Then I’m crawling to my girl, doing whatever it takes to get to her.
I pull Delilah to me and cradle her in my arms. Blood stains her shirt, the red soaking more of the material with every second. Fear grips me, strangling as effectively than my father’s hands.
I. Can’t. Lose. Her.
Chapter 54
XAVIER
“Declan!” My voice is hoarse, weak, barely recognizable. “Take her.Now.”
He walks up to me, caution in every one of his steps. “Let McKenzie take her. I’ll stand with you during the hearing.”
I shake my head. “She needs to go back to the hospital before the crows show up. I don’t want anyone to know she was here.”
Declan nods and leans down. I grit my teeth and carefully transfer Delilah to him, the exchange torturous. He gently hoists her into his arms, and her head lolls against his shoulder, her lashes fluttering. But she doesn’t wake up.
I get to my feet and watch him take her away, dying inside.
Benjamin approaches me, his eyes reflecting the worry in mine. “She’s going to be okay, X.”
I won’t consider the alternative, unless I want to lose my fucking mind.
“The Order can’t know Delilah was here,” I say. “When they ask who killed my father, you’ll tell them it was me. Understand?”
He nods slowly. “It was self-defense.”
“The Order won’t care.”
I turn to the vault’s entrance, awaiting the imminent arrival of whatever leaders show up. Seconds later, Daniel Kent appears with his army of crows. Ten of them, to be exact. I guess the council member isn’t taking any chances.
Kent’s gaze, astute and calculating, sweeps over the murder scene. After taking in my father’s lifeless body, his eyes land on me. “Xavier Donovan, you and Benjamin McKenzie will come with me.”
I glance at Benjamin, both of us uneasy but resigned. We knew this was inevitable.
“You’ll appear before the leaders of the Order,” Kent continues, “and recount the events that transpired in the catacombs, specifically the circumstances surrounding Edward Donovan’s death.”
Kent gestures to his men, and they move in, encircling us. With a nod to Benjamin, I fall in line and follow the council member out of the catacombs.
The ride to the Order’s headquarters is silent, the tension in the air clawing at my skin, making it itch. I keep my breathing steady and prepare myself for what’s to come. That doesn’t stop me from worrying about Delilah.
According to the GPS, she’s in the hospital. That offers me a hint of relief, but there are still too many unknowns when it comes to her condition. Does she need surgery? Is she awake? Will she be all right?
We arrive at the fraternity and are immediately taken to the Crow’s Chambers, the place where all decisions of the Order are made. The room is grand but imposing with high, vaulted ceilings that stretch upward, supported by intricately carved stone arches. Massive, stained-glass windows line the walls, and if it were day, they’d cast colorful patterns on the dark wood paneling and the polished stone floor.
I glance at the far end of the room where a large, semi-circular table dominates the space. The leaders of the founding families take their seats in high-backed, ornately decorated chairs. I school my features from smiling at the empty chair designated for the Donovan family. Part of me would love to occupy it, to take over the empire, but with Delilah being my priority, power no longer appeals to me the way it once did.
A grand chandelier hangs from the ceiling, its crystal facets shimmering in the dim light, adding to the chamber’s austere and majestic ambiance. The air is filled with a sense of gravitas and history, as if the walls themselves hold the weight of countless decisions made within.
Kent leads us to the center of the room before taking his place amongst the others. They stare at us, their gazes critical, assessing, but more than anything, their eyes glint with unconcealed suspicion.
Leonard Gage rises and clears his throat. “Xavier Donovan and Benjamin McKenzie. The two of you stand before us to explain the events that led to the death of Edward Donovan and the circumstances in the catacombs. Speak truthfully, and justice will be served.”
I step forward. If there’s any chance of saving Delilah, then I’ll have to set the narrative for Benjamin to follow. If not, the Order will immediately execute her for killing my father, a leader of our society.
That law, like many others, is centuries old and unchallenged.
“If Edward Donovan wasn’t already dead, he’d be the one on trial,” I say, my voice steady. “He ordered the Keepers’ deaths so he could retrieve vital information hidden in the catacombs vault. Blueprints of a technology that belonged to the McKenzie family. Edward Donovan confessed to killing Harold McKenzie, and he ordered me to murder the McKenzie heir. Butmore importantly, my father was about to commit the ultimate betrayal. He wanted to rule the Order.”
