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“All of that will come, and I think we need to leave it for Ever,” Alistair says, his words holding a weight of meaning. “Right now, we need to deal in-house. Gather the inter-Cardinals.”
The game has changed, and so must we. This isn’t just about protecting our own anymore; this is war, and as fucked up as it sounds, a part of me is excited. The hunt, the strategy, the clash – it’s what we’re built for. It’s too bad we’ve been blindsided by these idiots. But they have bitten off more than they can chew. We may just be university students, but we are the Cardinals. Our whole lives have built up to this one moment, and we’ll be fucked if we let anyone else interfere with our plans.
“Did anyone notice that these guys weren’t part of the Academy?” I frown as I recall thinking this earlier. “Apart from Crystal, obviously.”
“Not any of the ones I dealt with,” Damien agrees. “They were outsiders, which means their organisation is bigger than all this.” He waves his hand around. “They aren’t to be taken lightly. Not after this attack. They are deadly serious and gunning for us.”
“Yeah, it’s interesting.”
“If I know Ever,” Ben murmurs. “She’ll be working this already. She will have some answers in the morning, but probably more questions.”
“Then we give her every opportunity to do what she does best and book the shit out of this.” I know she’ll want to head to the library, and we have to let her, but she won’t be going alone.
“Cleaners are here,” Alistair mutters. “This isn’t going to go over well with the Elders.”
“Well, tough shit. They should be more informed.”
He snorts. “You going to tell them that at the next high meeting? Do you think Earl and Countess Beaumont will agree with your assessment?”
“Maybe.” I shoot him a grin, and the tense mood drops slightly. “They do tend to think I’m the golden boy, after all. Perhaps it wouldn’t take that much to make them sway in my favour.”
Ben chuckles. “You do seem to have them wrapped around your little finger. However, this situation is unprecedented.”
“Fact. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to let them know what they’ve fucked up by not keeping on top of this clusterfuck.”
“Well, we’ll leave it to you to be the bearer of that particular complaint.”
“Figured.” But I’m not wrong. My parents will have to see that this is not on and not our entire responsibility. The bodies have piled up in the last couple of weeks, but shit happens. Rather them than us. No one will get to Ever, but I have a feeling that even if they did, she has bigger balls than she thinks. She is in this now up to her neck, and all it’s going to take is a slight tug to drag her into the darkness with us and show her it’s where she belongs.
16
EVER
It’s barely the crack of dawn when I breeze out of my room, the early morning light barely creeping through the heavy curtains. The scent of coffee and bleach hits my senses as I take the stairs quickly, and a low murmur of voices leads me past the scene of brutality, now a picture of innocence and elegance, to the kitchen where Alistair, Ben, Charlie, and Damien are gathered like some brooding council of war.
“Guys, I need to get to the library. Now,” I demand, my voice cutting through their conversation like a knife.
Alistair looks up from his espresso, his blue eyes sharp with amusement. “Morning to you too, angel, and that’s not safe.”
“I don’t give a crap about ‘safe.’ There’s information I need,” I insist, slamming my palm on the granite countertop for emphasis. “And morning. Glad to see you got rid of the bodies.”
Damien snickers, which is a rare sight indeed. I feel proud that I made him laugh, but then he goes serious again. “What’s so important that you’re willing to risk your neck before the sun’s even up?” he asks.
“Connections,” I say tersely. “I can prove the link between families. But I need the old records, and they’re not online.”
Charlie whistles, low and impressed. “Nailed it! I knew you’d be on this like a fly on shit,” he says, grinning despite the tension.
“Eww.” I wrinkle up my nose. “There are more pleasant expressions you could’ve used.”
He grins and takes a sip of his coffee, all light and carefree, as if we didn’t have a massacre in the entrance hall only a few hours ago. Mind you, he’s not the only one pushing it under the mental mat to deal with later. I’m doing a bang-up job of that myself.
“There’s no talking you out of this, is there?” Ben crosses over to me and kisses the top of my head.
“Nope.”
“Then we do this the smart way,” Alistair says after a moment of charged silence. “Underground tunnels. We’ll be your shadow.”
I knew it was coming, and I also know they’re going to expect me to protest.
