Gabriella Poole: Blood Ties (Darke Academy)

forward, drawing hungrily. The energy was incredible, irresistible, but that spinning vortex of hunger inside was sucking it into her with no

hesitation. Isabella’s skin paled to whiteness.

But Cassie was determined this time. She absolutely would not lose control. The sacrifice Isabella had just made meant she would not

allow it. After a moment, she forced herself to stop. It was over. She was so, so glad when it was over.

‘Jake …’ Cassie said hoarsely.

‘I know. It’s OK.’ Isabella’s voice was bleak.

Ashamed, Cassie clambered to her feet. But physically she felt stronger than ever. She scooped Isabella off theground and held her

tightly, tears stinging her eyelids. ‘Thank you,’ she choked.

Isabella squeezed her friend tightly by way of reply.

When she spoke, her voice was racked with emotion. ‘He’ll come back. Won’t he?’

Cassie took a deep breath. ‘I don’t know, Isabella,’ she said honestly. ‘I really don’t know.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

‘The Council of the Elders is called to order. Sir Alric Darke presiding.’

The atmosphere in the Trustees’ Room couldn’t have been more different from the last time she’d sat here, nervous and alone. This time

Cassie stood, relaxed but determined. She felt comfortable in the room’s grand elegance, and she wasn’t overawed by the row of Elders

seated behind the long table. They seemed smaller now.

Studying the line of faces, she met each gaze individually. Some of the figures, even the most familiar ones, were fidgeting uncertainly.

Such a meeting was unprecedented, Sir Alric had told her. This ought to be interesting …

‘You can’t call the meeting to order until Brigitte and Vaughan get here,’ objected the female senator, tapping a sleek fountain pen on her

leather organiser.

‘Brigitte Svensson and Andrew Vaughan will not be attending this Council.’ Sir Alric ignored the collective intake of breath that greeted

this announcement. ‘For reasons that will become clear, I think we may assume that they send their apologies.’

‘Then let’s hear it,’ drawled an A-list Hollywood actor. ‘What’s this about?’

Cassie looked at him coldly, unintimidated by his famous devilish grin. ‘I’m here to register my protest about your last decision.’

A red-haired supermodel exchanged glances with her neighbour. ‘That would be the decision regarding the Johnson boy?’

‘That would be the decision regarding Jake, yes.’

‘May I ask,’ murmured the actor, ‘what business it might be of yours? Or in fact, how you even came to know about it?’

Cassie breathed steadily, ignoring his last question. She was determined not to lose control and scratch his eyes out.

‘First, he’s my …’ A faint pause. ‘He’s my friend. Second, he’s an innocent party. And third, what you did was wrong.’

While her words sank in, there were a few muttered exchanges and even a gruff laugh or two. The senator smirked and sat back in her

chair.

‘I hardly think that a recently converted, half-Few mongrel can appreciate the very complex issues involved in this case. Sir Alric, I

suggest that your convening of this Council was extraordinarily ill-judged. The meeting should be terminated at once. We’re all busy

people.’

Mongrel? The insolence!

Cassie felt her spine stiffen with shared indignation, but still she almost laughed at Estelle’s mortified tone. Time for the gloves to come

off.

‘Actually, the issues aren’t complex at all. I think that even a politician should be capable of understanding what I have to say.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ The senator went crimson.

The supermodel sniggered, and so did Estelle.

That’s telling them, my dear.

‘How many of you,’ asked Cassie, ‘have checked on Jake Johnson in the Confine?’

‘Checking isn’t necessary, my dear,’ a cardinal told her with a little smile. ‘He’s perfectly safe there. The Confine isn’t an unpleasant place.

Not by any means.’

‘So it’s not much like the Living Soil, then?’

That shut them up. The cardinal went a colour to match his cassock.

‘My dear Miss Bell,’ he coughed. ‘The very mention of that is a blasphemy. Use of the Living Soil was banned centuries ago. Let us not

hear any more of it.’

‘Oh, up until last night, it was still very much in use,’ said Cassie calmly, ‘and you almost condemned Jake Johnson to it.’

The uproar was satisfying.

‘How dare you—’

‘Darke, this is unacceptable.’

‘I demand an explanation!’