Page 13 of Darkness and Deceit
Simon exhales slowly, like he’s bracing for whatever comes next, and quietly blaming himself for it.
Vaughn rises with a groan, raking a hand through his hair. “Well. Time to disappoint our beloved headmistress. Again.”
He tries for a smirk, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
And even though none of us say it aloud, I feel it—all of us do.
We’re not being summoned for answers.
We’re being reminded who’s in control.
But here’s the thing about control…
It only works if we’re still afraid.
And I stopped being afraid hours ago.
Five
LILITH
It’s tooquiet in Bennett’s office.
And it’s not peaceful. No, it’sstrategic.The kind of quiet that feels curated. Staged. Like the silence is another one of her tricks, designed to see which of us cracks first.
She’s staring at me. Not us.Me.
Like I’m the loose thread she’s still deciding whether to pull or cut.
The others are positioned around the room. Simon seated beside me, posture rigid, hands folded too carefully on his lap like he’s restraining every sharp word he wants to say. Vaughn’s in the corner, slouched like usual, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his thigh.
And Kai stands by the door, eyes sweeping the corners of the room, like he’s memorizing every way out.
We’re not talking. But the room is saying plenty.
Bennett leans back in her chair like a queen on a throne. Her face is smooth, her posture regal, but there’s an ageless sharpness in her gaze. Like she’s lived through more than any of us could imagine and come out colder for it.
Dark hair streaked with silver frames her face and there’s a stillness to her that feels older, though it’s hard to tell. Since Protectors and Keepers are touched by the Balance we tend to age differently.
She’s staring at me like I’ve shifted the gravity in the room—and the boys followed suit. Like she’s measuring how tightly they cling to my side… and calculating how long it’ll take to pull them away.
“I would’ve expected one of you to speak by now,” Bennett says finally, her tone bored like she’s scolding a group of underperforming students instead of interrogating four people with enough magic to level half the grounds.
“We’re listening,” Simon says quietly.
But there’s weight in the words. A threat, maybe. A warning.
Bennett’s gaze shifts to him. Holds. “Are you, Mr. Blake?” She doesn’t address him as Simon like usual. Interesting. “Or are you waiting for me to say something you can argue with?”
Simon doesn’t blink. “Depends on what you say.”
There’s a pause. A crackle in the stillness.
“I think we all know why we’re here,” she continues. “The forest. The incident. The Keepers.” Her gaze returns to me. “You’ve stirred up quite a storm, Miss Knight.”
“I didn’t stir anything,” I reply. “I was surviving.”
From my right, Vaughn lets out a low, sharp breath—something between a scoff and a laugh. “‘Surviving,’” he echoes, shaking his head. “Is that what we’re calling it now? Because from where I stood, it looked more like you were being hunted. Question is—by who? And why?”
