eyes tracked my movements with heat, and I so badly wanted a repeat of last night. Unfortunately, the voices from downstairs became louder and I knew we needed to get up.
I had no clue when my small bubble of privacy had become the place for others to come, but I didn’t mind. Although I was used to being alone and often thought I preferred it that way, I now knew how wrong I was. Just the thought of being alone again, going through life without anyone by my side, felt like a dagger to my chest. I didn’t want to do this alone. And thankfully, if Eli’s words from last night were correct, I didn’t have to. I had people in my corner now.
“Someone’s downstairs. I’m assuming Kalani and Maeve, maybe even your buddy Knox. We should get dressed and see how the rest of the night went.” I told Eli, rolling out of bed and grabbing clothes from my drawer. The one thing that hadn’t changed since coming to Willow Grove was my money situation, which meant I unfortunately had very limited clothing to use. Only a couple shirts, some pants, and underwear. Thankfully, there was free washing here, but I could really use some new clothes. Especially considering how worn my current ones were. I didn’t see that happening anytime soon though, so I pushed the thought away and got dressed for the day.
Eli threw on his clothes from the night before even though they were covered in grime, and then we headed downstairs together. Eli’s fingers slipped into mine as we rounded into the common room and I gave him a smile, enjoying the connection. Turning towards the room, I readied myself to greet my friends when I stopped, shocked by the situation. I had assumed Kalani and Maeve were the ones making the noise, they were both comfortable coming over here unannounced, and maybe Knox to check in on Eli. I wasn’t prepared for the whole group from last night to be sitting in the room yet again.
Kalani and Maeve were seated on the loveseat near the fireplace, both looking better than last night. Knox sat on the high back chair across from them, chatting about something. He looked determined, his brown eyes glinting with knowledge as he spoke with the two of them. Wilder stood by the door yet again, glancing around the room like he couldn’t quite decide whether he wanted to be here or not. I sure as hell didn’t know why he was here. And then there was Madden, he was sprawled across the large couch tucked against the wall, as if this was his home. I had no clue where his comfortability had come from, but from the glare he aimed towards mine and Eli’s hands twined together, it wasn’t going to last.
And with that glare, my cheeks reddened as I realized the situation. Not only were the Council and Hunters actively attempting to kill me, but I had two men in my life that I was involved with. And neither of them knew about it. I knew there were more important things to worry about, hence why everyone was probably here again, but I also knew I needed to sort the other situation out. Physical pain wasn’t the only sort of pain you could inflict on someone and the last thing I wanted was to emotionally hurt anyone, especially the kindhearted man who held onto me last night.
Clearing my mind and my throat, I garnered the attention of the room. “So, what’s going on? I assume everyone isn’t here for no reason.”
Knox nodded and motioned for Eli and me to take a seat. I moved towards the loveseat, sitting against Kalani’s feet. The emotions from losing her were still too raw and I wanted to be close to her when I could, remind myself that she really was still alive. Eli moved towards the large couch and smiled at Madden as he sat down, even as Madden held his glare. Yeah, I couldn’t see a way that the conversation between the three of us would go well.
“I asked everyone to come here again. I hope that’s okay Halley, but this is the only place without prying eyes or listening ears.” Knox said and I simply nodded. I understood where he was coming from, and I couldn’t be mad. Although I had never known what Knox’s intentions were when we had our lessons, he was currently doing his best to protect me. And I knew he would die to protect Eli. I could at least give him respect for that.
“Just to be clear, Maeve and I were already on our way over here. We wanted to check in and spend time together.” Kalani interjected, nudging me with her foot and smiling. I returned her smile, appreciating her input. Even before she knew the truth about Mom, she had understood my need for someone in my life and she was going to make it clear that she would always be in my life, no matter the situation.
“Yes, they were already on their way. But anyways, we all needed to meet again. I learned more information last night about the Hunters and I have a plan.” Knox continued and we all listened closely. I knew that last night we had discussed a plan to figure out the Council’s intentions and possibly find the truth about the prophecy, but I hadn’t anticipated a plan this quickly. I guess Knox knew how to get things done when he needed to.
“After this weekend, classes will resume, and the Guard will continue training us. They are still planning to choose students who will fight alongside the Guard when we attack the Hunters. We can’t allow Halley to be chosen. We must assume that if she is, there will be no protection for her during the attack.”
