Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Author:Leigh Fallon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2013-07-08T22:00:00+00:00

Seventeen

REUNION

Chloe led me upstairs to a pretty room decorated all in white with small blue and pink flowers on the bedspread and curtains. There was a pair of pajamas laid out on the bed, and a fire was crackling away in the small white fireplace.

“You knew we’d stay,” I said.

“It was more like wishful thinking.” Chloe turned away, not meeting my eyes. “Áine, you’re in here.” She pushed the door open to a room just across from mine. “Adam, Rían, you’re down here.” She walked to the end of the corridor and pushed two doors open. “Take your pick.”

Cú stood at the top of the stairs. “Breakfast is in the dining room at seven a.m. sharp. We took the liberty of setting the alarms in your rooms. Sleep well.”

Rían went into his room and slammed the door.

Adam leaned down and kissed my cheek, whispering, “See you in a few minutes.”

I closed the door softly behind me and got into pajamas. I stood in front of the fire, warming my cold feet and trying to sort through everything that had happened. There was a soft tap on the door. I looked over expecting to see Adam’s face, but it was Chloe.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“A chance to explain.”

I glared into the flames. “I defended you. When everyone doubted you, I was the one who convinced them otherwise. Do you have any idea how stupid I feel?”

“I thought you might understand. I thought we could still be friends.”

“You thought wrong,” I said, glancing at her. “I trusted you, and you used that against me.” I moved toward her. “I’m sick of being the weak one, the one who has to be protected.”

“Trust is not a weakness, Megan. It’s what makes you strong.”

“Tell that to Rían. Because going on that theory, he hasn’t got much strength left in him.”

Her bottom lip trembled. “What I feel for Rían is real. I . . . I just . . . if the Knights found out about him and me, I’d lose my star and my place among them.”

“After your earlier display, they have to all be guessing.”

She shook her head. “No! They’d never believe I’d cross that line.”

“And yet you did.”

“I had to. Cú told me to do everything in my power to maneuver you to where we needed you.”

“You really don’t care who you hurt as long as you get what you want, do you?”

“It wasn’t about what I wanted. It’s what’s best for the Marked and for the Knights. Don’t you see that?”

“All I see is a heartless liar who betrayed her friends, her boyfriend, and even her own kind.”

“That’s not true! What I did, I did with honor. The Cup of Truth would have exposed me if it were not the case. The Knights are my family. They’re all I’ve known since Cú took me in. It hurts so much to lie to them, but it is for the greater good.”

“So what do you want from me? Permission to toss Rían

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