Saving Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book 2

Chapter 17.

A/N~ Ok, so I have a long chapter with an inquisition of sorts. I wanted to answer some questions, but leave others unanswered. Please let me know what you think of the flow. Not an easy chapter to write. Thanks!

Chapter 17.

Emil was satisfied with the gathering of power now present in his office. After calling those he considered to be his closest allies together to once and for all clear the air with Arazel, he had set to gather what intel he had received from Malachi. To add to his stress, Xavier had come to him briefly and informed him of his suspicions of Marie's identity as a shifter. Aiden and Steele arrived just as she proved this by fully shifting. All the years he had worked with her, he'd had no inclination she had a supernatural side at all. It unsettled him to know she had been under his nose for ten years, without even the slightest hint of what she was.

Once Xavier had proven to have control over Marie on the roof, Emil had come together with Jean, Hawk, Steele and Aiden to discuss their concerns and what information was most imperative to try to get. He felt reasonably confident this meeting would be productive, as long as Arazel was cooperative. In the three months he had been harbored in their safe home the hybrid had proven to be very juvenile when he did not get what he wanted, and extremely imperious at others, such as when he was staying with Aiden. Initially, he was supposed to stay out at Aiden's with him and Steele, but there was a lot of head butting, as Arazel assumed he would be catered to as a guest of honor, rather than a participating member of the coven. It had nearly come to blows when Steele had been cleared of treachery after the coup on the Enclave, and given back his full status as Guardian, and Arazel argued that it was not fair, so Emil had offered a place in his downtown tower for the hybrid to live. That decision rubbed him wrong in so many ways, not the least of which was the Arazel's fascination with Michael Grace.

In the time Arazel had been there, he had only procured a computer and a chair. The apartment was decorated as the others had been, but he spent any time he was awake on the computer, devouring information. Apparently his father had not let him in on human technology. The realization he could find out anything with a few keystrokes had sucked him in. It was proving increasingly difficult to get anything out of Arazel that was not steeped in sarcasm or lewdness.

There had been little discovered about the differences between the hybrid and vampire, as he did not deign to share. Through observation, Emil had figured out Arazel and Grace both needed sleep, unlike himself and other vampires. Sure, Emil could think of several things these days he could do laying down in a bed, but sleeping was not required of him. He had also found out Arazel liked food, as his grocery bill had increased substantially. Now was the time for more answers.It was now time to figure out what else was different.

Once the chaos of Marie shifting had settled and the group had come up with the most important questions to have answered, Emil had personally gone to retrieve Arazel. He was surprised at the ease of drawing the male away from his online world this time; he had come without a complaint. The only thing he asked was, "Where are Evan and Grace?"

Emil replied, "They went out with Nathan and Hannah, for a little getaway."

Arazel only then became suspicious, Emil could tell, by the violet swirling in his aura. They proceeded to the office in silence.

Aiden and Steele were standing shoulder to shoulder near a credenza in front of the floor to ceiling windows looking out over the city's night skyline. Jean and Hawk were deep in conversation next to Emil's desk, ignoring the others in the room. Emil left Arazel standing in the middle of the room and went to gather a few notes from the ledger he had received from Malachi earlier in the day regarding groups loyal to Emil. Malachi was on a fact finding mission under the guise of spreading the word of new leadership. Per old tradition, this information was not to be shared using new technology. A messenger was to be sent to each leader to formally declare the change in leadership. Distrust ran deep in vampire politics.