She immediately threw her arm up, blocking Julian. It didn’t stop his response. “Keep it up, you little shit. I will fucking break you.”
“I’d like to see you try!”
“Are you accusing me of betraying the Sanctuary?” The irony of the situation didn’t pass her, not even in her anger. She suspected Micah, and he suspected her. It would be comical if she didn’t feel like letting Julian drop him off the building.
Micah gave her a dismissive look. “Honestly? You act all offended, but you don’t deny what you are doing. The circle knows, Lily. The circle suspects you.”
It was like being smacked in the face. Granted, she knew her relationship with Julian didn’t shine a favorable light upon her, but for them to think she would actually betray them? She wanted to kick them all in the face.
“What your circle suspects is what they are led to believe,” Julian sneered.
Lily frowned at the cryptic sentence, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Micah’s left hand slip behind him. He was fast—they were trained that way. If she hadn’t been Nephilim, she wouldn’t have even caught the darting movement.
Without thinking twice, she pushed Julian back and spun into a roundhouse kick. Julian stumbled backward, stunned by her unexpected move. Her kick connected with the fleshy part of Micah’s arm, and the dagger clanged against the roof.
Micah exploded into a sea of curses, lunging for the blade. Lily’s knee connected with the broad side of his face, sending him flying. The kick would have snapped the neck of a man, but for a Nephilim it only stunned him.
Time seemed to stop as she stared down at Micah, breathing heavy. Lifting her head, she turned to Julian. What she had done hung between them.
“Go, Julian,” she gritted out.
Julian had a hand over his heart. “You defended me?”
There wasn’t time to discuss the ramifications of her actions. She could sense another Nephilim. She darted between Julian and Micah. “Go now. Another is coming.” In other words, what she pulled with Micah she may not be able to get away with again.
Micah slowly climbed to his feet, rubbing his jaw. Lily grabbed the blade, casting one last look over at Julian. “Please go,” she whispered urgently.
He hesitated. “Lily, I…” He stopped as she pleaded with her eyes. He gave a curt nod, and then he was gone.
Blood trickled from Micah’s split lip. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”
The soft thud of boots landing on the rooftop drew Lily’s attention. Not sure how to explain any of this, she kept her eyes on Micah.
Luke came to a halt beside her, surveying the damage. “What happened?”
Micah wobbled a bit on his feet. The kick had been powerful. She hadn’t restrained herself at all. “She’s betrayed us.”
She hadn’t betrayed them. She only…what? Bared arms against one of her kind. Did that technically mean she had betrayed them? Maybe not in the way Micah would insist, but she had turned against him in favor of Julian. She’d fought a Nephilim to protect a Fallen.
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “What in the hell is he talking about, Lily?”
She glanced away from Micah, clenching the blade in her hand. Up until this moment, she never had to question her actions. Not even when she accepted that she wanted more, wanted Julian. She was still a Nephilim, born and trained to fight the Fallen and their minions. The line between their kind was clearly drawn ages ago, and she’d always operated on the principal that the Fallen must be stopped no matter what. She’d been able to convince herself that her relationship with Julian didn’t affect her duty. She was still Lily, but with one single act against her brethren she had changed everything.
She dropped the blade. The sound was thunderous and final. “Micah has been following me. Apparently he suspects I’m working with the Fallen.”
“What?” Luke frowned at him. “He’s been following you because Nathaniel asked him to.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Why?”
“Because of Baal,” answered Micah. “But that has nothing to do with what happened tonight. Luke, it’s her. She’s been feeding info to the Fallen.”
Laughing, Luke clapped him on the shoulders. “You’re a good hunter, but you’re dumb as a bag of fucking rocks if you really think that’s true. Lily is loyal.”
His unwavering faith in her bruised her worse than Micah’s accusation. “He found me with Julian.”
Luke stiffened. The amused grin slowly slipped away. “What?” was all he asked, and in that one word was a world of meaning.
“What do you think?” hissed Micah.
“Shut up,” Luke snarled. He stepped away from him. “What were you doing?”
She lowered her eyes. “We were talking.”
“Didn’t look like talking to me,” said Micah. “I always lose her around this time, but tonight I kept up with her. They were all over each other.” Revulsion laced his words.
“Lily. I knew you were…friendly with him,” Luke whispered hoarsely. “But not like that. Not after what happened…”
She tore her gaze from the lightly stained cement. “We kissed.”
Luke stared at her, and the deep disappointment he wore nearly broke her heart. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. It was like standing in front of Nathaniel and being lectured, but far worse.
“That’s not all.” Micah shoved past Luke. He glared down at her. “I went after Julian, and she attacked me!”
He was right, and Lily was wrong on so many different levels, but she felt her temper rise nonetheless. “You tried to stab him in the back!”
“Is that true, Lily?” Luke demanded.
“Yeah, I kicked him in his arrogant face.”
“Do you even realize how serious this is?” Luke grabbed her arm, shaking her. “This isn’t a joke! What you’ve done is reprehensible. Attacking another Nephilim in defense of a Fallen? Charges could be brought against you, Lily!”
She tried to pull away, but his hold was bruising. If she had thought of that for a second before she attacked Micah, she wouldn’t be in the situation she was in. “I understand. It doesn’t change what I did.”
Luke shook her again before dropping her arm. “Micah, leave now,” he ordered. “Do not breathe a word of this.”
“Are you serious? You’ll protect her now?”
He whirled on the other Nephilim. “I will take care of this. Do not question that.” He turned back to Lily. “You can trust this will be addressed.”
Micah looked like he wanted to stay, or at least get in a good swing at Lily, but Luke had the authority. Lily did, too. Most likely she didn’t after tonight, but that was a moot point. With one last biting glance at Lily, Micah loped off the hotel.
The two remaining stood in silence. Lily wasn’t sure what to say. She knew she messed up and let what she felt for Julian get in the way. All she felt was guilt and not regret. Two very separate things. She didn’t regret stopping Micah but felt guilty because she had violated Luke’s trust.
“Lily,” he began softly. “What are you thinking?”
She closed her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t? Do you have any idea how much trouble you are going to be in?” he asked. “And I know you won’t ask me to not tell Nathaniel.”
She wouldn’t drag Luke down the path she had so willingly chosen.
“Has he coerced you somehow? Tricked you like what happened to Anna?”
Lily’s head shot up. “No,” she said firmly. “Julian has never made me do anything I didn’t want to do.”
Her words didn’t help. He pulled back as if she’d slapped him. “After what happened to Anna?”
She snapped. “I’m not Anna! Damn it, I’m not her! And Julian’s not—”
“Not what, Lily? A Fallen? Because that’s what he is. Shit. I thought you knew better than this. I suspected there was more to it, more than what you were willing to admit to, but this?”
She ran a nervous hand over her hip. Maybe if she was honest with him, he would understand. Luke always listened to her in the past. She inhaled softly, meeting his gaze with her earnest one. “Julian isn’t like the others. He hasn’t fathered a Nephilim. He doesn’t corrupt innocents like the others do. He is different.”
Luke looked like he wanted to laugh. “That’s what he’s told you.”
“I believe him. He’s not bad. You have to see that. He’s saved my life twice, and God knows how many times I don’t know about.”
“So he did nothing to Micah?” Luke raised his brows.
Deciding that lying would likely come back and bite her in the ass later, she told him what happened and how Micah’s comments had provoked him. As she told the story, Luke grew angrier. “But he didn’t hurt him, Luke. I did.”
“Which makes it all the worse.” Luke stopped and sighed heavily. “I don’t think Nathaniel would take it as a breach of Contract, but you will be punished.”
She swallowed. A breached Contract was basically going rogue. She would be thrown out of the Sanctuary, left to fend solely for herself. It had been far before her time when the last Nephilim had breached their Contract.
Some of the steam behind Luke’s anger faded as he watched her. She felt terribly small now, lost and unsure. “I think its best that you come back to the Sanctuary immediately, admit fault, and stay as far away from Julian as possible.”
Pressing her lips together, she ran a hand through her windblown hair. “I need some time.”
Luke’s brows shot up. “What?”
“Time,” she repeated. “I need time away. I have to think about this.”
“You shouldn’t have to think about anything, Lily! You know this is wrong, and it’s gotten out of hand.”
A hundred different emotions bubbled up in her, spilling over. “I don’t know if this is wrong!” she yelled. “I’ve never done anything to earn any distrust. I have always put the Sanctuary and my duty first!” She turned away, trying to rein in some sort of control. “My whole life has been dedicated to this, and I didn’t ask for any of it.”
Luke stepped behind her. “None of us did, but this is our life.”
She stared out over the city—the night teeming with bright lights, streets filled with humans and minions. There were people out there living and dying. Some were even falling in love. Three things Lily couldn’t do so easily, and, damn it, she wanted to be like them instead of what she was. She wanted the freedom to choose.
“This isn’t you,” he whispered.
She paused for a moment, then murmured, “Maybe it is.” She smiled halfheartedly. “Thank you for running Micah off. I do owe him an apology, but if he follows me one more time…” She let the threat hang between them.
Luke leaned forward. “Don’t do this, Lily.”