So turning people is out of the question, and horrible anyway. “They stacked this against us.”
Lily scribbles. “It might feel that way, but that just means we have to find an unconventional way to get through it. That's the hunter creed.”
“Unconventional way?” Is Lily changing her mind about wanting to leave the family business?
She keeps drawing. “There's always a way. Look what we did to Dominic. He got out, but it was going to happen anyway, and even if he overtook the new coven, the Convening would have ended him for breaking Trueblood law.”
“Then he just wanted revenge,” Riley says, staring into the air and then at the bookshelf behind me.
He's changed, too. Riley no longer refers to Dominic as his father. Perhaps his stronger blood has cleared his mind in that department, too.
But I'm still struggling.
“So, this unconventional way,” I say. “What do we do to make sure we're voted in?”
Riley sits up straighter. He's rocking that military posture.
“You need to look in control,” Lily says. “That means the Nightsides stay in the background and look submissive while you're all there, through the entire event, whatever it is. I'm sure that it'll be a long event, since Truebloods are into luxury and the finer things in life.”
“Can confirm,” Riley says.
I scoot closer to Riley. “Do I need to look like the servant?”
“Yes,” Riley says, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close. “It sucks, but you must convince everyone that you're harmless and not my girlfriend. The only Trueblood who knows of your power is in exile, along with his entire coven, and his word won't stand up to the High Council. Anything he says will get thrown out. But that doesn't mean the High Council won't suspect you, especially with my situation.”
I gulp. “Exactly.”
“So, no new Truebloods,” Riley says, eyeing the enormous volume in front of him. “And a bunch of Nightsides who need to look as if they're under control. Unfortunately, we’ll be there with some covens who don’t tolerate Nightsides at all.”
“Yikes,” I say, mouth dry.
“We'll need to wow all the pro-Nightside covens,” Riley says. “Their votes should outnumber the anti-Nightside ones.”
“This sounds encouraging,” I say.
Riley just nods. “We'll call a meeting later to prep everyone for their roles.”
“Whoever the killer is won't like that,” I say. “The Originator could make you look bad at the Convening and then flee, leaving us to die for all we know. We've got to weed him out before we go.”
Lily lifts her head from her notebook. “We don't even have any suspects anymore.”
She's worried, which gets me even more worried. It's a real problem, and I know full well the Originator, who spouted that Nightside Prophecy stuff to Dominic, will already be plotting his own way to throw us to the High Council while ensuring his own escape. He's already shown that he hates Riley, and all Truebloods by extension. But what is his plan for me?
I don't know yet.
And he's close. He's got to be.
“So we double down on finding this guy,” I say. “The only person who might have an idea who he is is, well, Dad. He hinted at it, and now he's gone.”
“Then we find him,” Lily says. “Hunters are trackers. We're trained to find people. And your dad needs to clear the air, preferably away from the Originator.”
My throat closes at the thought of Dad just running away after he spilled the truth about wanting Edward to die so he couldn't help the Beaumonts storm Moon's Peak and kill us all.
“So we do that,” Riley says. “Lily, that job will need to fall on you. And while you're doing that, Olivia trains, and harder than she ever has. She’ll surprise them.”
“You think so?” I want to believe him, and that we're going to get through this together.
“Yes,” he says. “But you're going to have to push yourself to the limit, and work towards controlling those High Council vampires.” He grips my arms and squeezes, and I feel the desperation in them, the will to survive and do whatever it takes.
Riley struggled to speak those words. And I know he doesn't want to lose me to corruption. That the last thing he wants is for me to turn into a monster.
“We can't run?” I ask.
Riley shakes his head. “They'll find us. It's happened before. And some of your powers may not be as bad as you think they are. There are other ways to control people than force. Look at what your dad did to you.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“He convinced you he was some stranger come to teach you how to defend yourself,” Riley says. “Remember? You looked right at him and had no idea that he was actually your dad.”
Oh.
I nod, still angry that he hid his identity for so long, almost as if he were ashamed of giving me the Nightside mutation.
“I can look like someone else?” I ask Riley and Lily.
“You can alter perceptions,” Riley says. “You did it once, when you were breaking me out of the dungeon. Your abilities go past just controlling people. And I doubt altering perceptions has the highest risk of you going corrupted and power hungry.”
I swallow, feeling as if I'm sealing my fate. “Then I’ll face it, then. I'll go in there, look harmless, and let my full power fly.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Go in there. Look harmless. And, as Riley suggested, look like someone else entirely.
Easy, right?
I've never tried to convince anyone that I look different, that I'm someone other than Olivia, because I scare myself. But I know that Dad did it on me for a while, and if that worked on me, then I can convince other Nightsides
