Creators(72)

“And what would that be?” James asked.

“That she never gave a fuck about us. Not chosen ones. And certainly not naturals. She wanted to create the perfect world. She wanted to be God. And when things didn’t go her way, she wanted someone to end it for her.”

“So, how did you end up working for him?” I asked. I was nearly rocking out of my skin. If my father had truly aligned himself with the man who lied and seduced his daughter, I didn’t know what I would do.

What wouldn’t he sacrifice for his great cause?

James ran a comforting hand up and down my back.

“Once I discovered your father had Abrams, I simply melded his plan into mine. I had always known I would see you again. I used your sister to lure you out of hiding, so I could get James here back. Knowing that without him, I wouldn’t ever make it to the inner circle, and I had so many wonderful secrets I wanted to discover,” George said with a grin, his eyes lighting up like a child who was reaching for candy.

“My rendezvous with you and your people really had nothing to do with you when I conceived the plan. I just needed James, but when I discovered it was your father who had Abrams, everything changed. The great thing about reading people’s secrets is there are so many people who have so much to protect. Things they are willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to keep hidden. I sent messages to your father. Told him I wanted a meeting.”

I thought back to the last month in the community. There would have been multiple days I would go without seeing my father. It was entirely plausible that he could have held a meeting with George without my knowing.

“One handshake and I knew what he discovered from Abrams. And her disdain for her people, her glee at watching it all burn away only fueled me. When I informed your father that I knew what Abrams had told him, he had no choice but to let me in. So, we agreed that he would send you to the headquarters.”

“But you just said it was never really about Tess. You had gotten to her father. What did you need her here for?” James asked.

“I needed her to get to you,” he replied.

I didn’t have a good feeling about any of it. I fumbled for James’s hand again. He took mine in his and brought it to his lips. “Why would you need me to get to him? What’s his role in this? What the hell are you and my father planning?”

“When your father and his men come, I’ll need as many chosen ones on my side as I can get to help them in, so he can do what he has agreed to do. I’ll need your help, James. If I don’t have it, we have zero chance of succeeding. Me. You. And the chosen one, Robert. We are the three that give the naturals hope of doing what they’ll come here for.”

I gulped. “And what exactly is that?”

“We’re going to enact the fail-safe.”

“Fail-safe?” James asked.

“I won’t give you any more details on that now. So, don’t waste either of our time asking. I’ve already told you too much. If this doesn’t work, the less you can confess the better. We both know you don’t handle pain too well.”

I gave James’s hand a squeeze, silently pleading with him to ignore George’s not so subtle dig. “I understand the importance of taking out the incubating chosen ones, but why do you need me to do what you can do yourself?”

“You know what? Like I said before, do it or don’t. I don’t care. Either way, soon enough you’ll all have to make some choices. You won’t be able to just talk your way through them. War’s an ugly thing. You should have realized that before you signed up,” he hissed at me.

“I suggest you walk away,” James warned.

George scowled and turned to head down the pathway that led back to the headquarters. “You’re welcome for the reunion  , by the way,” he called over his shoulder.

“Oh, shit,” I muttered.

“What is it?” James asked, lifting my chin up.

“Bringing you into this isn’t the only reason he needed me here. He must have known from my father that Abrams whispered the fail-safe code to me. He would have gotten that when he pulled me from the closet. But just now, back when I pushed him, he would have seen that I have the map he needs. Or rather that you have it.”

I had given the map to James on the night of our reunion  . “It’s locked in my safe back in my room.”

“A safe you need to go change the code on right now,” I replied.

“Are you sure we don’t want him to have the map? What if he’s really trying to bring down the council? No tricks. Wouldn’t that mean we would be free?” he asked, pressing a kiss on my forehead.