Page 8 of The Stone Curse
I allowed her and Curi to help me up as the room broke into a cacophony of exclamations.
“What is it?”
“Surround it!”
“Extinguish it.”
Like hell. I broke free of my friends and rushed forward to place myself between Derek and the alchemists, my back to my buddy’s chest. “Don’t youdaretouch him.”
The council was on its feet, wary and…fearful.
I wasn’t ashamed of the stab of satisfaction that gave me. These fuckers needed to know they weren’t all-powerful. That wegavethem power with our compliance.
Lionel pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped away from the stage so that he could look up at the council.
“This is my fault,” he said. “I neglected to mention that Cameron has a unique shield. This is Derek.” He aimed a closed-lipped smile over my head. “Say hello, Derek.”
“He’s not a puppet.” I turned away from them, dismissing them in favor of my friend. “It’s all right, buddy. I’m fine.” He continued to stare at the council, his body vibrating with rage. I placed a hand on his chest. “I’m okay. Honestly.”
He exhaled and slowly dropped his gaze to my face. “Are you sure, my Cameron?”
I forced a smile. “Positive.”
A muscle feathered along his jaw as he looked back at the stage. “If you try and hurt my Cameron, Iwillhurt you.” His diamond eyes narrowed, chest rumbling in a low-grade growl. “Do. Not. Touch.” He misted into shadow and melted away.
Nandini rushed over to the alchemists and crouched to take each one’s pulse. “Their pulses are strong.”
“Thatthingcan’t be permitted,” another council member said. “It’s dangerous.”
“No more dangerous than any goyle’s shield.” Yarrow strode into view. I hadn’t seen him come into the room. “Derek is a part of Cameron. He is her shield made sentient.”
“How is this possible?” Ulrickson asked.
“We don’t know, but there is much we don’t know about halfbloods.”
“It hardly matters,” Lionel said. “Cameron felt threatened, and her shield protected her. It’s a natural response.”
One of the alchemists sat up with a groan, and his hood fell back to reveal a young man with closely cropped dark hair and lean features. He looked up at Nandini with a dazed expression. “What happened?” His gaze cleared, expression hardening. “Wait…she ejected me.”
“Her shield protected her,” Lionel said.
“Shields don’t work that way against alchemist intervention,” the alchemist said.
He was right. It hadn’t been Derek stopping them getting into my mind. It had been something else. Something innate. But they didn’t need to know that.
I looked down my nose at him. “Mine does.”
The alchemist stood up. “No shield should. We’re trained to bypass any blocks.”
“Maybe you require more training,” Lionel said dryly.
“Are you questioning my ability?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Lionel drawled.
“I can prove it. I can look in your mind.”
“Raffe!” Ulrickson barked the name, and the alchemist’s head whipped up. “You know the rules. The council and supporting council’s minds are not to be probed.”
