Page 75 of Wicked Dove
I shrug. “If we were all a little more concerned by the fact that she’s a cougar preying on vulnerable men, then we wouldn’t bediscussing the matter,” I retort, and Toman sighs, wiping a hand down his face before settling his attention back on me.
“We’re getting off track,” he grumbles, running his fingers through his hair as he tries to gather himself. “We must discuss the matter that is Miss Elodie Blackwood,” he explains, and I pause.
“What about her?”
“Her testing showed her magic to be latent. Is that still the case?” Cordelia asks, and I nod without missing a beat.
“Yes,” I add for good measure, and Rikard clears his throat.
“You’re sure?”
I sneer at him, but turn my attention back to Saken before I speak. “What do I gain from lying to you? A place here in The Sanctum? We all know I’d rather not,” I grunt, and Cordelia snickers, but the sound is even more hollow than when it leaves my lips. “You can take back whatever gift you believe yourselves to have given me when you forced me into this deal, if that’s what you’re after.”
“And give you what? A place with your brother? Your parents? Or far worse, a date with your ancestors?” She makes it sound like a promise, but she hits the mark, triggering the anger inside of me. Instead of giving in to the rush of adrenaline that courses through my veins, I force myself to tamp it down.
“What is their relevance to this conversation?”
Toman taps his fingertips on the table. “It’s integral for The Sanctum to remain alert to the fact that you are the son of Yvette and Franco Forrester, and the younger brother to their prodigal son, Jude Forrester, the successor to The Obsidian Circle.”
My pulse quickens, thrumming through my veins like lightning. True, true, and true.
“Am I not my own person?” I ask, slouching in my seat slightly, but my spine stiffens when Rikard speaks next.
“Not when you’re marked as a blood member of the most feral rebellion to ever exist.”
I know he’s trying to get a rise out of me, but he won’t get one, not until it’s on my terms. “I am an Institute Thirteen student first and foremost.”
They don’t believe me, not for a second. I expect Rikard to call me out, but to my surprise, it’s Cordelia.
“For now, but when the time comes?”
I let her words linger in the air for a moment, tilting my face slowly at her. “For what?”
“For your brother to come out of hiding, for when he attempts to rescue your parents and comes for The Vale?” Saken snarls, his face reddening with the fury he can no longer contain.
“You think The Vale matters to him?” I retort with a scoff, sensing the unease rippling through them, but Rikard sees right through it, or he at least thinks he does.
“I thinkyoumatter to him.”
Ice washes over my body from head to toe as I stare him dead in the eyes. “Then you don’t know the Jude Forrester I know.”
Rikard purses his lips but doesn’t say a word. The silence grows heavier with every inhale I take and I bask in it, letting the discomfort fuel me.
“Are you a friend or a foe to The Sanctum, Kael?” Toman asks, and I shrug.
“Neither. Like I said, I’m an Institute Thirteen student. That’s where my loyalties lie.”
Saken pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. “If that’s the case, then we need more from you.”
“How so?”
Toman glances at Rikard on his left before casting his gaze to his right, making eye contact with every member of The Sanctum. “Miss Elodie Blackwood, we hope her magic will come to fruition.”
My heart threatens to go wild in my chest. “Why?”
“Don’t be obtuse. We hear the rumors about the rebellions,” Anya snaps, banging her fist on the table, and Toman clears his throat.
“We need something to fight back with.”
