“The Circle has voted and agreed. King Cyrus and I will be taking Grace home with us to the Vampire Court.”
Huh. Turns out I definitely heard that…even though I wish I hadn’t.
91
Family Feud Has
Nothing on Us
“Fuck, no!” Everything within Hudson instantly repudiates his mother’s words. Then again, everything inside me does the same thing.
“Don’t worry, Grace. I won’t let that happen,” Jaxon whispers as his hand tightens on mine, but I only vaguely register his words.
I think I’m in shock. My palms are sweaty, but I can’t hear my heartbeat anymore. It’s pounding so fast, it’s just one continuous hum in my head.
“It was a grave and difficult decision,” Cyrus takes the microphone back and adds. “But in a four-four decision—with my lead vote breaking the tie—the Circle has agreed that we must take Grace back home to London with us, where we can train her to defend herself, and protect her until she can protect herself.”
The audience of students begins to clap at his words, though not as enthusiastically as before, but he doesn’t seem to notice or mind. “I know you all care for Grace as we do, and I am so glad you agree that this rare creature, this new hope for our battered world, must be guarded at all costs.”
“You can’t do that!” Jaxon growls at his father.
Cyrus turns from the mic and tells his son in a low, contemptuous voice, “Stay quiet, boy. You won’t like what lies down that road if you don’t.”
“I don’t care—” Jaxon starts, but he breaks off when I squeeze his hand hard enough to almost break it. Because Hudson is yammering in my head, screaming at me to stop Jaxon, that he has another plan.
Cyrus takes Jaxon’s pause as acceptance and turns back to his audience and continues his speech, but I’m not paying attention to what he says.
“Wait,” I whisper to my mate. “Just give Hudson a second to talk to me.”
“Hudson?” Jaxon asks, his face twisted in disbelief. “You’re going to believe him? My parents’ perfect little minion?”
“It’s not like that,” I tell him, but when he starts to argue, I hold up a surreptitious hand to stop him.
“Challenge for inclusion,” Hudson tells me. “Do it loud and make sure it’s on the record.”
Inclusion? What’s that?
“Just do it before they close the assembly. You don’t have much time.”
“Wait,” I shout, and Cyrus turns, a furious set to his normally placid face at being openly challenged.
I take a deep breath. Am I really going to trust Hudson?
“Do you have a choice?” he huffs.
I don’t. So I shout out as loudly and as clearly as I can, “I challenge for inclusion.”
And the room goes eerily quiet. Oh fuck. What have I done?
“The only thing you could,” Hudson replies, but he’s not looking at me. He’s looking directly at his father, a sly smile curving his lips, like he just called checkmate before his dad even knew he was on the board.
“Inclusion?” Cyrus hisses at me with murder in his eyes.
His reaction only spurs me on. “Yes,” I say again. “I challenge for inclusion.”
“On what grounds?” he demands as the other members of the Circle start to exchange looks.
Yeah, Hudson, on what grounds?
“On the grounds that gargoyles have a rightful seat on the Circle and held one all the way up until their extermination. But don’t use that word because it will just set my father off more.”
What? That’s what inclusion is? I’m calling for a seat on the Circle? I don’t want that!
“It’s that or live in my parents’ dungeon forever. I’ve spent a lot of time down there myself, and I have to say, it’s not a place you want to call home.”
“On what grounds?” Cyrus thunders again, and when I don’t immediately answer, he gives a twisted little smirk and turns back around to face the audience. “Inclusion den—”
“Gargoyles are an equal ruling faction on the Circle by law,” I tell him. “Now that a gargoyle exists again, I have the right to representation. And since I am the only gargoyle in existence, I challenge for inclusion.”
The other Circle members exchange another look, and some of them—like Flint’s parents—are nodding. Even Delilah looks a little pained.
“Do you even know what the challenge is?” he demands.