Part 13 (1/2)
”You two seem close.”
Blake stands. ”I'm not going to have this conversation with you.”
”Why not? We're not together. You can see who you want.”
His eyes get hard. ”Is it that easy?”
”You don't get to care how I feel, Blake. Anyway, I have bigger problems than who you're hooking up with at the moment.” My chest flutters with panic. If Portia is a Seventh Daughter and Blake is sleeping with her, have they bonded? The jealousy I thought I'd set aside is there at once, a parasite sucking my life's blood. But no, we almost bonded yesterday. I'm sure of it. He couldn't bond with both of us. I take a breath.
”The Sons landed in Dublin this morning,” Blake says. ”You have to leave.”
”I'm aligned with the Sons.”
”Not anymore.”
”Now more than ever. It's Portia I'm not so sure about.”
Blake's dimpled smile is there in an instant. It's mean to distract me. To mask the lie that follows. ”Why? She's the daughter of our leader.”
”She burnt down your house.” I enjoy saying this way more than I should. It wasn't me.
His smile falters. I stare at him, daring him to deny it. He looks at the ground, running a hand through his hair. ”What?”
”Portia is a bandia.”
When Blake looks up at me, his poker face is back in place. ”How did you figure it out?”
He already knows about Portia? He knows it wasn't me. He knows I didn't start the fire at Mallory's party. He knows and he wasn't planning on telling me.
I'm totally lost now. ”You knew? You knew it was Portia who burned down your house?”
”Not until last week. After you left, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. You were so adamant that it wasn't you. Then I remembered what you told the Sons during your induction, that you were a carrier of the Killian gene through Brom. And they never figured it out on their own. There could be others, right?”
It was exactly what I thought when I realized what Portia was. Blake is one step ahead of me. But it doesn't excuse the fact that Blake has known that it wasn't me who started that fire for over a week. Was he just going to keep letting me think that he still thought it was me? Or did he even care how I felt? Was he going to tell the Sons? Were they still hunting me?
Blake keeps talking. ”Everyone at Mal's party was a breeder, and it made sense to start with the people who were there when the fire broke out. I got Dr. McKay to show me the tests for each of the breeders. There are only a few first generations, and of those, Portia is the only girl.”
”So Portia was the only possible Seventh Daughter among the breeders.”
”Right. Plus both her parents were seventh generation under Killian, which meant that she could've received the Killian gene from her mother's side too.”
”And if Portia's mother got her Killian gene through Brom, as opposed to one of Killian's other children, then she was a sixth generation daughter of Danu.”
Mystery solved. Portia started the fire. Why didn't he tell me?
”Exactly. But it wasn't enough. I had to get closer.”
My mouth is dry. Is he trying to tell me that he is only dating Portia to find out the truth? ”You've been spying on her?”
He looks at the floor. ”I'm trying to help you. I still need proof.”
”So you were just going to hook up with Portia until when? You got proof?” I feel sick. ”And you weren't planning on telling me?”
”Because I knew you would freak out like this. And the less people who know the better. I need for Portia to trust me. If she knew I was here talking to you-”
I stand to face him. ”So you're worried about her feelings? You let me think I burned down your house. You let me think you didn't trust me.” I wish I had my powers right now. I've never wanted to strike him down more than I do right now.
Blake's eyes are dark. ”I didn't.”
Wow. It's nothing more than what I already knew. Still, it's like being hit with a flaming arrow straight through the heart and then having Blake rip it back out while I lay bleeding out in front of him.
The door opens with a bang. Austin stands in the doorway, his chest rising and falling with quick breaths. Two deep lines form at the bridge of his nose before he can mask it with a practiced look of haughty indifference. He turns to me. ”Are you okay?”
Blake looks from Austin to me and back again. ”What's he doing here?”
”He lives here.”
The vein on Blake's neck throbs so hard it looks like it's about to burst. ”You brought him back? I leave you alone for two f.u.c.king weeks and you brought this b.a.s.t.a.r.d back from the underworld so you could move in with him?”
”I didn't bring him back.” The only person I brought back was you. And look how well that's turned out.
”Then how is he here?”
Austin raises an eyebrow at Blake. ”Magic.”
”Spare me.” Blake's lip curls into a sneer when he turns toward me. ”Looks like your hero is here to whisk you away. Or make sure you kill me. I can't be sure which.”
”Stop it. Austin is helping me. You weren't here to do it. You're the one who sent me away.”
”So I could find the other bandia,” Blake growls. ”So you could sleep with her.”
Austin leans back against the wall, a smile playing on the corner of his lips.
Blake collapses on the couch. ”You have no idea what you're even talking about. You don't know Portia. She doesn't trust anyone. It's no wonder, given the secret she's been carrying. I had to get close to her in a hurry, okay?”
I can't believe he's trying to justify this. ”I know exactly what you're doing. It's the same thing you did to me.”
Blake's face goes white. ”It's not.”
I actually feel sorry for Portia. Blake is using her in the same way he used me, to gain information for the Sons. Maybe without the artificial closeness of the bond, Portia will see through him. I hope for her sake, she does.
Austin steps toward Blake. ”What secret is Portia carrying?”
Blake looks at me, fear in his eyes. ”You can't tell him.”
”I trust Austin.” I realize it's true. I don't know how it happened, but I trust him with this. Austin is on my side.
”Him?” Blake's green eyes flash with silver. ”Have you lost your mind? You know what he's capable of. What he's done.”
”I do.” I also know that Austin would never deliberately hurt me. Not now.