Of course she would have. She loved me just as much as I loved her. Death didn’t change that, and neither did failure. But I would pass if I could, if I had any chances left. For her and for Henry.

The sound of faint yelling pulled me away from my thoughts. A door on the left side of the ballroom burst open, and Henry stormed inside.

“No,” he said, anger saturating his voice. “I made her a promise, and I have no intention of breaking it.”

“It was not your promise to make.” I tried to see the owner of the second voice, but he was blocked by a throne that looked as if it were full of water. “She is one of us, and she will stay.”

“She is not welcome in my home,” said Henry with a growl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“Either she stays or we all go.”

I watched wide-eyed as Henry slammed his fist into the wall, making the entire room tremble. I started to slide off my stool, but stopped when I winced in pain. Moving wasn’t a good idea right now, and it’d only make Henry angrier.

“Fine. But she leaves the instant it is over.”

“Agreed.”

With fury radiating from him, Henry stormed across the room to where I sat. Brushing his lips against my cheek, he whispered, “Kate, I am so sorry.”

“Whatever it is, it’s okay,” I said, trying to remember a promise he’d made that he might be forced to break. Nothing came to mind.

He straightened up and set his hand on my shoulder. I could feel how tense he was, and it did nothing to help my own nerves. “Brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, may I present to you Katherine Winters.”

I started to chastise him for introducing me by my full name, but my breath caught in my throat when I saw the procession of people walking toward us. I gripped the edge of my seat, too stunned to move.

Walter was first, dressed in a simple white robe. After him came Sofia, her cheeks flushing as she caught my eye.

James was next, and he stared at the ground. I wanted to look away, but my eyes followed him all the way to his throne. His was the one that looked like the arms were made from two snakes. I shivered.

After him, Irene entered, and then Nicholas and Phillip, the gruff stable hand.

Ella, holding Theo’s hand.

Dylan from Eden High School, a face so distant in my memory that it took me a moment to place him.

And by the time Xander stepped through the door, looking whole and well, I was too floored to wonder exactly how he’d come back from the Underworld.

Henry’s grip on my shoulder increased when the next person stepped inside the circle, and I suddenly realized why he was angry.

Calliope.

But she wasn’t the last. My stomach contracted when I caught sight of who brought up the rear.

Ava.

They all stood in front of their respective thrones, giving me a few merciful seconds to stop my mind from reeling. I vaguely noted that two of the thrones were empty—and Walter claimed the massive throne made of glass—but the room spun around me, making it difficult to focus.

“Kate,” said Henry. “I present to you the council.”

CHAPTER 19

THE COUNCIL

It took every ounce of willpower I had to keep breathing as I stared at the faces of the council. Friends, enemies, but not the strangers I’d been expecting. Dozens of questions darted through my mind, none staying still long enough for me to force it out. All in all, that was probably a good thing, but I didn’t understand—this was the council?

I looked up at Henry, and he gave me a reassuring smile. It didn’t help.

“I will be right here,” he said before moving to sit at one of the two empty thrones. I’d never felt so alone in my life.

“I—I don’t—” I started, finally finding my voice. “How—who—”

Ava was the one who answered. “I’m sorry for lying to you, Kate—we all are. But this is how it had to be.”

“We needed to know that you were able and worthy to fulfill this role,” said Ella, all traces of bitterness gone from her voice. “While it may feel like we betrayed you, it’s really the opposite. We now know you well enough to decide whether or not you’re fit to become one of us.”

I focused on Henry, the only one I trusted to be honest with me. “It was all a setup? Ava in the river, Xander, Theo, Calliope—”

“No.” His voice was so firm that I instantly fell silent. “Not all of it. Be patient, Kate. You will find out soon enough.”

I was more than willing to shut up and let them get on with it. If I’d been nervous before, now I was petrified. Glancing at James, I noticed he refused to meet my eyes. Slowly resentment filtered through the other emotions churning inside of me, and I balled my hands into fists. No matter what Henry said, it was impossible this was some sort of coincidence. Everyone I knew in Eden was here.

“Before we begin,” said Henry, this time addressing the council, “I believe there is a matter that has yet to be decided.”

Calliope, who was to my right, stepped forward. She looked furious.

“Sister,” he said in a booming voice that echoed through the room. “You have admitted to killing at least eleven mortals in cold blood over the past hundred years. Do you plead guilty?”

She sniffed and narrowed her eyes. “Yes.”

Henry looked at me, the gravity of his stare making my heart thud. “As her only surviving victim, Kate, her punishment falls to you.”