Page 68 of A Sea of Secrets
When we were done, I pulled her close, letting her sag against my body as I held her tight.
“I think,” she said between pants, “we had a pretty good workout.”
“Pretty good?” I said in mock indignance. “Is that all?”
She smiled and nestled into my stomach. “The best. One I hope we can repeat many, many times from now.”
My heart did a stupid little jump at that sentence, that word popping into my head once again. But for now, I kept my mouth shut and held the most important thing I’d ever claimed for myself. I would have been content to stay there for a long while, but Fallon’s cuff buzzed, and her face paled as she looked at it.
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Jeremiah,” she said, her brow knitting together. “He’s requested a meeting in his office.”
ThefacesofpassingPotentials blurred together as I made my way down the dormitory staircase and out into the fresh air. I’d thought of flying to blow off some nerves, but I needed the time to clear my head and get into that deadly calm I’d descended to so many times in my life.
Before making my way to Jeremiah’s office, I’d told the guys, of course, which had only made them all want to jump on their white horses and ride to the rescue. But I’d argued that would only complicate things if there was no evil intent behind this meeting. We all knew the chances of that were slim, but even if it was a trap, it would be easier to deal with Jeremiah quickly and quietly. If they had their way, they’d mutilate him beyond reason and alert the whole freaking school in the process. Fair enough, but it was my time for vengeance, and I was doing this my way.
The nice Fallon couldn’t answer the phone right now. It was time to put on my game face. The one Victoria and my father had instilled in me. The one I hated but relied on.
I slammed the door of the building open, then strode down the hall with confident steps. If Jeremiah wanted a faceoff, that’s what he’d damn well get. I raised my hand to knock on his door, but it opened before I had the chance.
“Fallon,” Jeremiah said, his handsome face a picture of calm. His green eyes shone bright, his short brown hair perfectly styled.
I wondered how many times he’d practised that easy smile of his. It was so welcoming, so gratifying, but I knew a snake hid beneath that lovely facade. I just had to get him to shed his skin so I could see therealJeremiah.
“Master,” I replied sweetly. “To what do I owe thepleasureof meeting with you today?”
His smile deepened. “Please, take a seat.” I did as he asked, keeping a fake smile pasted on my face. “It’s been brought to my attention that you and your friends have been undertaking some extracurricular activities.”
My heart rate increased, but I said nothing. If Noah’s investigations into Jeremiah weren’t enough to convince me of his hand in my sister’s death and House Jupiter’s shady dealings, this meeting was. Aside from class, I’d had nothing to do with the Master, and that’s the way I’d liked it. What could he possibly want with me, other than to remove a threat from his grand plans? Whatever they were.
We still didn’t know how deep his dealings with my father truly went, nor how involved he was with the kidnappings of Terrulians throughout the country. But he had been a contact for Mark, may that prick not rest in peace, and he was either the assassin on these grounds—and murderer of my sister—or was an accomplice to the person who was.
Either way, he was going to suffer for his involvement and I was going to get my answers. First, I just needed to take a little gamble, maybe even throw an accusation out there and read his reaction.
“I know you killed my sister, Jeremiah. Along with all those other Potentials.”
“You have no proof, Fallon.” He leaned on the desk and steepled his fingers. “It is a shame, though, what happened to your sister.”
My blood heated as every instinct in me demanded I kill him. He hadn’t admitted it, but I could tell by the smirk on his face that he was guilty. “It was you,” I said softly. It took every effort to put a stopper on my rage and force myself to remain still. “I’m impressed, Jeremiah. I didn’t pick you for the type to get your hands dirty.”
He clicked his tongue. “Victoria was going mad near the end, perhaps it is a family trait.”
“Say another word about Victoria and I’ll cut out your tongue and feed it to you.” The voice that came out of my mouth was two octaves shy of demonic. To hear him say such things about my sister. To hear him even breathe her name… Oh, I was going to enjoy taking my time with him.
Jeremiah’s hand moved under the desk, but not before I caught a flash of silver. Did he really think I hadn’t noticed him palm the letter opener?
“You want to kill me, but it’s in your best interest to hear my proposal first before you do something you might regret.”
“Every syllable uttered from your mouth is poison,” I hissed. “Why would I waste another moment breathing it in?”
“We are on the same side here, Fallon.”
“I’ll never side with you.”
“Very well.” His lovely face twisted with delight. “I didn’t want to do it this way, but you leave me no choice. If threats arewhat motivate you then so be it. You’re forgetting who I work for. Whose power I have at my disposal. House Jupiter weeds out the weak, no? I could have your boyfriends executed at the click of a finger. Or perhaps those two little lovebirds you call friends. Or maybe that skinny guy… Dick, is it? Gods only know how he survived the trials. But you get my point.”
“If you lay a finger on a single hair on their heads, I swear—”
