He leaned back, looking ahead blankly. ‘That you love Lincoln?’
I flinched. ‘It’s not that. I just can’t be with anyone.’
He half smiled. ‘Because you love Lincoln.’
‘I’m not the girl you first met. And with all the history between us … I don’t know how we handle this.’
His smile widened. ‘Is that your way of saying you don’t want to be my BFF?’
He’d caught me by surprise and I pursed my lips to hold back my smile, but it came anyway.
With that, Phoenix stood up and put his hand out for me. ‘Don’t worry. I’m not planning a repeat of history. I don’t think the world would survive.’
‘That’s probably true,’ I said, deadpan, but as we walked up the stairs towards the hall, I chewed my lower lip.
Phoenix reached out and gently touched his thumb to my chin. ‘It’ll be okay. How about we just concentrate on getting your friend back and this problem solved? Then we’ll get drunk and work out what to do with the rest of my eternity.’
I smiled. ‘Okay,’ I said, realising that I was glad he was here to help. ‘So, they actually let you in here?’
‘I do have an arsenal of persuasive skills,’ he said with his more familiar cocky smile. ‘And I did return with a few of their valued possessions, so, for now, no one has tried to kill me.’
‘Has Lincoln seen you?’ I asked hesitantly.
‘We shared a moment. Grunts were exchanged.’
When I just stared at him, he sighed. ‘Violet, he doesn’t like me. He never will. The feeling is entirely mutual. But we have an understanding, and since I returned you, it bought me some time before he insists that I beat him into the ground.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘If anyone is beating up either one of you, it will be me,’ I said, stopping again outside the doors to the hall, breathing deeply as I redirected my concentration. Phoenix chuckled beside me.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘I know what you’re doing, and you’re not helping yourself like you think you are.’
I glanced up at him as soon as I had my emotions under control and muted. I knew my eyes were cold and hard, but I was fine with that. ‘Thank you for saving me. What you did was … incredible. But I’m warning you, don’t interfere with this stuff, Phoenix. I mean it.’
‘I know you do,’ he said, shaking his head and holding the door open for me. ‘But that doesn’t make you right,’ he added as I walked past him.
The hall was already full. The Assembly were in their places – although I noticed that in addition to Seth’s and Decima’s vacant seats, both Rainer and Wilhelm were also absent. I could feel Drenson’s eyes on me as I walked towards the front of the room where Steph was waiting for me. As I moved I noticed a couple of Grigori drop their heads as I passed.
Zoe and Salvatore were beside Steph and when I reached them, they pulled me into tight embraces.
‘Thank you, Vi,’ Zoe said, her voice thick with emotion that I heard but, fortunately, did not have to feel. ‘Nyla is the closest thing I have to family. Thank you so much.’
I nodded and moved away from them with a small smile. Phoenix had taken up position just behind me, next to Gray.
‘When you are ready, Violet,’ Drenson said, sounding distinctly irritated. ‘May I remind you that there are many people in this room who have more pressing issues to deal with than your reunion with friends.’
I decided not to bother with a response. Instead I stood and stared at the man who, I was realising more and more, was not a nice person and was a terrible leader.
Satisfied he’d belittled me, Drenson redirected his attention towards Phoenix. ‘He must be removed. This is Grigori business and he is an exile who has already launched one attack on this building.’
Lincoln stepped forward from the other side of the room. ‘He is an angel who fell to save a Grigori life. You call him an exile, but what exile has ever done such a thing? We owe him a debt of gratitude, and he has also offered to help us find Spence. I’ve asked him to come with us.’
Drenson’s face bloomed red and his jaw clenched. He flinched when Josephine placed a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t speak, but her touch seemed to be enough. He turned away from Lincoln and moved his shoulder to shrug off Josephine’s hand.
‘As I was saying,’ he went on, as if the previous exchange had not happened, ‘we have received reports from Grigori in Mexico, Texas and Georgia who have all witnessed dramatically increased exile activity in the past two days. It seems these recent battleground wars between light and dark have developed into a kind of travelling tournament. One of the humans working for the exiles was captured in Florida last night and our Grigori managed to extract Sammael’s name from her, confirming that he is behind the tournaments, before she …’ He trailed off.
Before she killed herself.
My eyes were on Josephine who, at the mention of Sammael, had paled.