Chapter 52
“Good evening.” Carver glances at Theo’s lifeless body. “You all have been challenging to track down tonight.”
Locke steps forward. “Well, that’s what happens when all your demons are incompetent.”
Carver and Lowell laugh, and I glance at Crew.
For the first time, he’s perfectly still, no longer struggling against the force threatening to overwhelm his system, and no voices whirl in my mind.
The room is quiet, the night darkens further, and Carver notices my stare and steps closer to look over the couch.
“He seems to be doing well,” Carver says, as he rolls his eyes.
“Shut the fuck up,” I hiss.
Theo’s body remains lifeless, his head several feet away from his torso. A pained expression forever marks his face, and his eyes no longer shine with a bright blue hue.
Lowell steps forward. “You have got yourself in a mound of trouble, Mara. I expected more from you.”
“Oh, please,” I seethe. “You made me into this.”
Carver lifts his nose to the air, as if smelling around us. I step closer to Crew’s body to protect him and don’t attempt to close the channel between us. Crew needs all the help he can get, and I won’t abandon him now.
“So, the rumors are true.” Carver places his hands behind his back. “You and my son have sealed a bond.”
I bare my teeth.
“And,” he glances at Locke, “you are blood-bound to Mr. Locke Calloway.” He laughs, “Tell me, Mara, how is Crew with sharing?”
Locke steps forward. “It’s not like that, and you fucking know it.”
“Yet,” Carver says, with a menacing grin. “But I will admit, I’m jealous, Mara. A shame you picked the weakest men to bond with. I feel a bit rejected.”
“Do you ever take a goddamn breath?” I snap. “It’s exhausting to hear you speak.”
Carver laughs. “Oh, how I love that mouth of yours, Miss Castten.”
Damien moves toward Locke, as if ready to hold him back from launching across the room to attack the Elders.
“Why are you here?”
“We didn’t want to miss the show, Mara,” Lowell says.
“Why is Crew becoming an Elder? That should mean you are dead?” I bite.
“Interesting how things work out,” Carver glances toward Lowell. “You think you’ve been playing the game so well, but you haven’t. We’ve truly been one step ahead of you the entire time.”
My brow furrows.
Lowell smiles. “You see, Mara, we knew the true location of the Voids the entire time. We know Sam is alive, and we’ve been watching you run around like idiots, thinking you are beating us.”
Shock ripples through me, and I can’t hide the horror on my face.
“Then why have us do any of this? Was this all just a fucked-up test?”
“You could say that,” Carver replies. “We had doubts about your father, and we wanted to see what you're capable of, Mara, since you've returned. We sensed you were holding back from us.”
I step closer. “Then why drag Crew into all of this?”
“I needed him for this moment,” Carver smiles.
I curl my fists and lower my gaze, glancing at Crew’s lifeless body. “How did you know this? Why haven’t you attacked Sam then?”
They swap glances, and I can’t help but take another step closer to Crew. If he can’t defend himself right now, then I’ll die protecting him if I must. Lowell smiles, and my mind travels back to every time he’s tricked and betrayed me, and my stomach rolls.
No. Not again.
“Because that would be rude,” a deep, sinister voice echoes from behind me, and I spin, nearly falling over my own feet.
Sam Haber moves from the shadows, the flickering light dancing off his face. A darker power radiates off him, and I nearly gasp from the power shift as he enters the room. He glances around the office at the chaos and grimaces. “Boy, this is a mess. You didn’t have to do Theo so dirty, Lowell.”
The Elder laughs. “You know that’s just my style.”
I can’t speak.
I can’t breathe, and a terror I’ve never experienced settles into my system. Crew groans from the couch, and my instincts kick in to shield his body with mine. His eyes flicker open and shut, and I notice black veins running up his neck as a dark liquid trickles from the corner of his mouth.
“Hey,” Sam exclaims, pointing to Crew. “He may pull through this after all.”
“Let’s hope,” Carver says. “Or this would be a waste.”
Sam laughs, understanding the meaning, and I can’t help but notice the flash of confusion that sits on Lowell’s face.
“Man,” Sam speaks again. “I forgot how much of a bitch the shift is. It hurts like hell.”
Damien slowly guides Bronwyn toward the wall, putting distance between them and the Elders. I scan the room for any possible escape, but considering Crew’s condition and their bodies blocking the window and door, it doesn’t look promising.
“Someone needs to start speaking right now,” I command. “What the fuck is going on?”
Sam steps forward, letting pride twist his features. “I never trusted you, Mara, and after you convinced Crew to stop doing the legwork for me, I started to get angry and knew that involving others might help me since you wouldn’t. You were such a good pet to Lowell, but unfortunately not for me.”
Lowell glances between Carver and Sam, and I realize he’s as lost as I am.
A new unease twists in my gut, and I place my hand on Crew’s chest. It rises and falls steadily, and I glance over to see his eyes open before they snap shut again.
A darkness sits in his eyes, but the silver ring threatens to break through.
“Carver was happy to join me once I put a new plan in place,” Sam continues. “See, the entire plan has been to rid Halcyon City of the Elders who have this insane power trip to rule the hybrids.”
He steps closer, and I flinch in response. Locke touches my back, keeping me steady, and I take a breath.
“The only person with a power trip is you, Sam,” Locke says.
Sam dismisses him with a wave of his hand. “Well, once I spoke with Carver, we found a way to settle my debt with the Grim that worked out…for both of us.”
My stomach rolls.
“Give the Grim four Elders’ souls, and we are even,” Sam says. “After that, I’m free to rebuild this city how I see fit, with whom I see fit. The time of Elders is over, and it’s time that the higher powers step forward once again.”
Lowell steps toward the window, clearly unaware of what they are discussing, but from the shift in his posture, I know he senses a threat behind their words. His eyes shoot to me, as if I’m somehow behind this as well.
Lowell creates distance between himself and Carver. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”
I jolt as Carver grabs his arm, stopping him from stepping back any farther. A terror appears behind his eyes, and for the first time, Lowell feels the fear he's used to causing.
“We have two Elders dead, and now there are only two to go,” Sam says, twisting his smile toward Lowell.
“What the fuck are you two talking about? Are you going to murder both Carver and me right now? You know I won’t let that willingly happen.”
Sam huffs, “Always so dramatic, Lowell.”
Lowell cuts his gaze to Carver—his friend—and for the first time, I see actual horror stain his eyes.
“There was a price for this plan to go into motion, and Carver drove a hard bargain, but I obliged quickly. With none of the other Elders having heirs, it would have been difficult to convince any of the others to do this, but Carver was perfect.”
The realization begins to settle in, and my hands tremble at my sides. Locke turns his gaze to me, sensing my panic, and I grab his hand. Lowell’s mouth falls open, and an unsettling breeze moves his hair in his face from the darkness outside.
“No,” I say. “This is insane.”
I glance at Crew and watch as the black liquid continues to flow out of his mouth, as if the power is flooding his system.
Tears fight to roll down my cheek, but anger quickly dries them up.
My heart pounds in my chest like a trapped animal in a cage, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to steady it.
“Oh, yes.” Sam smiles. “When I was brought back, I felt different—powerful and euphoric—and I knew something larger was at play, and that the High Elders above blessed me to carry out this plan.”
“Carver isn’t an Elder anymore because you changed him,” I whisper. “Crew is taking his place to restore the balance.”
Sam smiles. “You may be a pain in my ass, Mara, but you are smart. I’ll give you that.”
Carver tightens his grip around Lowell’s arm. “Since Sam has the ability to change us, I thought what better than to move Crew into the position of the Elder. He can take my spot, and we can give the Grim his soul.”
The color drains from my face.
Lowell thrashes against his hold and lunges for the window. A darkness emanates from Carver's palms and slams into Lowell’s back, sending him crashing to the ground.
“We aren’t done,” Carver snaps. “So, stop fucking trying to run.”
Sam clears his throat, and Lowell lifts his gaze from the ground.
“After the Elders are gone,” Sam says, “I will step into the role as the High Elder of the Angels. All of them. And Carver will assist me with wrangling the demons. We want the attention from above and below, and this is exactly how we will get it.”
“Why?” I ask. “Why do you want them involved?”
Sam smiles. “Because we aren’t done ruling.”
“You two are insane,” Lowell shouts. “You are going to bring on a fucking apocalypse.”
Sam huffs a dry laugh and shrugs. “Oh, well.”
Carver cuts his gaze to Sam, and although he plays this game well. I see right through him—that’s one thing he never thought about. Sam doesn’t allow Carver’s thoughts to wander and snaps his fingers. Lowell groans in pain, clutches his stomach, and stumbles to stand against the open window.
“You are fucking crazy,” Lowell rasps.
“But at least we won’t be dead,” Sam says.
My world slows down as I watch Carver step aside, giving Sam full access to Lowell’s body. Sam steps forward, and Lowell’s eyes go wild.