“She needs to get up and move,” he said.
Men. They were the same in any species. “I agree she needs both of those things, but we can’t parade her in public, mainly because she looks close to death. We’ll go back to your loft and eat on the balcony. We can move that bistro table outside from your bedroom.”
“Good thinking.” He planted a kiss on my forehead. “Have you always been this smart?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
He chuckled and slid his arms around my waist. “I’m glad we found her. She might’ve just…” He trailed off.
I splayed my hands on his chest. “I know.”
Twenty minutes later, Ana emerged from the bedroom, looking significantly better than when we’d found her. We flew back to Rafe’s loft, hovering close enough to Ana in case she needed assistance. She lost a few feathers along the way, but, otherwise, she was fine.
Ana and I remained on the balcony while Rafe disappeared into the loft for supplies. He returned with the bistro table and chairs and then went back inside to prepare food and drinks.
“I don’t want to cause any trouble,” Ana said. It seemed to require all her strength to utter a simple statement. She tilted her head back and let the sunlight wash over her.
“You’re not,” I said. “We want to help you.”
Rafe joined us, setting down a tray laden with choices—fruits, sliced vegetables, crackers, cheese and, of course, peanut butter, and a pot of tea. Ana immediately reached for a cracker and a square of cheese. A seraph after my own heart.
“Thank you for this,” she said. “My son always spoke highly of you. Rafe, isn’t it?” He nodded and Ana inclined her head toward me. “You’re not a Watcher. Why do I recognize you?”
I cut a glance at Rafe, uncertain how much to reveal.
His blank mask remained firmly in place. “Ana, this is Cassia.”
The seraph continued to stare at me. “Your white hair…” She reached forward as if to touch it, but then snapped her hand back.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked.
She swallowed a whimper. “I never expected to see you with my own eyes.” Her shock seemed to melt away and she ate another cracker, this time with peanut butter. “I didn’t even know whether you were still alive until Jessup mentioned a winged demonspawn with white hair.”
I winced at the mention of her son. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” I said.
Ana bowed her head in silence.
“It seems that you have a few things to tell us about Jessup’s involvement with the stolen Book of Admissions,” Rafe said.
The seraph shifted uncomfortably. “He didn’t deserve what happened to him. I want to make it right. It’s one of the reasons I came here from California.”
“You came here intending to divulge information?” Rafe asked.
She nodded and poured tea into a cup. “I know it may not seem that way given the state you found me in, but it was my intention. I assumed his apartment would be safe now, that no one would have a reason to go back there until a new Watcher was assigned. Then I…I became overwhelmed by fear. What if what happened to Jessup happened to me?” Teardrops clung to her lashes. “I grew paralyzed.”
“What do you know about the book?” I tried to keep my tone neutral, not wanting to upset her. The seraph had suffered enough.
Ana hesitated. I could see that she was rethinking her decision to come clean.
“We want to help you,” Rafe said, “but we need to know what you know.”
Ana bit her lip. “I was the one that told Jessup about the book.”
I balked. “How did you know about it?” How would anyone in Dominion know about a secret academy’s Book of Admissions? Domus Academy was hidden and only a very select few knew of its existence.
“I was given the option of obtaining it by someone…higher up than me as part of a bargain. I didn’t know why he wanted it, not until later.”
“What did he offer in exchange?” Rafe asked.
Ana kept her eyes downcast. “Jessup’s father and I were forced to live separately because he’s a bounder. I was told that if I successfully acquired the book, that I would be free to live in the mortal realm with him. Naturally, Jessup wanted this for us too and was happy to offer his help.”
“And Jessup was already here, which made it easier for him,” Rafe added.
“Who in Dominion wanted the book?” I asked.
Rafe regarded her carefully. “You’re a handmaiden to a royal.”
“That’s right,” Ana said. “Jewel, the princess to the third throne.”
“Is she the seraph who offered you the deal?” he pressed.
“No, though my mistress has always been sympathetic to the situation.” Ana hesitated to say more. She glanced skyward, seemingly worried that a thunderbolt from the heavens would silence her.
“We’ll do our best to protect you,” Rafe said, “but we need to know the truth.”
She took a deep, steadying breath. “It was one of the royal advisors, August. He made me swear a vow of secrecy from the royals because he claimed their ignorance was the best way to protect them.”
“Yes, but for plausible deniability or actual deniability?” Rafe asked.
Ana tucked a tendril behind her ear. “I suspect they don’t know. August came to me in secret. He knew of my situation with Jessup’s father and said he could help.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “If I’d known Jessup would end up…” She broke off and stifled a cry.
“The mark on him,” Rafe said. “Do you know anything about it?”
Ana’s eyebrows knitted together. “Jessup didn’t have a birthmark.”
“I’m not talking about a birthmark,” Rafe said. “This was like some sort of magical tattoo.”
“We think the mark was used to observe him,” I said.
“And ultimately kill him,” Rafe added.
Ana’s expression grew pained. “I don’t recall seeing it. Can you describe it?”
Rafe dipped into the bedroom to retrieve a pen and paper. He scribbled the mark and handed it to Ana. Her hand flew to cover her mouth as she stifled a cry of recognition. My heart beat rapidly as I waited for her to speak.
“I know that mark,” she said, once she recovered her composure. “August wears a ring bearing that symbol. I believe it’s part of his family crest.” Ana’s tears flowed freely now. “Deep down, I suspected he was to blame. There’s a hardness to him.”
“Jessup seemed to know he was under observation,” Rafe said. “He probably knew the mark was there for surveillance.”
“I doubt he knew it could be used to kill him though,” I said.
Ana dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. “Jessup never would’ve agreed to that if he’d known. My relocation wasn’t worth his life.”
“Did you tell anyone you were coming here?” Rafe asked.
“No one in Dominion,” Ana said. “I left on grief leave to go to California and see Jessup’s father. They didn’t object to a temporary visit.”
“But then you failed to return at the appointed time,” Rafe said.
“I was too afraid. I worried that if August truly was to blame, he’d come for me too. Not even Princess Jewel can protect me from the likes of him. He is far too devious.”
“So you decided to come here,” Rafe said, more of a statement than a question.
“Jessup was one of you,” she said. “I thought I might be safe among you, especially if I could offer information in return.”
“Why did he want the book so badly?” I asked. “Did he intend to hand it over to the Whistlers?” The mere thought sickened me.
Ana stirred the spoon in her tea, creating a small, brown whirlpool. “He never told me explicitly, but I suspect it’s because of the prophecy.” She looked at me. “The one about you.”
Slowly, the color drained from my face. All this time, I’d been holding out hope that the search for the book had nothing to do with me. I should have known better.
This was the whole reason my mother sent me away. She knew there’d be supernaturals like August that wanted to wield me as a weapon. It was the main reason the Elders had agreed to hide me.
“Did you tell anyone that Cassia was here, after Jessup mentioned meeting her?” Rafe asked.
“No,” Ana said. “At that point, I’d grown wary of August’s intentions and decided to keep the information to myself.”
“What about Jessup?” I asked. “Could he have told August?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t know anything other than that August wanted the book. Jessup only mentioned you to me because he thought you were interesting.”
“What’s the point of August finding me now? No one can force me to the Nether to overthrow the king,” I said.
“No one has to,” Ana said. “It has been foretold.”
“Then why was he so desperate to find Cassia that he was willing to kill?” Rafe asked. “If everyone believes the prophecy is inevitable, why search for her at all? Just let nature take its course.”
“From what I know of August, he intends to win you to the side of the nephilim,” Ana said. “So that he can control you after you overthrow the king.”
Rafe barked a laugh. “Clearly he hasn’t met her yet.”
“He didn’t know for certain you were there, Cassia,” Ana said. “From what I understand, he’d heard a rumor that Sam was involved with a secret school for demonspawn and that this school kept a record of its current pupils. Presumably, he thought you’d be among them.”
“How did you know Sam?” I asked.
Ana licked her chapped lips. “We all knew him. He was Princess Helena’s bodyguard.”
A gasp escaped me. Her bodyguard? “And yet they ordered him to kill me?”
Ana winced. “It’s a long story.”
Rafe pushed the tray of food closer to her. “We have plenty of time.”
Ana took a carrot stick and chewed absently. “I still remember when your father came to meet with the royal family as the Nether’s emissary…” A dreamy smile crossed her face. “They would have made such a handsome couple.”
I could attest to that, thanks to my memory of them in New Hope. “What happened?”
“The princess knew her parents would never approve of the match, so she hid the relationship. They only met in the mortal realm in secret with Sam by her side. Once she discovered she was with child, she ended the relationship.”
“Why?” I’d seen how much they loved each other. I couldn’t imagine choosing to be apart.
“Because she knew about the prophecy and didn’t want to endanger you. She wasn’t the same after that.” Ana hesitated. “And after she sent you away…” Her hand covered her mouth to muffle a sob. “I understand how awful it must have been for her. She grew weaker as the years went on. I daresay she never fully recovered.”
“Why was Sam sent to kill me?” I asked.
Ana pursed her lips. “He never told you?”
“He never told me a lot of things,” I said. “I think he decided the less I knew, the safer I’d be.”
“When King Gustav discovered that she’d given birth, he was furious,” Ana said. “He demanded to know the father’s identity.”
“They never found out about the Nether prince?” Rafe asked.
“No,” Ana replied. “Princess Helena was very careful. Belethea, her handmaiden, knew. My mistress, Princess Jewel. Sam knew, of course, because he used to accompany her on her secret trips to the mortal realm.”
“And you,” I said.
She lifted the teacup to her parched lips and sipped. “Princess Helena refused to divulge his identity and the king was livid. She told him that she sent the child away so as not to shame the family and to leave it be. The birth was challenging and the princess nearly didn’t make it. A healer was called to tend to her and, while everyone was distracted, Belethea smuggled you out, just as she’d promised.”
“I take it the king didn’t leave it be,” I said.
Ana sucked in her cheeks. “No, he was much too angry to listen to reason. He threatened to have Sam find the child and kill it unless she complied.”
My heart pounded. “That’s why Sam went to kill me? Because of the king’s order?”
Ana frowned. “Sam never actually went to kill you. He refused. He told the king that he was the father.”
I nearly fell off my chair. “Why would he do that?” I asked.
“He was trying to protect you,” Ana said. “He thought that if he confessed to being the father that the king would calm down and see sense.”
“But he didn’t,” Rafe said.
“He did not,” Ana confirmed. “The king’s rage only intensified. He had Sam tortured and cast out of the realm. As far as he was concerned, Sam had betrayed the royal’s family trust.”
I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach. Poor Sam. “He went through all that and flew straight to Trenton,” I murmured. Not to kill me but to save me.
“From what my mistress told me, Sam wasn’t sure what the king would do next, so he wanted to move you quickly from the brownie’s care.”
“And Moloch found me at the same time,” I said. I remembered Moloch’s reaction in New Hope to Sam’s artificial wings. He’d clearly seen Sam in Trenton after he’d been tortured and cast out. It all made sense now. The Whistler hadn’t been there specifically for me. He’d probably been there because he knew the brownie took in unwanted cambions and wanted an easy score. Sam’s arrival had been completely fortuitous.
Rafe seemed to be thinking along the same lines because he said, “Sam must’ve been in terrible shape when he fought Moloch in Trenton. It’s a miracle he survived. That you both did.”
“My mistress was convinced he was in love with your mother,” Ana said. “That his confession to the king was as much an expression of a wish as an attempt to cover for her.”
Rafe placed his hand over mine. “In a way, he got his wish after all.”
“If it’s any consolation, your mother’s final thoughts were of you and your father,” Ana said. “Belethea tended to her until the last. The princess raved about her sweet daughter and her beloved Prince Tarquin. Belethea had to give her a potion to silence her and told everyone the princess was delusional from the sickness. She was afraid that the rantings would raise questions.”
“Maybe they did,” Rafe said. “Maybe that’s what kicked off August’s search for Cassia.”
Considering what a closely-guarded secret the academy was, it made sense that it would have taken years to discover it.
“August spilled a lot of blood to try to get that book,” Rafe continued. “If the royals aren’t involved, I expect they’d be deeply unhappy with his actions.”
I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to process all the information. “We need to go to Dominion and confront August. We can’t let him off the hook for everything he’s done.”
Rafe placed a steadying hand on my arm. “Not so fast. We need more evidence first. We can’t go marching through the gates of the Silver City and accuse one of their most venerated advisors of multiple murders. We need more proof.”
“We have Ana’s statement,” I said.
“That won’t be enough,” he said. “She’s a handmaiden and August isn’t.” He glanced at Ana. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to…”
She waved a hand. “It’s the truth, sadly. He’s highly respected.”
“We can’t let her go back to Dominion,” I said. “She isn’t safe.”
“Nor can I go to California,” she said. “That’s where they expect to find me.”
“Then she can stay here,” Rafe said. “Or in Jessup’s apartment.”
I pressed my lips together. “I think she should come back to the academy with me. She’ll be safest there.”
Ana looked at me. “After everything I’ve told you, you would still protect me?”
“You’re not the enemy, Ana,” I said.
The seraph reached a
cross the table and clasped my hands in hers. “Your mother would be so very proud of you. She was the finest of seraphim. She deserved a better fate.”
“So did Jessup,” I said. So many needless deaths because of one prophecy. I scraped back my chair and stood, “No more deaths. No more lies. This ends with me.”
Chapter Thirteen
“It looks like August is playing his hand.” Elder Asago dropped a square envelope on the table. “Rafe forwarded this to you.”
“Mail addressed to me?” My eyes widened. “Addressed to the academy?” At least August didn’t know its location if he had to send it via a Watcher. Still, the fact that he knew to send it to me through Rafe was unsettling.
“I suppose we have the coven to thank for this,” Elder Kali said. “I’ll be sure to send them a fruit basket filled with vipers.”
I opened the envelope and gasped when I saw the royal insignia above my name. “Dominion is hosting a ball in my honor?”
“It stands to reason they’d want to have a celebration to welcome one of their own,” Elder Asago said.
“I’m not one of their own,” I said. “I’m half shakti demon. Have they conveniently forgotten that they prefer to kill my kind?”
“It seems that they’ve absolved you of your sin of being born,” Elder Asago said.
“They don’t make a habit of killing half seraphim, Cassia,” Elder Bahaira pointed out. “No matter what the other half is.”
I narrowed my eyes at the sparkling silver invitation. “It could be a trap.” Based on what Ana told us, this entire event could have been conceived by August in an attempt to win me over—and, should that fail, find some other cruel method of forcing me fulfill the prophecy.
“A trap seems likely,” Elder Kali agreed.
“It most definitely is.” Elder Alastor bustled into the room. His cloak was askew and he only wore one slipper. It seemed that he was only half dressed when word of the invitation reached his ears. “It makes absolutely no sense for you to venture to Dominion. We have spent your entire life hiding you here. Keeping you safe from them. It would be a slap in the face for you to willingly go to them now.”
Elder Asago pursed his lips. “I was thinking perhaps we should let Cassia make her own decision, now that she’s been given all the relevant information.”
Demonspawn Academy: Trial Three Page 12