Endless (27 page)

I kept my expression neutral even if I did feel it was already a victory in itself to have their votes. Somehow their approval counted for more than a simple ruling.

Adele was on her feet next. She looked at me for a moment and then to Drenson. She pursed her lips. ‘Fail.’

Drenson glanced at Josephine, who clearly had every intention of saving her vote for last. It was clear, then, who was really in control, because Drenson stood.

‘Fail,’ he said, his voice ringing out into the arena.

You could have heard a pin drop as Josephine slowly rose from her seat and moved forward so she was in clear view of the entire room.

‘Violet,
you have fought well, there is no doubt. Decima is undefeated and while she remains that way, you have shown your various skills and willingness to use them. Not a soul in this room could deny that, in time, your fighting skills may one day only be matched by those of your own partner.’

Did she just compliment me?

‘But being Grigori is about more than being able to fight. Grigori must be able to put the greater good first and above all else. It is clear to see that you are willing to put the people
you
care about first, above yourself, above all others. But what, then, for everyone else, Violet? I fear the day that your choices will come at a great expense to the rest of the world.’ Josephine worked the crowd, casting her gaze around the room and nodding at several important members of the Academy. Her words were building anticipation to her vote. The worst thing was, even though I hated her, even though I knew she was doing this for her own agenda … she was right.

‘On top of that we cannot ignore an anonymous accusation that has been made against you, one that you have done nothing to dissuade us from here today.’

What the …?

‘As members of the Assembly we must consider the implications of an allegation that you are in fact still involved with the exile Phoenix and indeed aided him in his attempts to resurrect Lilith and utilise the Grigori Scripture.’

My mouth fell open. ‘Who said that?’ I exclaimed. ‘That’s not true! I would never have done that. And in case you’ve forgotten, he dropped me into a volcano not so long ago. That hardly says “same team”!’

My words fell on deaf
ears, Josephine lifting a patronising hand to silence me. I wanted to scream.

‘I’m afraid I have been left with no alternative,’ she addressed the room. ‘Violet Eden is simply
not
one of us. I must vote therefore, fail.’

Whispers rushed through the crowd. Murmurs of agreement, sounds of horror, as arguments sparked and I simply stood in silence as one by one the Assembly filed out of the room, Rainer and Wil both looking at me apologetically as they followed.

That was it.

Testing complete.

I’d failed.

I turned on my heel and walked at a steady pace out of the room, not looking at a single person. The rules still applied.

I don’t run away.

That didn’t mean I didn’t power through the Command building, over the skywalks and to my room, all the while forcing back the threatening tears. Once there, I grabbed my backpack and started shoving my things into it. If I had failed then at least I didn’t have to stay here. And just because I wasn’t part of their stupid Academy, that didn’t mean I wasn’t Grigori. I could hunt just fine without them.

My door swung open. I didn’t stop packing. I’d felt him coming.

‘They were wrong and everyone knows it. Josephine set you up to fail. Griffin will fix this.’

I kept packing. I couldn’t even speak.

Suddenly he was there, his arms wrapping around me from behind, supporting my weight as I crumpled from sheer exhaustion.

‘You were amazing.
No one can stop talking about how you took on Decima.’

I leaned back into him, ignoring the sting from the gash in my back and instead drawing in all that he was.

‘I’m sorry, Linc,’ I said, mortified that I’d just ruined his future as well.

He hushed me, his arms tightening around me, using the moment to heal the worst of my wounds.

‘You have nothing to–’

But his words were cut off as an explosion rocked the building. Lincoln threw me to the ground and himself on top of me. Everything shook with the force of the blast. As soon as the vibrations settled we heard several smaller explosions further away. By then, we were already on our feet and running in their direction, back towards Command.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

‘Hell is empty,

And all the devils are here.’

William Shakespeare

C
harging through
the halls, Grigori were running everywhere. Lincoln and I picked up the pace, people moving out of our way as we passed them, our legs and arms pumping with all we had. We made it onto the skywalk just as we heard another explosion, which shattered more of the glass walls containing Command.

Lincoln and I saw our problem at the same time: the explosion had hit part of the skywalk we were racing across. Lincoln didn’t stop running but looked over his shoulder to shout, ‘Faster!’ to me, and then to the Grigori following us further back, ‘Go back! Go back!’ His voice held the kind of authority one did not argue with. We kept running, faster and faster, the walkway threatening to give way beneath us.

Without slowing, Lincoln thrust his hand back and I grabbed it just as he leaped forwards, pulling me with him as the glass gave a final sensational crack and fell. I landed in his arms, and he held me to his chest until he was sure I was safe. We looked down and watched the skyway fall, but before the largest piece of glass hit the ground it stopped and hovered, suspended in mid-air.

Confused, I looked back
over to the building we had fled. Hiro and some of the other telekinetic Grigori were using their powers to hold it there, preventing a catastrophic collision with the pedestrians that swarmed the pavements beneath.

‘Okay?’ Lincoln asked, eyes searching me as he pushed the hair back from my face.

‘Yes,’ I breathed.

Two Grigori ran towards us from Command, as if they were headed for the walkway. ‘Get a clean-up crew on the ground,’ Lincoln ordered shoving them back in the other direction. They didn’t need telling twice.

‘Linc!’ I yelled, as we started to run again. ‘They’re everywhere!’ It was all I needed to say. My senses were buzzing, but his would be too. We both knew where we needed to go. ‘They’re going for Evelyn!’

This was what Josephine had been waiting for, but I was willing to bet she’d never counted on an assault of this magnitude.

We ran through the open reception area – Grigori and exiles were already fighting, many badly wounded from the explosion. My stomach lurched, thinking of our friends. It had been perfectly orchestrated – so many of them were in the arena and the explosions went off right beneath them. We would have been there too if I hadn’t taken off.

We barged through, Lincoln pulling out our daggers and thrusting mine into my hand. We made for the stairs, leaping down the flights in full jumps to the floor below, where the main explosion had erupted. When we reached the lower floor, my stomach knotted and a cry fell from my lips. More than fifteen guards lay motionless in a pool of blood. They looked like broken toy soldiers. So surreal.

Oh, God, no! Please, no!

I heard movement coming towards us from the cells and I grabbed Lincoln’s arm. He stopped.

Phoenix strolled down the corridor, apparently not in the least surprised to see us waiting.

‘Finally,’ he said, drawing out the word, ignoring me and giving Lincoln a smug look.

That was all it took. Lincoln and Phoenix went for each other hard and fast, fists and legs flying as they went up against one another for the first time. But they were so evenly matched that for every punch Lincoln delivered, Phoenix retaliated. What Lincoln lacked in speed he made up for in strength and vice versa.

I used their distraction to look over the Grigori on the ground, checking to see if any of them were still alive in case I could heal them, stopping only when I heard footsteps behind me. I spun in my crouched position in time to see Griffin explode into the room, take one look at the scene in front of him and settle on Lincoln and Phoenix.

He pulled out his dagger and moved in to help Lincoln, leaving me to check the last of the guards.

‘No!’ Lincoln yelled, stopping Griffin in his tracks.

I stood up, sickened and terrified – none of the guards needed healing. They were gone. I joined Griffin, eager to step into the fight myself.

How could Phoenix have done this? I need to find my parents!

Lincoln had already held Griffin back, demonstrating his unwillingness to finish Phoenix – and we all knew it was because of me. But Phoenix would never let Lincoln capture him alive. I tightened my grip on my dagger, but before I made my move, it struck me that Phoenix wasn’t fighting with his usual zest, he was just going through the motions.

‘He’s stalling!’ I yelled.

Phoenix’s
eyes cut to me for just a second and he grinned.

Another smaller explosion sounded from the end of the corridor – where the holding cell was. A few seconds later, a figure emerged from the smoke.

Lincoln and Phoenix pulled back at the same time. They were both badly beaten, but no real harm had been done.

I watched as everything I’d feared played out in front of me. A woman, undoubtedly Lilith, walked towards us, two exiles following behind, Evelyn held between them.

Both Evelyn and the exiles were in bad shape. At least she hadn’t made it easy for them.

Phoenix looked at Lilith. ‘Where are the others?’ he asked calmly.

Lilith hissed, her golden hair burning vividly through the smoke, her power coming off her in waves.

I found myself smiling.

Evelyn kicked their asses! That’s where they are.

Evelyn looked satisfied, too.

Lilith turned her gaze to us, settling upon me.

‘Oh, how I have looked forward to this moment.’ She cast a scrutinising glance over me then raised her precisely shaped eyebrows at Phoenix. ‘I can’t say I’m impressed, son.’

I started to build my power. We’d see how impressed she was when I froze her and rammed my dagger through her chest.

Lilith sighed. ‘We’ll be off now –
schedule to maintain. Violet, your father is still alive. Consider it a gift – you will merely have to kill the exile I left to guard him and allow us to pass without any … childish behaviour.’

Instantly, I dropped the power I’d been on the verge of releasing. I couldn’t risk it.

‘Rest assured,’ she continued, unleashing a smile with her Christmas-red lips. She was dazzling and her beauty hit me like a lightning bolt, literally taking my breath away. I heard Griffin inhale beside me. ‘We will see each other shortly.’

I reined myself in – and also my power, which was pushing at me, wanting to be used. But I wasn’t about to jeopardise Dad’s life.

‘Phoenix will find you in two days and give you an opportunity to … retrieve your mother.’ She laughed, the sound carrying like music through the room. ‘Or, at least, die trying.’

Lilith motioned to the exiles with her, before walking right past us and into the waiting lift. I could barely stand it, watching them shove Evelyn roughly against its wall. My hands fisted but I did nothing, fear for Dad stopping me.

My blood began to boil.

Phoenix was last out.

He paused at my shoulder. ‘That’s good, lover. You’re going to need that,’ he said quietly, reading my emotions. ‘That and more.’

I looked at him, nothing but determination on my face. ‘I will be getting my mother back,’ I said, through gritted teeth.

He smiled, stepping into my personal space. ‘I’m counting on it. Two days, and I’ll find you, but just remember …’ He moved closer, his voice dropping to barely a whisper, ‘If you so much as leave a window open, I can find you before then.’ He pulled back, something passing over his eyes as they locked briefly with mine before he turned the look to one of triumph, entered the lift, and left with his mother. And mine.

As soon as the doors closed
I was running down the hall towards the cell. There was not one but two exiles ready and waiting. It didn’t matter. I made quick work of the first, barely slowing down as my blade went straight into his stomach and then across his neck. I wasn’t stopping to give exiles choices today.

You take my Dad; that
is
your choice.

Lincoln dealt with the other exile in much the same fashion and soon I was dropping to the ground beside Dad, my fingers grappling to find a pulse. When I felt the steady beat I cried out in relief.

Another series of explosions started to rock the building. Griffin ran in behind us. ‘Troops are coming!’ he yelled, grabbing hold of Lincoln and telling him something. I remained focused on Dad, trying to wake him, but there was no use – he was out cold.

I started to get up, planning to lift Dad and take him to safety, but Lincoln grabbed me by the arm and started to pull me back towards the corridor.