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and rippled as if a fresh breeze had rushed in through an open window.
You can t destroy me, desert flower. Jabari s dark voice whispered through my brain, threatening to shatter my concentration. If
you attempt this thing, you must be able to kill them both. Destroy the Coven, Mira. Destroy them both.
The command was little more than a faint whisper among hundreds of fragmented thoughts and painful memories. I tried to weigh
the command in that second. It s what I wanted, but now I was forced to wonder if I wanted the same thing that Jabari wanted
after all his lies, betrayal, and manipulation. But I couldn t afford to pause.
Before the thought was completely formed in my head, I was stopped by the last person I thought would ever do such a thing.
Danaus came up behind me and wrapped his strong arms around me, locking my arms against my body.
 No! I screamed, my ragged voice bouncing off the high stone walls. I already felt his power swamping me, struggling to form a
cocoon around me before seeping into my skin. He was stealing away my ability to choose. Jabari hadn t been forcing me. It was
almost a test to see what I was capable of.
 Calm, Danaus whispered, his hot breath brushing against my ear. I also heard the word repeated in my brain like a thought,
blanketing my rage, suffocating the fire. He was trying to use our connection in reverse. Instead of commanding me to draw in the
power and destroy, he was using his own powers to control and calm me.
 No! I screamed again, but even my voice had begun to weaken. The power I had drawn in was seeping from my body back
into the air. I wasn t sure if he could hear me, but I tried to push my own thoughts into his brain. Help me, Danaus. Together we
can crush them like we defeated the naturi. Together we can destroy them.
But all I heard was silence. I could still feel him in my brain, his will sapping my strength.  They have betrayed us; betrayed my
kind, I whimpered pathetically, feeling as if the remains of my soul were shattering into sharp shards of glass.
 How dare you say that while you stand there in the embrace of a vampire hunter! Jabari raged, his calm finally cracking. But I
knew now it was an act after his attempt to have me destroy the other Coven members.
 He saved you in England! I shouted, my eyes locking on his twisted face.  He protected you and Sadira when the naturi
attacked. He protected you.
 He s protecting us even now, Elizabeth proclaimed, gracefully rising from her seat. There was a look of open surprise on her
pale heart-shaped face.  Look. She was trying to kill us all, but he stopped her. Her voice was haunting, like a half-remembered
dream drifting through my brain.
All three Elders were now standing and staring at us with a mixture of wonder and confusion. Something strange had happened,
and everyone was individually working on the implications. A renowned vampire hunter who had killed countless other
nightwalkers had potentially saved the lives of the Coven. Not exactly something that happened every day.
 Send the naturi away, Danaus barked, his arms still locked around me.
Macaire wasn t happy with the order, but he could see the wisdom in it. I obviously couldn t control myself when she was around.
The Elder nodded, and the terrified female naturi ran from the room and slammed the door behind her. With her gone, Danaus
released me. He had effectively sapped all my strength, and I fell to my hands and knees. I glared wordlessly up at the Coven. I
hated them. You didn t do business with the naturi. You didn t talk to them. You didn t make deals with them. You killed them.
Jabari and Elizabeth had returned to their seats, lost in thought, but Macaire remained standing, his sharp eyes never leaving my
face. I could almost hear the cold, steel wheels in his mind churning away, examining each angle of what had happened.
 That is enough for today, he suddenly announced, his voice taking on a weary tone.  You may go now. We will talk more
tomorrow.
 What about the seal? And the triad? I cried, slapping my hand angrily against the marble floor. Nothing had been discussed and
yet he was calling an end to court for the night.
 We have much to think about, Macaire said, returning to his seat.  We will talk more tomorrow.
I was about to argue again. I had obviously lost all common sense the second the naturi entered the room. A smart person would
have picked herself off the ground and left, grateful that she was still alive. But I got off lucky. The moment I was about to speak, I
heard Macaire s voice in my head. We will speak again later. I got the point. Macaire wanted a private meeting. So be it. The
scheming had begun anew.
EIGHT
D anaus tried to help me off the ground, but I jerked out of his grasp and less than gracefully pushed to my feet. I was livid with
him and the Coven. Had he done the right thing? Had he saved our lives because I lacked the ability to control my temper? Had
he pulled me away from whatever game Jabari was playing? Yes, but I was still angry. In the boat the night before I chose our
joining, let him control me. But minutes ago he d taken away my choices and forced me. I didn t give a damn right now if it was
for our own good.
I wanted to tear his throat out, to see him crumpled and bleeding at my feet. My body had been used and abused, first by my own [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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