Embrace, Entice, Emblaze (113 page)

meant to stumble on the words, but I was still struggling a bit with the concept of “Onyx the protector.”

He chuckled sardonically. “Are you insane?” An insane

comment, coming from him. “Of course I didn’t fight them! I just got in their way for a moment and not by choice. If I could’ve run, I would’ve.”

I shrugged, unconvinced. “Either way, I’m glad you’re okay.”

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He looked past me, toward the bare wall.

“Violet, we need to talk,” Griffin said, glancing at the door. I nodded but then had a thought.

“Steph translated the first of the texts in the Scripture last night.” I focused my attention on Onyx. He tried to hide his interest,

but his head jerked up and then suddenly stilled.

Like
candy
to
a
kid.

Griffin shook his head. “That girl is incredible. She has done

what every senior Grigori at the Academy has being trying to do since we first got hold of the text. Amazing,” he marveled.

I pulled the piece of paper from my bag and gave it to Griffin, sharing a quick look with him I hoped he’d understand.

“Onyx,” I began, “do you think you might be able to help us

figure it out?”

I knew I was taking a chance. And from Griffin’s face, I didn’t know if he was going to allow it anyway, but, despite what Onyx thought of us, I was pretty sure he’d know something that could help.

Onyx harrumphed, but it did little to hide his intrigue.

Griffin studied the paper and took a step toward Onyx’s bed,

reciting the poem.

“‘Awaken Tartarus and blanket day, to hide their eyes and

Heaven’s ray
.
’”

“The sun,” Onyx said.

Griffin nodded in agreement. “‘Ash will fall as fire will rain, delivering to one, insufferable pain.’”

Onyx was silent.

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Griffin went on. “‘Flames will roar and spear the skies, igniting the view to the water’s rise. A swell of death to deliver just one, resurrecting that, pardoned by none.’”

“Well, the end is obvious,” Griffin said. “‘Pardoned by none’ is the damned.”

“Lilith,” I said, her name sticking like a splinter in my throat.

Onyx nodded, then grimaced. “Not only her, though. It can mean

anyone. There’ll have to be a way of selecting her.”

“What hides the sun?” I asked.

“Darkness,” Onyx said without hesitation.

“What about the other stuff ?”

He shifted back in his bed. “I don’t know yet. I’ll give it

some thought.”

He knew more than he was saying, I could tell, and by the look

on Griffin’s face, he realized it too, but he didn’t call Onyx on the lie, so neither did I.

“I’ll walk you out,” Griffin said. I nodded.

“Yes. Ta ta. Tell the nurse if she doesn’t want me to hunt her

down and rip out her heart once I’m feeling myself again to bring the damned morphine, will you?” Onyx demanded.

“I’ll visit in a couple of days,” I said, ignoring his comment and subsequent glare.

“No need. Dapper’s discharging me tomorrow.”

It seemed too early for him to be leaving the hospital and I shot a worried look at Griffin. He just shrugged.

“Dapper says he’ll deal with him.”

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“If you really want to help, you could have a few bottles of

bourbon waiting for my return.”

I followed Griffin out of the room. “Never gonna happen,” I

said without looking back. But as I pulled the door closed behind me, I heard Onyx reply quietly, just so I could hear.

“I’m sure something will come up to convince you.”

I wondered how much of that poem he did understand. Griffin

was punching something into his phone as I joined him in the hall.

“I’m not sure if Onyx can be…” I started, but he cut me off,

waving his phone for a moment.

“Already on it. I’ll have Grigori posted here until he leaves and we’ll monitor everyone who visits him. He won’t do anything we

won’t know about.”

I really hoped that would work. But we were both well aware

that Onyx was still an unknown. He was with us because he had

no better options at the moment, but if a more alluring offer

came along…

Griffin started walking toward the exit. “The Academy called

this morning. They’re sending their Vice here,” he said, making

“Vice” sound dangerous.

“Who’s that?”

“Josephine. She’s second in charge at the Academy and on the

Assembly. She’s been around for a long time, is very powerful, and always gets her way.”

I guess it wasn’t a major surprise. With everything that had been happening, Griffin had had to keep the Academy up to date on

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developments. Now that we had given Phoenix the Exile Scripture, I could understand why they would send someone.

“Who’s her partner?”

“She is currently partnerless. She has had four that I know of.

They are all dead.” Griffin wasn’t exactly painting a rosy picture.

I slowed both my walking and my words. “Griffin, why
exactly
is she coming?”

“For the Scriptures, but also to…assess you.”

“Why?” I asked, with an all- bad feeling.

We pushed through the exit doors to a cold wind blasting outside.

“Because they know something is going on. They’ve heard the

rumors and though we haven’t confirmed that your angel maker is one of the Sole, that won’t stop them from investigating. You are potentially the most powerful Grigori ever to have been created. We still don’t understand your capabilities, so they want you assessed and…monitored. They’re going to decide if you need to be…” He

stopped, looking worried and sorry for me.

“Griffin,” I pushed.

“They think you need to be trained at the Academy. By them.

Josephine will have the authority to make that decision while she is here.”

I stopped midstride. “What do you mean?” I asked, louder

than I’d meant to. “It’s my choice! What are they going to do, lock me up?”

Griffin sighed and put his head down, but not before his eyes

said
yes
. “They have ways to do almost anything they want. There 170

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are many Grigori within the Academy, all with varying talents

that they will not hesitate to use on you if they believe it is in their interest.”

I let his words sink in and didn’t respond. What could I say? I was being told they were going to take away my choices, force me to move to the Academy. In that moment, I knew one thing for

sure— I would never willingly allow that to happen.

“Violet, you know I’ll do everything I can.”

“When does she arrive?” I asked, unable to hold back my anger

at him just because he was one of them.

“In five days.”

We were both silent for a moment, then Griffin put a hand out

but didn’t touch me.

“Violet?”

I stepped back, glancing at him briefly. “I know,” I said, turning to go in the opposite direction. “I have to go meet Spence,” I said over my shoulder and then took off at a run.

Yeah, I ran. But with purpose.

It looked like Dad wasn’t the only one who wanted me under

lock and key.

————

Spence opened the door with the PlayStation controller in hand.

“Where’s the fire?” he asked, standing aside as I barged in.

I saw Lincoln coming out of his room and the feelings that

stirred whenever he was near ignited, almost making me drop

to my knees. It just amplified everything and I made a point of 171

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ignoring him, despite my body’s screaming cravings, and beelined straight for the sparring area set up at the back of the warehouse.

“We have to train.” I pulled off my sweater, kicked off my shoes, and started to stretch.

“Eden, chill. What’s the rush? It’s Saturday.”

But I couldn’t
chill
; nothing about anything happening in my life inspired an inclination to
chill
. I stood on the mats, hands on hips, and stared at Spence. Whatever he saw in me, it worked.

He put down the game controller and pulled off his shoes.

“Come to think of it, I was actually hankering for a pounding

just before you arrived.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lincoln move into the kitchen area. He didn’t say anything and made himself busy, moving things around, but I knew he was watching.

Fine
by
me.

Two hours later, Spence was facedown on the mat again and I

was dripping in sweat.

Griffin had arrived about twenty minutes after we’d started sparring and had insisted on acting as umpire.

“That’s enough for today,” he said.

Spence moaned and sat up. “Ah, ya think?” Then he lay back

down, flat on his back.

“No, I’m not tired.” I needed to do more. I needed to be stronger.

I
needed
to be ready because it felt like there was no one I didn’t have to fight in some way.

Lincoln was sitting on the couch and I saw him look over. He’d

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been silent the entire time. Occupying himself with things and

never focusing on the session, but I had felt his eyes nonetheless.

“I’m wasted, Eden. Go hit a wall or something. I’m taking a

shower.” Spence crawled away on all fours to the bathroom.

Griffin laughed lightly. “You really are getting stronger,” he said to me.

“No!” I snapped. “It’s not enough! I’ve seen him fight. I’ve seen how fast he is. I’ve seen…” I dropped my head and put my hands

on my hips, digging fingernails into my flesh, trying to hold back the scream that was clawing its way through me.

No
one
understands. I can’t be responsible for any more.

Griffin stood up and I didn’t look at him until he was standing opposite me. He’d taken off his sweater. And his shoes.

He didn’t say anything, but his right hand went out with light-

ning speed, straight at my face. I dodged and hit him in his gut.

For the first time, as we danced around on the mats, Griffin

and I sparred and I managed to take him down. He exposed my

weaknesses— my tendency to go for the kick— and I worked out

that he preferred distance rather than close- range fighting. But for every time I took him down, he took me down three more.

I was faster than he was and there wasn’t much difference in our strength, but he was simply better, and I started to get frustrated.

“You’ve done enough for today,” Griffin said.

Spence was back on the couch, showered, changed, and engrossed

in his game again, but he paused long enough to yell out, “Girl’s on a mission!”

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I glared at him, but he just gave me a cheesy grin.

“Again.”

Griffin shrugged and struck out. I dodged, but as I did, he leapt into the air and right over the top of me. I swung around to try and take him out by the legs but was too slow. He planted the exact same move on me before I had a chance to readjust my footing. I fell, then jumped back to my feet and fake swung at him with my left arm before hitting him with a jab from my right.

Griffin was calm, and though he moved slower than me, he kept

taking me out— kicking me in my left side, then hitting me across the face without even changing position, while I was still looking for a way through. It was like he had eight arms, didn’t move, and yet was never where I aimed.

I lashed out with my foot and made contact. Griffin kicked me

square in the chest in return.

“For Christ’s sake, stop wasting all your energy!” Lincoln yelled.

My head snapped up and over to him. He’d moved in closer

when I hadn’t been paying attention, and was now standing on the sideline, arms crossed, looking aggravated.

“Your arms are everywhere. You’re flailing all about. If you insist on fighting, fight properly!”

Lincoln hadn’t just been
watching
for the last three hours; he’d been judging me. Picking apart everything I’d been doing.

I felt desperate, but the anger was stronger and forced every-

thing else aside. I couldn’t do it. I’d felt him watching and that was bad enough, knowing he thought I’d been doing everything wrong.

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It’s too much.

The part of myself I’d been trying desperately to ignore, the part that was broken and constantly bleeding— that was always worse

when he was near— exploded.

“Violet. You’re doing great. Amazing, even. You can’t expect to be perfect all the time,” Griffin said, trying to baby-sit me.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek and swallowed the lump

in my throat. I walked over to the side of the mat and put on my shoes, not bothering with my sweater, and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Griffin asked.

“For a run,” I said, letting myself out and not quite managing to restrain myself from slamming the door behind me.

Who
does
he
think
he
is, anyway?

I picked up the pace until I was running faster than humanly

possible. I gave a sorry attempt at looking around. No one was