exciting,” Delilah echoes, and her perfect crimson smile never wavers.
Cyrus continues. “I can’t tell you how impressed we were by your performance during the tournament.”
“My entire team did very well,” I agree.
Delilah cocks a brow in exactly the same way as both her sons do but says nothing.
“So they did. But you were their secret weapon. We all saw Grace Foster’s performance at the Ludares tournament yesterday, correct?” Cyrus’s voice booms through the auditorium and elicits cheers in response. “We saw the amazing things she could do, didn’t we?” More cheers.
“But we also saw how vulnerable the poor girl is,” Cyrus adds, shaking his head. “We saw her struggle, we saw her dragged across the field by a werewolf, we saw her nearly die between two dragons. Grace, our only gargoyle in more than one thousand years.”
Where’s he going with this? I ask Hudson as he continues to list the many things that have happened to me since my parents died.
“Nowhere good.”
Cyrus pauses, and it’s like the whole room forgot how to breathe. He turns to his wife and motions her over. “Would you like to deliver the good news, Delilah?”
The queen continues to smile as she walks forward, but it’s not a happy smile. It’s rigid, brittle, and I wonder how long she can hold it before shattering. Wonder how long she can wear this facade before she breaks completely.
Long enough, I guess, because she doesn’t break as she steps forward to take the microphone. As she turns to the audience and says, “It is with the utmost pleasure that I share some exciting news.”
She faces me, and I don’t know whether it’s Hudson or me who’s more anxious about what she’s going to say. Probably me. As her smile grows wider, my heartbeat pounds in my ears so loudly, I’m not sure I’ll be able to hear the words.
“The Circle has voted and agreed. King Cyrus and I will be taking Grace home with us to the Vampire Court.”
Huh. Turns out I definitely heard that…even though I wish I hadn’t.
91
Family Feud Has
Nothing on Us
“Fuck, no!” Everything within Hudson instantly repudiates his mother’s words. Then again, everything inside me does the same thing.
“Don’t worry, Grace. I won’t let that happen,” Jaxon whispers as his hand tightens on mine, but I only vaguely register his words.
I think I’m in shock. My palms are sweaty, but I can’t hear my heartbeat anymore. It’s pounding so fast, it’s just one continuous hum in my head.
“It was a grave and difficult decision,” Cyrus takes the microphone back and adds. “But in a four-four decision—with my lead vote breaking the tie—the Circle has agreed that we must take Grace back home to London with us, where we can train her to defend herself, and protect her until she can protect herself.”
The audience of students begins to clap at his words, though not as enthusiastically as before, but he doesn’t seem to notice or mind. “I know you all care for Grace as we do, and I am so glad you agree that this rare creature, this new hope for our battered world, must be guarded at all costs.”
“You can’t do that!” Jaxon growls at his father.
Cyrus turns from the mic and tells his son in a low, contemptuous voice, “Stay quiet, boy. You won’t like what lies down that road if you don’t.”
“I don’t care—” Jaxon starts, but he breaks off when I squeeze his hand hard enough to almost break it. Because Hudson is yammering in my head, screaming at me to stop Jaxon, that he has another plan.
Cyrus takes Jaxon’s pause as acceptance and turns back to his audience and continues his speech, but I’m not paying attention to what he says.
“Wait,” I whisper to my mate. “Just give Hudson a second to talk to me.”
“Hudson?” Jaxon asks, his face twisted in disbelief. “You’re going to believe him? My parents’ perfect little minion?”
“It’s not like that,” I tell him, but when he starts to argue, I hold up a surreptitious hand to stop him.
“Challenge for inclusion,” Hudson tells me. “Do it loud and make sure it’s on the record.”
Inclusion? What’s that?
“Just do it before they close the assembly. You don’t have much time.”
“Wait,” I shout, and Cyrus turns, a furious set to his normally placid face at being openly challenged.
I take a deep breath. Am I really going to trust Hudson?
“Do you have a choice?” he huffs.
I don’t. So I shout out as loudly and as clearly as I can, “I