Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,79
in him now. I step closer and lift his face to mine with the tip of my finger.
“You’re not going to change. I believe in you,” I say, looking deep into his eyes.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because of the light I see shining here.” I press my palm against his chest. “It’s stronger than any darkness.”
He reaches for my face, cupping my cheek. “You’re too good for this world, my love. But for you, I’ll try to stay the same. I promise.”
“I have no doubt you will.” I smile to mask my fear.
Every single deity we’ve come across has left a bad impression on us. Even the woman who spoke to me in my mind wasn’t very nice. I mean, would it kill her to give me straight answers?
Was that Eris? And is it possible she was also speaking to Morpheus? It makes sense it’s the same goddess since she’s linked to us both. But if she’s Strife, she can’t have good intentions. Should we even trust her?
Morpheus turns to the Zions. “I’m ready.”
31
Morpheus
For safety reasons, the Zions and I move to a different part of the building, far away from our group and the wounded. My mother and Daisy wanted to come, but if I’m to give up my Fringe part, my humanity, I can’t have either of them nearby. They’re my weakness, and I don’t need any sage Idols to tell me that.
Like Travis mentioned, it’s providential that their radio station moved to such a massive building. Toward the back, there’s nothing but empty boxes and industrial shelves collecting dust.
The silence during the trek here has already gotten to my nerves. To distract myself from what I have to do, I ask, “What’s the deal with your impairment? Were you both born blind?”
“No. Blindness was our vow when we joined the brotherhood,” Ismael replies.
“Oh, I’ve only met one Idol who’s blind. She’s a level eighteen, but she was born that way.”
“You must be speaking of Andromeda Belfor, Nathaniel’s daughter,” Iago says casually.
Wait. What?
I shake my head. “I must have misheard you. Nathaniel can’t possibly be her father. That son of a bitch has been torturing her for months.”
“And have you never heard of fathers mistreating their offspring before?” Ismael raises a bushy eyebrow.
He must know my adoptive father is an asshole, but somehow I don’t think he’s only talking about him. I suspect they also know about Phoenix and what Maximus Westbrook did to him. If that’s true, what else do they know?
The lights in the warehouse begin to flicker suddenly, and then I hear Chaos’s evil laughter in my head, loud and painful. It feels like my skull is going to split in two.
“Ugh!” I bend forward, clutching my head.
The walls and floor begin to shake, and the howling of wind is a clear indication something horrible is happening outside. I can’t believe Chaos hasn’t unleashed his wrath on us yet.
“We’ve delayed this for too long. You have to let go of your mortal anchors,” Ismael urges.
“I don’t know how to do that,” I say.
“Yes, you do, Morpheus,” the familiar female voice tells me. “You’ve taught Daisy before, haven’t you?”
“Eris, you’re back.”
“Oh, so those old farts already told you about me. Pity. I wanted to do the grand reveal myself.” She laughs.
“You had plenty of time to tell me you were my half sister.”
“True, but it’s no fun letting go of all the secrets at once. What about the suspense, the buildup?”
The screeching noise of metal being twisted interferes with my mind-to-mind conversation. I look up, noticing the roof is shaking terribly and the beams keeping it in place are compromised.
“Morpheus, have you done what we told you?” Ismael asks.
“Trust me, I’m trying, but I need some guidance here. I don’t know how to cut my ties with my human side.”
“Oh, little brother, you’re a little slow, aren’t you?” Eris asks, amused.
“And you’re a huge bitch, aren’t you?” I retort.
“Ouch. Was that supposed to be a comeback?”
“If you’re not going to help, get out of my head. You’re distracting me.”
“I should let you fail, but you’re lucky my vendetta against Grandpa is bigger than you. If you want to cut your ties with your weaker side, you have to let go of your sweet mommy and Daisy.”
My heart shrivels into a dried-up muscle. “I won’t give them up.”
“Oh, you’re so dramatic. Not give them up forever. If you’re still you when this is over, you can come back to them.”