Gabriella Poole - Blood Ties (Darke Academy)

Ranjit’s room was on the fifth floor, but she reached it barely out of breath. That was Estelle again. She was beginning to know how

much she relied on Estelle. How much she needed and appreciated that powerful presence.

She didn’t bother to knock. When she burst in, Ranjit was just pulling off his shirt and the shower was running. In nothing but his

designer jeans, he stared at her dumbfounded. His smile, when it came, was forced, trying to cover something else.

‘Well. This is unexpected but nice—’ He stopped short as soon as he saw Cassie’s furious expression.

She took a ragged breath. ‘What happened to you?’

‘Your Council meeting. I know it was tonight—’

‘So where were you, Ranjit? I waited for you!’

Screwing his expensive shirt into a ball, he twisted it between his fingers. His gaze darted over her shoulder at the door, then back to her.

‘There was … Something came up – something that meant I couldn’t come, Cassie. I wanted to tell you, honestly I did, but if—’

‘Not good enough!’ She was too angry to cry. ‘You promised. You said you’d be there!’

‘And I wanted to, more than anything. Please, Cassie, you have to believe me. But I—’

‘I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear what was more important, OK? I just want you to know,’ – she swallowed hard – ‘that you

might not have seen me again.’

Ranjit sank down on to the bed, shoving his hair out of his eyes as he stared up at her. The room was filling with steam, but he didn’t

move to turn off the shower. When he spoke, his voice was shaky. ‘What happened?’

‘Ms Brigitte Svensson was in the chair,’ spat Cassie. ‘And I avoided the Confine by one vote.’

‘Cassie. Oh, God, Cassie. I didn’t know it was her. I wasn’t told … Listen—’

‘No! I don’t want to listen. You left me to face that alone. So now, you owe me some answers, Ranjit. The Confine – what is it?’

‘The Confine …’ He stood up, pacing the room. She couldn’t help watching, her gaze drawn to his damp, naked torso. Yesterday she’d

have been leaping on him like a tiger. Yesterday she’d have eaten him alive, in a good way.

But now she felt numbed by the leaden weight in her chest. ‘The Confine, Ranjit.’

He half-glanced at her. ‘Didn’t they tell you?’

‘It sounded like a prison to me, but apparently my feeble understanding of a prison is not what this Confine is. So maybe you can explain

it?’

‘It’s – listen, you don’t have to go there, right? Just try and put it out of your mind.’

‘I don’t have to go!’ she yelled, tears stinging her eyes. ‘But Jake does!’

‘Jake?’ Ranjit scraped his hands through his black hair, damp from the steam.

‘Yes, Jake! He’s been sentenced to the Confine. I heard them! I doubled back after they sent me out and I heard them!’

‘You eavesdropped? On the Council?’

‘You bet your bloody life I eavesdropped!’ She sighed. ‘Ranjit, you have to help me now. What are we going to do?’

Swiftly, as if making a decision, he seized her arms and gazed into her eyes. ‘Nothing. We’re going to do nothing, Cassie. We can’t go

against the Council.’

For a fraction of a second she was stupefied. ‘What?’

‘Listen to me. What the Council told you was true – the Confine isn’t like a prison, it’s more like a … a luxury hotel. It’s where the Elders

keep people who know too much about the Few and can’t be trusted to keep quiet. Jake won’t be a prisoner. He’ll be a guest, Cassie, a

guest of the Few.’

She stared at him, unable to believe her ears. ‘A guest for ever? A guest who can’t choose to leave?’

‘Well, yes, but—’

‘That is a prisoner, Ranjit!’

Lost for words, she slumped on to the bed. Hesitantly he moved beside her, stroking her cheek. His fingers trembled, as if he was

reluctant to touch her but couldn’t help himself. Despite the steam, she shivered.

‘Cassie, there’s nothing we can do. I’m sorry.’

She couldn’t look at his face so instead she focused again on his lean, muscled chest. It meant nothing; she felt nothing. Must be shock.

Quietly she said, ‘I haven’t told you the worst.’

‘What? What else could there be?’

‘Brigitte. And a man called Vaughan. He’s FBI – Isabella and I saw him taking Jake away – but he’s also Few. One of the Elders. They’re

planning to double-cross the Council.’

Ranjit laughed. ‘I’d like to see them try.’

‘You damn well will, then! They’ve done it before! What Brigitte is planning for Jake – I overheard that too. They have a whole system in

place. It sounds horrible, Ranjit. Horrible. She takes people from the Confine to something called the Living Soil.’