“I was concentrating on stones, all right,” Delmare replied. The girls broke out laughing— save for Emma, who barely grinned.
“Hey, there were some sexy times going on, but we made sure to stay on task,” Stefan said. “And nada.”
“What about you, Ethan?” Odette squeaked. “Did you find anything?”
The group turned inward. My muscles froze. I worried what would happen next, with my upcoming confession— if this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and if they’d outcast me from their presence. But I’d made a promise to be honest with
my friends, and I planned to stick to that. No more lies.
I shifted on the spot. "I spied on the Circle and attended several events, but no mention of the crystals. The lords and ladies were too busy gossiping about my cousin’s kingship to speak of anything worthwhile."
The subject was a sore one. Gabby and Elijah had been crowned, and were on Malovia’s throne. I’d been on edge since it’d happened, but three months had gone by, and so far there were no drastic changes.
Yet. I was sure the two of them were just getting comfortable before they started giving the real orders.
“What about your vigilante work? Did you find out anything that way?” Alexei asked.
Emma’s eyes burned with tears, but she blinked them away. I forced myself to stop looking at her.
“No. I haven’t put on the Phantom mask all summer,” I said.
Or since that cursed night of the masquerade. It’d sickened me to look at it.
Notes of surprise rung throughout the group. Emma’s eyes lit up with hope. It pained me to see, because she didn’t realize that it was over. There was no hope for us.
Not with the leshane in the way.
“Does that mean you’re done with it?” Alexei asked.
All eyes were on me. I cleared my throat and said, “I’m not sure.”
Desire changed to hurt, and disgust rang clear in Emma’s gaze. She said nothing.
“But you’ve been traveling, right?” Kiara asked. “Where’d you go?”
This was it. “See, the thing is…” I began. “I have been traveling, but I haven’t been looking for the crystals. I’ve been looking for help.”
“What do you mean?” Delmare raised an eyebrow, and Stefan leaned in. Emma’s face darkened. She couldn’t understand my meaning.
I sighed. “I uh... I was possessed by the leshane that killed my father.”
Blood drained from Stefan and Delmare’s face. Both Odette and Theo took a step
back in terror. Alexei let out a choked gasp, and Kiara clutched at her throat.
I understood their reactions. I was basically confessing I had a terminal disease festering inside me, waiting to take over and claim me wholly.
It was the look on Emma’s face that hurt me the most. Her eyes watered. She surveyed me up and down, as if she could see the demon within me, before her expression blazed in a way that signified there was a chance for us.
“A demon? Godsdammit, Ethan!” Stefan barked. “When were you going to tell us?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty fucking crucial information,” Delmare said. Theo waved his hand, telling her to calm down.
“I didn’t know myself, until the end of the last semester,” I confessed. “The leshane came to me and threatened to take over everything. He’s been using me as a host ever since my father died, he just didn’t choose to emerge until now. He entered my body as I was losing my leg. The moment I was vulnerable.”
My voice sounded so broken. Emma’s hand twitched at her side— like she wanted to reach out to me, but didn’t.
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner? Months have passed,” Theo said.
“Finding the crystals is our top priority. This demon is a distraction,” I said. “If I had said anything, everyone would’ve been trying to help me instead of searching for the stones. And discovering the crystals is more important than saving my life.”
A few guilty faces passed around the group. Stefan rapped his fingers against the wooden wall and said, “So, did you get it out?”
I frowned. “No. I’ve been traveling the world all summer, looking for shamans and other supernaturals who can cast out the demon. No one has succeeded yet. This one has a strong hold on me.”
Alexei’s expression was contemplative. “You know, that actually makes sense,” he mused in a low voice. “Last semester, I felt so many emotions rolling off of you, and so many of them conflicted at the same time. I didn’t understand how that could be possible. Now I realize I experienced the feelings of two different