“And the rest of them?” I asked, deciding Sloan was a safe bet.
“Erik is your brother.”
“Hunter is my brother.”
“Don’t you dare compare them,” she snapped, a flicker of her aura lighting up the room as she dropped her hand from my face. “He would never pull a stunt like this. Erik adores you. Has always adored you. Quentin is an extension of you and Erik doesn’t have the capacity—"
“I get it,” I cut across her speech. “Erik is fine.”
“And so are the rest. We’ve spent millennia together. Don’t let Hunter win because he will if he divides us.”
“You really are your daddy’s daughter, aren’t you? Already plotting out how to win a war.”
A soft smile came to her face. “I only fight for what I believe in.”
Taking in a deep breath, I let a tendril of my aura snake past her and pull open the door. Ignacio almost fell to the floor, only saved by Erik, who kept him from the humiliation.
But it wasn’t my brother or friend that I focused on. It wasn’t even Elva who slinked past us to stand next to my aura that shrouded her family, trying to find her way through it.
Instead, my gaze landed on the hulking form of another elite God. Malachi lifted his hands in a placating gesture, white palms in stark contrast to his dark skin.
“Grayson,” Sloan said, holding on to my arm. “Malachi came to talk to you. He’s not here to cause—"
“You voted to put her to death,” I said steadily, ripping my arm from Sloan’s hold. “And now you have the audacity to walk into our home!”
The top floor of the manor grew dark as my aura expanded out to cover it, engulfing us all in the abyss.
Malachi stood calmly in a shimmering dome of ivory, protecting himself, which only further pissed me off.
“I understand your animosity towards me, Grayson,” Malachi said. His voice, as always, kept a level and soothing tone. “I won’t insult you by trying to rationalise my vote, but I came to tell you that my decision is not final.”
“And you expect me to believe you?”
“Not at all. I wouldn’t if the roles were reversed, but it is my prerogative to change my mind and I could be swayed.”
My eye twitched. “Why?”
“If we’re to believe the display in the chambers and what Erik said, you’re bound to her, no?”
“Why is that of any importance to you?”
“Because I still believe in some traditions here. I don’t believe in touting them only for my benefit or to gain favour. Soulbinding is a sacred gift from fate. It should never come down to us to sever that bond.”
There were scores of customs and traditions that Elysians learned and followed. Some were fading from existence while others remained strong. Soulbound couples were a rarity, a gift of fate, but I didn’t think anyone would care for the customs surrounding them.
“That would be enough to sway the vote in our favour,” Elva said, still facing the black void where the bed should be. “It’d save her.” Her fingers brushed against my aura before she sighed and dropped her hand.
“If he changes his mind? I don’t trust that Hunter won’t try to remove him from the council if he finds out. He’ll replace Malachi with someone else who wants her gone,” I argued.
Ig huffed. “I never had you down for one with paranoia.”
“Grayson,” Malachi called my name, redirecting my attention to him.
“You’ve delivered your news. You can take your intentions and leave now.” I turned away, ready to tell the others that they were free to go.
“Ask,” Malachi said. The room stilled and my nostrils flared as I took in a shaky breath. “You know of my gift. Ask,” he repeated.
“No.”
