Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,12
an insult, dumbass.” Andromeda removes her chains from around my arms but doesn’t stand from the couch.
“How do you know what he meant or not?” I spit back.
“It was an honest question,” Soren pipes up. “Maybe your parents adopted you.”
As quick as it came, my anger deflates. I rub my face, glancing at a random point on the far wall. “I’m not adopted. I look like my mother. And I heard my parents arguing about my conception. My mother wanted an Idol child so badly that she cheated on my father. I’ve always assumed she was able to summon a demigod to sleep with her, but maybe I was wrong.” I shake my head. “No. That’s not possible. If I were a demigod, I wouldn’t have spent most of my life at the mercy of my powers.”
“What do you mean, son?” Mr. Silverstone asks.
“The shadows. They used to take over my body. They’ve almost managed to kill me a few times. My mother had to procure a special bracelet set to keep them contained.”
Mr. Silverstone’s gaze narrows. “Hmm. It’s possible that those bracelets did more harm than good. By suppressing your demigod powers when they manifested, your Fringe lineage became stronger.”
“How did you finally learn to control them?” Andromeda asks.
“Daisy destroyed my bracelets by accident. Then I had to learn or die.”
The conversation ceases for a moment. There’s been a lot of new information to process. I’m reeling from the possibility that I might be a demigod. If it’s true, then I could maybe defeat the island god and free us all from the stupid promise we made him.
Andromeda hisses, breaking the silence. She’s clutching her right hand, bending forward. “Fuck. He’s back again.”
“What can we do?” Mr. Silverstone takes a step forward, watching her as if he truly cares about her well-being.
“Nothing. That son of a bitch wants to talk to me. Most likely to ask why I failed to bring Daisy to him tonight like I had promised.”
“Where’s your phone?” I ask.
“Here.” Mr. Silverstone hands me the device. “We kept it to support our former plan, which was to keep Andromeda prisoner to buy us more time.”
“That doesn’t help her with the torture,” I retort.
“I know. We were working on a way to remove that mark from her.”
“Bryce and Rufio had a block in their heads, which was also the work of the Neo Gods. Only Daisy was able to remove it from Bryce.”
“I don’t think Daisy can help me,” Andromeda grits out. “If Nathaniel is a demigod, then surely his mark is beyond the skills of the Unmaker.”
Her phone rings with an ominous sound that makes me question the girl’s taste.
“That’s him,” she says.
“What are we going to do now?” Soren looks at his father.
“We can’t let him keep punishing her.” I give her the phone. “Answer him.”
She presses the screen, silencing the abhorrent noise. “What do you want now?” she asks her jailer.
“Don’t you ‘what’ me,” an angry voice retorts loud enough that we can all hear it. “You were supposed to bring me the Unmaker. That should have been an easy task for you.”
“Daisy didn’t come alone. I had to fight all her boyfriends at once. I almost didn’t escape.”
“Somehow, I have a hard time believing you. But you met someone else tonight, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” She turns in my direction. “He tried to help me.”
“The Unmaker must be on her way back to Saturn’s Bay already. We’ll get her later. I want you to bring me your new friend.”
The small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Anticipation gives me a stomachache. This person, no matter how awful he is, might have answers about my heritage that I can’t ignore. I sense the Silverstones change their demeanor as well. They’re anxious for this encounter too, but for different reasons.
“I think I can arrange that. Where should I meet you?”
“I’m having a small get-together at my house tonight. Bring him as your guest.”
Andromeda twists her expression into a glower. “Are you kidding me? You’re throwing a party?”
“Well, I thought you would be bringing me a great prize, so I wanted to celebrate. I can’t kick everyone out now. What would your parents say?”
Andromeda’s face seems to drain of blood. Her eyebrows furrow in a stern line. “Fine. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Oh, and dress accordingly, darling. You don’t want to stick out more than you already do.”
The call goes silent, but Andromeda seems frozen in time.