“I’ll agree with you there.” Aidan lifted his mug to toast Brigs before he took a long sip of his coffee.
“Allie has lots of secrets and I don’t pretend to know half of what’s going on around her.” Brigs stood to leave. “But you’re in it right there with her, so man up and get your shit together, bro. She needs an equal, not a hero.”
“Do I need to stage an intervention here?” Darius asked as he joined them by the fire. “The last thing I need is more boy drama hovering around my Syntrophos.” Darius took a seat beside Aidan, stretching his legs toward the fire. “Honestly, I could use a little female drama if you know what I mean.” Darius stared at Pilar gathering up a group of older students for a hike up the mountain.
“Pilar’s a little old for you, brother,” Aidan said, sipping his drink, wishing it was a little more vodka and a lot less coffee.
“But she’s so hot in an I’ll-cut-your-throat-with-my-sword-if-you-don’t-stop-staring kind of way.”
“Definitely,” Brigs agreed. “Not to mention she’s a lot too tall for you, bro.”
“I can climb,” Darius said without missing a beat, making Brigs and Aidan laugh.
The laughter felt good. It felt real.
“Brigs! Come sled with me?” Raina called across the wide expanse of undisturbed snow. A healthy pink glow flushed her cheeks.
“That’s my cue to leave, gentlemen.” Brigs made a show of fixing his perfect hair before he set off to join Raina.
“Are you here to yell at me too?” Aidan asked, letting his gaze drift back to Allie.
“Nah.” Darius lifted his arms over his head arching his back in a lazy cat-like stretch. “You’ve always been a broody son of a bitch. I’d worry if you weren’t moping around about something.”
“Asshole.” Aidan punched his brother in the shoulder.
“You know she’s basically turned this school into Hogwarts, right?” Darius laughed. “I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time. Just don’t hurt her again or I’ll have to end you.”
“If I can help it, I’m never leaving her side again.” Aidan watched Allie divide the youngest students into groups. “What’s she doing now?”
“She’s sorting all the eleven-year-olds into their houses.” Darius snorted. “She’s got them all watching the Potter movies and reading a book about some Percy Jackson kid. She keeps telling everyone the theme of this party is Camp Half-Blood but no one knows what she’s talking about.”
“I freaking love that crazy girl.” Aidan shook his head. “She’s going to be our next queen, but she’s such a dork.”
“And the people adore her for it.” Darius smiled. “Our girl is something, isn’t she?” Darius gave Aidan a playful shove. “I just hope you’re a patient man, my brother, because you are in for a long wait with that one.”
“What, does everyone know but her?” Aidan groaned.
“Mark my words, Allie will be the last one to figure out what’s staring her right in the face.”
“How did you figure it out?”
“What can I say, sometimes I know her better than she knows herself. Allie is stubborn and strong-willed. She will come to you when she’s ready and not a minute before then. So do what you have to do to keep her happy, but I’m going to need you to figure out a way to be happy with your relationship as it is. She’s worried about you and she has the world on her shoulders right now. So like Brigs said, get your shit together, man.”
“I’m trying,” Aidan said with a sigh. But that was easier said than done.
“If I have to share her with anyone, I’m glad it’s you,” Darius said, wrinkling his nose. “That sounded all sorts of disgusting.”
“I know what you meant.” Aidan laughed. “I feel better just knowing you have her back.”
“You know, one thing I learned from Allie might actually help you.” Darius stood, staring down at his younger brother. “In the weeks after you cut her out, she clawed her way out of a deep depression she never let anyone else see. She fought for her happiness and she found it within herself. Take a page out of Allie’s book, Aidan. Figure out what makes you happy and stop sacrificing yourself to protect the people you love, and just … be you, bro. We missed you.”
“I missed your stupid face too, Dare.” Aidan forced a smile he still didn’t feel. Darius was right, he had a lot of work to do on himself. And when Allie was ready to see him, he intended to be worthy of her.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go hand out some magic wands.” Darius lowered his sunglasses onto his face and left Aidan alone by the fire.
Aidan’s stomach growled as he stepped off the elevator to the penthouse apartment he shared with Allie, Darius and Naomi. It was a strange living arrangement, but it seemed to work for them. For most Syntrophos pairs, one stood at the center of the relationship between their Syntrophos and their Complement as the anchor. Aidan and Allie were both anchors, which complicated their already confusing relationships.
Aidan paused in the hallway outside their apartment, his shoulders slumping. “Oh no, she’s cooking again.” Black smoke billowed under the door and Aidan thought about getting back on the elevator down to the dining hall. After a long day of training with his Syntrophos students, he needed a good meal, but Allie was nothing short of a disaster in the kitchen.
Peals of laughter reached him, easing the tension in his shoulders as he opened the door.
“Do my ears deceive me or are you two laughing? Together?” Aidan jumped back at the kitchen doorway when towering flames greeted him.
“Sorry!” Naomi’s eyes blazed as she smothered the fire.
“I don’t know what it says about us that you’re more surprised by the laughter coming from the apartment than the billowing black smoke.” Darius stood in the living room waving a towel like a flag toward the open balcony doors.
“I’m used to the smoke.” Aidan eyed the charcoal briquettes on a sooty sheet pan he was pretty sure was brand new before Allie got her hands on it. “What was that supposed to be?”
“Cookies.” Allie giggled when Naomi fanned the smoke out of her face, smearing a line of soot across her cheek.
“You guys really suck at this.” Aidan shook his head.
“We’ll we finally found something we have in common.” Allie elbowed Naomi playfully. “One of these days I’ll master the art of making chocolate chip cookies. Last time I tried, I mixed up the salt and the sugar so they were awful. My boyfriend at the time tried so hard to choke one down, bless him.”
“Boyfriend?” Aidan reached for Allie, tugging her into his arms. “When was this?”
“Long before you.” She smiled, resting her arms around his neck. “Hey,” she whispered.
“Missed you this morning.” Aidan rested his forehead against Allie’s, brushing his nose against hers. “I don’t like waking up without you next to me—or draped over me like a blanket to be more accurate.” He captured her mouth in a warm kiss, pulling back much too soon.
Allie’s face heated as she chewed on her bottom lip and he very much wanted to whisk her away somewhere private.
“Sorry, I had early meetings, but I’ll be sure to tell my assistant to never mess with my mornings again.”
“What did you burn?” Pilar stomped into the foyer with a bag of groceries on her hip. “Girls, you had one job.”
“You might not want to leave them unsupervised in the kitchen,” Aidan said, trying not to laugh at Pilar’s look of confusion.
“Many have tried to teach the princess to cook, sweetheart.” Darius hopped on the step up to the dining room and leaned in to kiss Pilar—a sight Aidan could not get used to. “And many have failed.”
“I wish we could just go out for sushi,” Naomi said.
“We won’t be stuck here forever,” Darius said, standing behind Pilar with his arms draped around her shoulders. “Once the election happens, we should have a much better relationship with the Senate and then we can actually leave Sterling Tower.�
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“About that.” Allie’s shoulders immediately tensed. “I’ve received some disturbing intel. I could use some advice.”
“Can we discuss that out on the balcony before I choke to death?” Darius coughed.
“This might call for a liquid dinner.” Pilar grabbed two bottles of wine from the fridge and Naomi gathered glasses from the cabinet.
“Should we call Livia?” Aidan asked, taking Allie’s hand.
“She’s with Liam tonight, and I think he’s going to propose. Let’s not disturb them. I’ll call the council together in the morning but I’m not sure how I want to deal with this yet.” Allie flopped onto the sofa outside on the wide balcony, accepting a glass of wine from Naomi. “I’d like a chance to discuss this with family before I take it to the council.”
They were a strange family, but every person here was loyal to Allie—even Naomi. In a way, they were the future queen’s closest advisors, including Livia and Liam.
“What’s the deal, Red?” Darius asked, sitting on the armrest beside Pilar.
“The Senate has canceled the election for this year.” Allie sipped her drink.
“The one you gave them no choice about?” Aidan frowned. He didn’t like where this was going.
“The very one,” Allie said. “They’ve decided I do not have the authority to change the election laws, so they will proceed with the next election on schedule.”
“In three years?” Darius cursed under his breath. “Haven’t they learned anything? We can’t go another three years with a temporary Chief Justice. All four seats must be filled for our government to function properly.”
“Exactly. But that’s the least of our worries.” Allie drained her glass and sat back. “The Senate is about to publish their official statement regarding the authority of the royal family. Specifically, my authority as First Princess. They have decided I am to be a figurehead and nothing more. I will have no legal authority in the modern Immortal world and no voice in the International Senate.”
“They can’t do that,” Pilar said. “The people will not stand for it. Your approval ratings are through the roof.”
“Which scares them.” Naomi stood to pour them another round. “But we can deal with this, Allie. They’re just pushing back to see what you’ll do.”
“The thing is, I don’t want a voice in the Senate.” Allie sighed. “I don’t want any legal authority, I just want them to do their damn jobs and be honorable about it.”
“There’s more, isn’t there?” Aidan took her hand in his.
“The International Senate has passed some new laws. Laws we will have to acknowledge if we want to keep our side of the bargain and maintain peace with our government. After the first of the year, any child preparing for an Awakening will have to work with a Senate official and only that official can be present during the Awakening.”
“That’s bullshit,” Pilar gasped. “That completely undermines the mentor relationship.”
“Allie, we have at least thirty students who will have an Awakening next year,” Darius said.
Allie nodded. “So that means each one of those students will have a court appointed “mentor” in residence here at Sterling Tower—if we comply and let them in. But it doesn’t stop there. The same rule applies for those who will reach their Proving, too. Except when then the time comes, the young adult must present themselves before the Senate to undergo their Proving with court supervision.”
“You’re not doing it, Allie.” Aidan shook his head, his heart thundering in his chest. “You’re Proving soon and they know it. They did this so they could get you alone and cut off from your council.”
Allie took a long gulp of her wine, swallowing slowly, her eyes burning with the fire of her power. “And they just started a war.”
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Melissa A. Craven writes Young Adult Urban Fantasy with crossover appeal to other genres and audiences of all ages. She believes in stories that make you think and she loves playing with foreshadowing, leaving clues and hints for the careful reader.
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Acknowledgments
Ya’ll, this book tried to kill me.
The longest of the series, The Betrayal wraps up so many timelines and plot points—and begins new ones—I think I’ve had a migraine for the last eight months. But, once again, I think it’s my favorite of the series. (I know I say that with every new book.)
I have to thank my patient editor, Rebecca Jaycox for her mad skills. I’m pretty sure I ugly cried when I handed her the manuscript and asked her to please find my book in the mess I’d made of it. She’s amazing.
Another huge thank you to my sister, Angela for putting up with another round of “Let me just finish this book and then I’ll do (insert whatever task Melissa has been putting off), I promise.”
And, as always for helping me talk out ideas. You guys can thank her for the ending of this book ;)
And to Michelle Lynn, my author bestie for always being there for venting, crying and freaking out—and most recently, for co-authoring a new series with me.
To my family, I could literally never do this without you. A special thanks to my mother, Debby for her hilarious text messages of “I need more chapters” and “are you done yet?” and “WHY are you so mean to Aidan?” To my Dad, thank you for constantly showing me and my sister that we’ll never know what it’s like to have one of those fathers who just doesn’t care. And for teaching me the subtle art of sarcasm ;)
To Jenny, you are the best, best friend I could ask for. Thank you for your encouragement, and for the way we will always pick up right where we left off, no matter how much time has passed or how busy life gets. And for game night. Game night is important.
To Daqri Combs at Covers by Combs for the very special redesign on all the Emerge covers and the purple! I love the purple theme for The Betrayal. I love your work and appreciate your guidance.
A big thank you to the city of Cleveland and to Kelleys Island especially. The island as it is portrayed in the book is purely fictional, but is based on the real Kelleys Island near Sandusky, Ohio. To all of my author friends across the world, thank you for your constant support, encouragement and sense of community. The indie community is an amazing place and it is such a comfort knowing I am not doing this alone. To C.J. Redwine, Author of The Shadow Queen and leader of YA Books Central, thank you for bringing me on as the site indie manager and for providing ALL the books. The experience has been invaluable and I look forward to the future of YABooksCentral.com
And most importantly, to my ever growing audience of readers who have waited patiently for each Emerge book, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your enthusiasm and loyalty. I promise there will be much more to look forward to in the years to come.
Finally, I thank God for the con
stant reminder that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Over the past years, circumstances always bring me back to writing—my favorite thing to do in the whole world.
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