A Matter of Heart (Fate, #2)

Alex is such dead meat.

“All of your efforts to get your job back, spinning your wheels fruitlessly—you can officially kiss that hope goodbye,” Jonah continues. “You’ll never helm the Guard again, let alone work on a single mission for them in the future. You did this to yourself, Belladonna. I gave you ample warning about what I’d do if you went against my orders.”

Jens sets his napkin down and stands up. Despite being an Elf, he is not as tall as Jonah, so he’s forced to look up while talking. “You think you’re so—”

“Shut the fuck up,” Kellan suddenly snaps. “You do not get to talk to the Council like this. Remember? It’s what you used to warn us about all the time. Never contradict Council orders. The Council is to be respected at all times.”

Fabulous. Now Kellan is fighting my battles in public. Jens’ focus swivels to him eyebrows high in amusement. “What a good little soldier you are, Kellan Whitecomb.”

Kellan lunges forward, but Jonah holds him back with a single outstretched arm. This keeps getting worse and worse. What do they think they’re going to do, beat Jens up simply because he’s accused me of something they know not to be true?

Just what will they think when they learn I actually have killed? It’s too horrendous, too shameful to even contemplate.

“Your memories of that time you spent with your brother’s fiancée in that cave a few weeks back are most interesting,” Jens is saying to Kellan. His piercing eyes find Jonah. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

My stomach drops onto the floor below me as I can feel the stares of the people surrounding us. “Good call on dinner,” Callie murmurs to her mother.

But Jonah isn’t done. “You’re grasping at straws,” he’s saying. “You have no proof of your allegations, nothing but a three hundred year old grudge the Belladonnas have cultivated. And yet, you continue to persist, thinking you can be the one to avenge the family, especially now you think you’ve found a young Creator to prey upon—and to what end?” Jonah’s smile is cold. “The complete disgrace of the Belladonna name.” He angles his head towards his brother. “Please escort Jens Belladonna to the Transit Station and ensure he goes through a portal. If any Guard are discovered abetting or aiding Belladonna in any way, or facilitate his return to Annar without my explicit permission, they’ll be held to the same punishment.”

The whispering in the room is frenzied. Caleb whistles, Wow. I am a basketful of emotions too mixed up to distinguish any one fully.

“This isn’t over,” Jens tells Jonah. He’s still amazingly unaffected by what just went down. “I will do what’s best for Magical-kind.”

“As will I,” Jonah says in return. And Jens goes quietly, not resisting Kellan in the least. As he passes by my table, five fingers are raised for the briefest of moments. My fists clench into balls at the same time I feel like one finds my gut.

Red wine sloshes across his shirt. And this is the thing, of everything that went down in this room, that finally startles Jens Belladonna. He jerks back in surprise. “Slippery glasses in this restaurant,” Callie says, offering Jens a smirk that is in no way apologetic.

Jens runs his hand across the stain, smearing it. It looks like blood. Kellan shoves him forward before he can say anything to us. “Asshat,” Callie mutters to his retreating back.

“Language!” Astrid exclaims as Jonah makes his way to our table.

Callie rights her glass and fills it. “Hypocrite, thy name is Mother. Didn’t you call him an asshole just ten minutes ago?”

“It’s different,” the Council’s lead Seer mumbles. Jonah sits down next to me and takes my hands.

“Are you okay?” he asks quietly. “Do you want to leave? We can leave if you want.”

I can’t believe what just happened. Jens Belladonna just got his ass handed to him, again, by my Connection. Even more, Jonah just made a huge scene in a crowded restaurant while I sat here, in forced helplessness, with his mom and ex-girlfriend. To top it all off, his brother tried to attack his former boss. I don’t know if I ought to be disturbed, grateful, mad, or some kind of mix in between. I decide not to choose.

I wish I was numb. Gods my head hurts.

“Of course she isn’t okay,” Callie tells him. It’s the first time she’s actually directed any words towards Jonah all night. “She’s at the family dinner from hell thanks to you and your brother. You two just acted like cavemen; it’s a wonder you didn’t grab her by the hair and drag her out of here.”

Jonah is ready to argue this, but it’s Astrid who cuts him off. “What Callie is trying to say is that we should try this again another night, sweetling. Besides, Kellan has already left.”

“Because of his high and mighty Council orders,” Callie snorts.

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