Darkness Betrayed (Torn) by Christine Hughes Page A

differences aside to defeat Sebastian. I know where he keeps the box and we will retrieve it. But you can no longer doubt Samantha and her abilities if I am to help you. She will have control. I will make sure of it.”
    They all nodded in agreement and I was surprised at how docile they all were. Not one word in protest, not one word to the contrary. It was like they were all motivated by the sound of his voice. Much like I was motivated by his mere presence. Like little lambs following their shepherd. My hands opened and closed into fists and my nerves were screaming. I couldn’t escape the clutches of my anxiety.
    “Samantha, do you have anything to add?” Eager eyes turned to me, all sense of distrust from the night before vanished.
    “LucasranfromSebastian.” I winced as my declaration came out as all one word.
    “How do you know?” Mara’s quiet voice penetrated through the room.
    “Sebastian told me.”
    Damien’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and his voice was tight. “He was here?”
    “Kind of. He was in the mirror.”
    “In the what? What?” Noah’s face betrayed his disbelief.
    “I was brushing my hair, looking at my eyes and I heard him. Then when I looked again, his face reflected back to me.”
    “Checking yourself out, were you?”
    “Shut up, Malena!”
    “Fine. What do you mean when you say Sebastian was in the mirror?” Her voice lilted just a shade , more concerned than bored.
    “What part wasn’t clear? I know you have nails to polish and sarcasm to spew but I’m not sure what part of that you didn’t understand.”
    “Relax. I was clarifying.”
    Looking from Malena to me with thinly veiled annoyance, Damien grabbed my hand, turned on his heel and led me toward the kitchen. At the table were Branna, Christian and a roughed up Lucas.
    Dried blood was caked on his face. His wings, which seemed to be growing back, were small and broken. I hated him.
    “How did you escape?” Damien began.
    “I don’t really know. I was in some sort of room shackled to the floor. I woke up and the shackles were gone. I don’t remember much.” His gaze landed on a napkin he was tearing to shreds. Thoughts of me shackled to the floor just before I met Damien swirled into nothing.
    “Why did you come here? I thought you had pledged your screwy sense of allegiance to him and the Exiled?” My voice quivered in anger and he shook.
    Damien laid his hand on my arm to quell the storm as he continued the line of questioning. “You didn’t find that odd? That it was so easy to get away from him?”
    “I did. But my only thought was to get back here. It was all I could focus on. I couldn’t remember, not totally, why I’d left in the first place. I still don’t entirely know.”
    “Liar!” Damien held me back as I lunged at Lucas with my full strength.
    Lucas recoiled from me. “I wish I was lying , Sam. I don’t know what happened, at least not all of it.”
    “You don’t remember selling out my dad and helping Sebastian find him? You don’t remember him killing my dad when he found him? Killing Jesse? You don’t remember how you betrayed me, our friendship, your brother , the Faithful because you’d chosen to follow him?”
    “Samantha, I think you should leave. Branna, please take her for a walk. She needs to calm down.” Damien’s voice was dangerously even.
    I yanked my arm from his grip. “Fuck you!”
    I flinched as demonic eyes surveyed me and his face twisted, once again, to show the devil below the surface. “You’d do well to listen to what I say. Go. Now.”
    Branna led me out of the room, a trail of electric hate following us.
    “Come on, Samantha. Let’s go for a walk.”
    “I don’t want to go for a walk.”
    “Of course you don’t. But you can’t be here. Not like this. Let the others figure out what Lucas’ deal is.”
    The farther from Lucas I got, the calmer I felt. “Fine. I want to run. Alone.”
    She looked like she was going to say something in