Then I almost lose it, with my power rising and filling my head. My ears ring and I eye the cabin, a nice place with a balcony and those super tall windows. Dad has a hideout here, and it's fancy. He could have come back and told me. He must know Riley and I are having a hard time, even if he knows zip about the Convening.
Dad hurries uphill, but I now that we're alone in the woods, I hyper-focus on him so hard that he stops.
That’s what I want.
Riley and I pause on the trail, now about a hundred feet behind him.
Dad turns.
And I allow the image of an empty trail, and the homeless girl, to drop away.
Dad blinks as he realizes that Riley and I are standing on the trail, and then his jaw drops.
“Surprise,” I say.
I can make Dad march over here right now, but I don't. He caused my outbursts, yes, but it's my responsibility to control them. We need answers. We need him to tell us, right now, who the killer is. Dad must have some idea, even if he denied it to the hunters. Of course, the Originator would have made Dad keep his silence.
“Olivia?” Dad bursts. He shakes his head and backs towards the cabin. “You can’t be here.”
“And neither can you,” I say as Riley and I step forward together. “The Beaumonts are around here, you know.”
Riley's determined to be the man here, though. He glares at Dad, who is doing nothing to disguise himself. “Why did you just leave? Did you know our coven is about to get judged by the High Council? And that if we're found not worthy, they'll kill us?” Despite the gravity of the situation, Riley keeps his voice level.
I wait for the shock, hoping, praying, that Dad had no idea.
But none comes across his face.
“I'm sorry that you're in charge right now,” Dad says. “That's not how I meant for things to happen, but you know how old the killer is.”
“Huh?” I shake my head. “We don't even know who the killer is!”
Dad's eyes widen. “You don't? But I told you and the hunters while I was standing there in that ring.” He pales as he eyes the trees beside him. “You don't remember at all? Then he's more dangerous than I thought, and he's manipulating everything behind the scenes. You were smart to get away from Moon's Peak.”
Dad thinks that he told us?
“What the hell?” Riley asks, scratching his head. “Are you saying the killer warped our minds during that?”
My heart soars. Dad never meant to leave us in this. The killer wanted to do that himself. I let my anger calm down from a raging sea to a choppy one. And worse, the Originator made us all think Dad told us he had no clue who this monster is.
A chill rushes over me. “We have to weed out this guy before the Convening because he's got something planned, and he wants to drive me and Riley apart.” Dad wasn't trying to rip us apart after all. Or was he? The killer has made it impossible to tell reality from fiction. “Who is it?”
But Dad looks to the side, and motions for me and Riley to duck off the trail. “They're here!”
I've taken my senses off the woods and put all my focus on Dad.
“Riley!” Addie shouts from the direction of the cabin.
The front door is open, and she stands inside, both hands on the door frame.
Addie is standing in the cabin that Dad was about to enter.
Dad looks to her. “Stay back. Leave her alone. That's the deal.”
“The deal?” I shout.
Dad is working with the Beaumonts? What the hell?
“Olivia,” he says, both hands up. “You two have to leave. I can't protect Riley. Go. Now! And you can't come back.”
Underbrush crashes around us.
And I know that we're under attack.
“Kill him!” Addie shouts into the trees.
Addie rushes down the steps in a lightning motion, a blur of blond and purple, and then several dark figures—more than I've ever handled—burst from the trees and onto the trail. Trueblood men in leather jackets snarl at Riley, curling their hands into claws. A Trueblood woman—is that the lady who invited me into the mansion for that terrifying dinner?—circles behind Riley, raising a wicked knife.
“Riley!” I shout.
But he's already on it. He whirls, kicking the knife from her grasp, and he shoves the Beaumont woman into a tree with so much force that it cracks.
Everything bursts into motion. I lose track of Dad, who doesn't join the fight, and I wrap my mental influence around the closest guy while Riley turns to deal with Addie herself.
We're facing her down again, and she bares her fangs at her former cousin, eyes deep and crimson. “You stole Father's blood,” she says. “That's punishable by death!”
She lunges, but I can't help Riley. Another Trueblood man seizes my arm, pulling me to the side. Then a leather-clad arm wraps around my throat from behind, cutting off my air. He whirls me to face Riley. Addie's produced a dagger that shines like silver—it just may be silver—and she's swinging it at Riley, missing his throat by inches. Riley dodges as ten other Truebloods gather around, watching the fight. I recognize the growling guy from back at school. One girl Addie shopped with. They're all back and they want revenge.
They laugh.
Despite Riley's grace, he's outnumbered.
And Dad has vanished.
Why isn't he stopping this? He can help me control these Truebloods.
Has he joined the Beaumonts? But that's impossible.
I pull against the guy as Addie advances on Riley, and two Trueblood men approach him from behind.
“R—” I start, but my captor squeezes harder. Spots dance in my vision. I can't focus on my power, can't even focus on anything other than getting air into my lungs. Riley is going to die in front of me, and there's nothing I can do.
A small spark of rage ignites in my chest, spreading heat and pressure.
It's not much, but
