Page 50 of Tear of Destiny

“You took your time,” I grumble.

He turns to me and says with a wink, “Which makes you all themore pleased to see me.”

I roll my eyes and follow him to the buffet table. I’m acutely aware that most of the guests are still watching me, but they seem to have satisfied their initial curiosity.

Alessandro selects a couple of pastries and hands one to me. Then we help ourselves to drinks and stand at the end of the room where it’s a little quieter.

“You’re doing well,” he says quietly. “I can imagine it’s not the most comfortable situation for you.”

“Mostly, I’m wondering what happens after this party,” I reply quietly. “Will the Council now want to meet with me regularly to assess where I’m at with my gift and figure out what training I need?”

“No, don’t worry about that,” says a voice beside me.

I turn around to see Mr. Cunningham approaching me and smiling.

“Sorry, I know it’s impolite to eavesdrop.”

“It’s okay,” I reply, not knowing what else to say.

He turns slightly away from me and Alessandro and surveys the room. “It can be pretty intimidating suddenly being the center of attention when you don’t know what’s expected of you.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“But don’t worry. This is not about interrogating you or finding out whether you can be useful to us.”

I raise my eyebrows incredulously, and he laughs.

“Well, for some of us, such as myself, it’s about something else entirely. We want to get to know you and earn your trust. We want you to know that you can depend on the Tempes Council and that you can come to us for help when you need it. We want you to feel you can be open with us and share your fears and concerns but also your desires and plans. Obviously, we hope that you’ll someday join the hunters. You’d be incredibly valuable in that capacity with your gift. But until then, you needpeople you can rely on in your corner. And that’s what we want to be.”

“Mr. Collins said the Council would help me master my gift and provide someone to support me in that. I understand there are a few Council members who have put themselves forward,” I say frankly.

Mr. Cunningham nods. “That’s right; in fact, I’ve put myself forward as a point of contact for you. I’ve known a number of Tempes with gifts and had the privilege of learning from them. So I hope to make myself available to you for advice. But I don’t see it as the kind of training that you show up for once a week. I’d simply like to function as a confidant, someone you can approach with any questions or concerns. But that kind of relationship needs time to develop first. What’s important to me is that you know the Council won’t leave you out in the cold. But as I said, it hasn’t yet been decided who your support person will be.”

I have the feeling that things have already been set in motion and that there won’t be any major changes – not if Mr. Cunningham gets his way. And I have no doubt that he can make it happen.

I’m lost for words because I really wasn’t expecting an offer like this. I figured they’d try to harness me into the machinery that serves the Tempes.

“I understand your skepticism,” he continues, scrutinizing me. “You don’t know us, and you don’t know our aims and motivations. So I suppose it’s only natural to assume that we’re not interested in the wellbeing of the individual. But rest assured, that’s not the case. We recognize your value as someone who possesses a gift but also your value as a person. And we hope we’ll be able to help you.”

“That’s kind of you,” I say, although I’m still unsure what to make of this conversation.

He nods slowly. “Give yourself time, and try not to view this as an event where you’re being evaluated. It’s actually the other way around. The idea is for you to get to know us better, form a picture of who we are, and eventually decide who you’d like to have as your contact person moving ahead.”

Well, the picture I have of the Council members so far isn’t exactly pretty. Although I have to admit that Mr. Cunningham is an exception.

“Your expression reminds me of my granddaughter when she’s not in the best mood. I take that to mean that your first impression of the Council isn’t exactly rosy.”

Alessandro gestures dismissively. “You know my brother and his bizarre ideas. And then she had to deal with the Montrells. It actually could have been a lot worse.”

“So much for promising me an enjoyable party,” I grumble quietly.

“Oh, it will be. Hey, I’m here now.”

“You can certainly count on Mr. Fabrici in that regard,” Mr. Cunningham acknowledges with a wry smile. “Maybe you should mingle with the younger people. Then you might find the evening more stimulating, and at the same time, you can get to know some prospective Council members. It’s always advantageous to have an eye toward the future. My granddaughter is here tonight by the way. I’m sure you two will get along well.”

I falter. So Claire is here. I get a sinking feeling because I don’t think I’m ready to see her again – the girl who Ayden obviously has feelings for.

“I… I met her in school. We don’t know each other personally, but I know who she is.”

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