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Marcus stared at me "Alexandria… "

"Wil you force her from the Covenant, Minister?" Seth asked

"We wil not force her to leave" Marcus interjected, his eyes on reed on this, Marcus" His strained voice was low "She needs to be placed undera hel of a lotwas

"She can re wil be jeopardized if she stays here We can discuss ree?"

My eyes widened as I watched the Minister subreat detail"

Marcus nodded before turning to inal deal stil holds, Alexandria You wil have to prove to me you are ready to attend in the fal "

I let out the breath I’d been holding "Is there anything else?"

"No" I turned to leave but Marcus stopped me

"Alexandria… I’m sorry for what has happened Your mother… didn’t deserve this Neither do you"

A sincere apology, but itmore than to be away fro anyone I even

"Alex, hold up"

Struggling to control the cyclone of e in me, I whirled around Aiden had fol owed me out I warned him off with a shaky hand "Don’t"

He flinched back "Alex, let me explain"

Over his shoulder, I saeren’t alone The Guards stood by the closed doors to Marcus’s office--and so did the Apol yon He watched us with casual indifference

I forced my voice low "You knew this entire time, didn’t you? You knehat’d real y happened to my mother"

The muscle in his jaw ticked "Yes I knew"

Hurt exploded in my chest Part of me had hoped he hadn’t known, that he hadn’t kept this froether and never once did it cross your ht to know the truth?"

"Of course I thought you had the right, but it wasn’t in your best interest It stil isn’t How can you focus on training--

focus on preparing to kil daimons--when you know your mother’s one of the came out How could I focus now?

"I’ret keeping it from you We could’ve found her and disposed of the proble any different That was the plan"

"That was the plan? To kil her before I found out she was alive?" My voice grew louder with each word "You preach toyou? How in the hell can I trust you now?"

Those words struck hoh his hair "How does knohat your mother is make you feel? What does it make you think?"

Hot tears burned in the back of ht here in front of hi up

"Please Just leave me alone Leave me alone"

This time, when I turned away, no one stopped me

In a daze, I cli settled over me Part of me wanted to believe everyone was mistaken and Mom wasn’t a daimon

My stomach churned and I curled intopeople From the moment she’d turned, the need to feed on aether would’ve consu else would matter to her

Even if she did remember me it wouldn’t be in the sa the bathroom in tiagged until th to stand

My thoughts whirled into a headyher down But I couldn’t replace her warm smile with that of a daimon’s

She was my mother

I pushed away froainst my knees At sonored the sound There was no one I wanted to see, no one I wanted to talk to I don’t kno long I stayed there It could’ve been minutes--or hours I wil edpart was easy, but the not thinking part was impossible Eventual y, I crawled to my feet and stared at my reflection

Mo we didn’t share But no she’d have those gaping sockets and her ed teeth

And if she did seeme She wouldn’t brush my hair back like she used to

There would be no tears of happiness She ht not even know my name

She would try to kil me

And I would try to kil her

CHAPTER 12

BY SUNDAY EVENING, I COULDN’T HIDE IN MY

ROOM any alone, and sick of myself Somewhere over the past day,

I ed to make it over to the cafeteria before it closed its doors Thankful y, it was empty and I was able to eat three slices of cold pizza in peace The food settled in a dense bal in et a fourth slice down