Elemental Hunger

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Time for dinner," the Unmanifested man said, wrenching the pen from my fingers. The signed contract disappeared, swept up by Councilman Davison as he passed. The room emptied in a matter of seconds and swishing purple robes, with only Susanna lingering in the doorway.

I stayed in the same position, frozen and shocked.

Reason: I'd chosen Adam without time to think. My fingers just sort of did it. But Hanai—

"It will be okay, Firemaker." Susanna sounded like she wanted to smooth the rift between my Council and hers. "Davison has told me much about you. We believe you will be able to enact the changes we need. Don't give up yet."

I nodded before the door clicked closed. I wondered how long I had before anyone would notice I was gone. Could I go downstairs, and never come back up? I could find my way back to the orchard and the warehouse. Felix would be delighted to see me, I was sure.

If I ran, no one on my Council would have to go to Tarpulin. I could carry out Davison's mission by myself.

"Gabby."

I buried the thoughts of abandoning my friends, lit my fingertips, and turned from the conference table. Hanai's dark eyes reflected the firelight back to me. His cheeks looked sunken in, his shoulders tense.

"What's wrong?" Apprehension filled my tired mind. With only minutes until dinner and then the chartering after that, I hoped Hanai wasn't here to tell me that we couldn't complete the ceremony.

He glanced over his shoulder. "I think Adam's still a sentry." The words barely carried between us. Inside, my fire leaped. I stood there, trying to breathe and think at the same time. Hanai put one hand on my shoulder. His touch smoldered. I pushed back the memory of his mouth on mine.

"Still a sentry?" I repeated.

"I can feel his soul." Desperation filled Hanai's words. He retreated around the table, putting a respectable distance between us. "Councilman Kilpatrick, as your Unmanifested Councilmember, I'm advising you that Adam is not who he says he is."

I stiffened at his formal Council speech. Something told me this concerned more than how his soul felt about mine.

A thick ball of embers lodged in my stomach. Questions built in my mind about who Adam was, and what he'd been doing when he wasn't with us.

Fact: I'd chosen wrong. I didn't want the hot, striking guy who said what I wanted to hear. I wanted the one who provided the safety I needed in what was and would always be a tumultuous life.

Questions: Could I fix that? Could I change Adam's name to Hanai's?

"Who is he?" I asked, managing to subdue the rising fire.

He drew in a deep breath. "I think he's still a sentry. I felt a wave of deception so strong it lured me out of my bedroom. I followed the sensation until I was standing outside his door. He was talking to someone—someone not in the room."

I covered my mouth in astonishment, and so I wouldn't puke. "Adam had a phone?"

Hanai blinked, swallowed, and nodded.

"Holy infernos." I paced, trying to sort through what that meant. "Did you hear what he said?"

"I couldn't. He was talking really softly."

What I concluded: Adam was still a sentry. He'd met up with his buddies while I'd been here, worrying about him and pledging to Davison that I'd march to Tarpulin and lure the woman who wanted me dead out into the open. He could've gone willingly to the warehouse, made plans, and then had the other sentries beat him so it would look like he wasn't with them.

"His soul felt black. Emotionless."

Emotionless. Like a sentry. Like how I needed to feel.

I looked down into Hanai's desperate eyes. "Tell me what to do."

He pulled me into a hug that nearly broke my back, but didn't say anything.

"Let's stop the ceremony," I whispered. "Cat and Isaiah will understand."

Hanai held me at arm's length. "We can't. You need the protection of the charter. We all do." He took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder again.

"Adam could've killed us at any time on the way here. On the train, in the tunnels."

Hanai exhaled loudly. "You're right, but I think he needs the chartering protection too. Probably more than we know."

The fire inside clutched my heart with icy fingers. "He has said that more than once." I realized how desperate my voice sounded, but at this point, I'd grasp anything I could.

"I guess we'll find out." Hanai's meaningful gaze rested on me. Combined with everything else, I couldn't shoulder the weight of it.

"Hanai, I picked him," I blurted out. Tears formed in my eyes. "I'm sorry. Davison put me on the spot and—" I stopped, realizing that whatever I said would be classified as an excuse.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. "How am I supposed to deal with him? He'll know we're... he'll know who I picked—and trust me, he'll want to be alone."

A shadow crept across Hanai's face. As quickly as it came, it disappeared. Now he only looked as exhausted as I felt. "You'll have to pretend. Lie."

"I'm not good at that."

"You'll have to be." Hanai cupped my face in his palm. "I knew you wouldn't choose me."

He wasn't saying it was okay or even that he understood. Surely he didn't. Blazes, I didn't understand it. I thought he was trying to say that he simply wanted me to know I had two choices.

I honestly had no idea if I'd made the wrong choice.

Hanai linked his arm through mine and tugged me toward the door. "Let's go to dinner."