August's brow arched slightly. “Did this so-called ‘emergency situation’ have anything to do with the arrest of Cherry Beaumont?”
“Yes.”
“I thought as much. I received a phone call from our liaison at the Blackthorne police department a few minutes ago,” August said. He moved a little closer, hands clasped behind his back again. “He told me all about the situation.”
“Then you understand it was necessary to—”
August cut Julian off again. “Not another word.”
The command cracked through the room like a whip, and I flinched despite myself.
“I know something is amiss here. Something between the two of you,” August went on, eyes narrowing. “I’ve suspected it for some time, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. So I’m convening an emergency Council session. Now.” He briefly paused, looking between us. “You'll both be questioned. Separately. And from this moment on, you will not see or speak to each other until I say otherwise. I won't have you concocting some convenient cover story together.”
My stomach dropped. I shot Julian a panicked glance, but his expression remained carefully neutral.
“That’s completely understandable, given the circumstances,” he said to his father. Then he looked at me, and I saw something flicker in his eyes. “It’ll be fine, Violet. Tellthem the whole truth. Just like you told Cherry the whole truth tonight.”
I blinked, mind whirling. Then I nodded slowly, holding his gaze.Message received.
August's cold smile returned. “We'll speak with you first, Violet.” He gestured toward the door with unsettling courtesy. “I do hope your story matches whatever my son has to say afterward, for both your sakes.”
Fifteen minutes later,I was escorted into the Dionysus Council chamber. It felt like walking into a cathedral built for judgment rather than worship.
The room was cavernous, with vaulted ceilings that disappeared into shadow and stone walls that absorbed most of the candlelight flickering from mounted sconces. Eight senior Councilmen sat in high-backed leather chairs arranged in a semicircle, their faces grave and unreadable in the dim light.
I was introduced to each of them in turn.
August and Damien Valcourt sat at the center; two sides of the same coin. August with his predatory sharpness, Damien with silver hair and hawkish features that somehow looked even more severe. Flanking them were the others: Rockwell, whose cold gray eyes tracked my every movement like a scientist observing a specimen; Prentice, distinguished with a neatly trimmed white beard; Pontellier, lean and sharp-featured; Marsden, who looked vaguely annoyed to be awake at this hour; Wellington, carefully neutral; and Bellamy, the youngest of them, though still decades older than me.
Once the introductions were over, silence fell. All eight of the men watched me like judges presiding over a trial where the verdict had already been decided.
I forced myself to stand straighter, even though I felt like a rabbit surrounded by wolves.
“Miss Calloway,” August finally said, his tone deceptively pleasant. “Thank you for coming at such a late hour.”
As if I had any choice in the matter,I thought, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes.
“Do you mind if we address you as Violet?”
“Not at all,” I said evenly.
“Good.” He leaned forward slightly. “Your Selection and subsequent presence on this estate have been a contentious matter for some time. Are you aware of that?”
My throat suddenly felt tight. “Julian has told me a little about it, but only very recently.”
“You’re also aware of the reason we’ve brought you in here, I presume.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir. I broke the rule about leaving the estate during training,” I said. “I’m very sorry for that, but if you’ll let me explain—”
“We'll get to that,” Rockwell cut in, his gray eyes boring into me. “Right now, we'd like you to tell us about your relationship with Julian Valcourt. From the moment you met him to the events that transpired tonight. Leave nothing out.”
I took a slow breath, organizing my thoughts. This was like the Eleusinian ritual all over again. Every word mattered, every detail would be scrutinized.
“I first met Julian near the beginning of the semester at BHU,” I began. “Though ‘met’ is probably not the right word, because we didn’t really speak or get to know each other. We just happened to be in a couple of the same classes, so we’d occasionally say hi or wave if we saw each other.Our relationship at that point could only be described as acquaintances.”
Pontellier dipped his chin in a nod. “Go on.”
“When the Selection hunt happened, I was terrified, because I had no idea what it was all about. I’d only heard the rumors.” I let some genuine emotion seep into my voice. “But after Julian captured me and brought me here, and everything was explained to me during the first few days of training, I understood. That's when we started getting to know each other.” I paused. “After a while, he introduced me to his brother Roman. They’re very close, so it was important to him that we met.”
