Free Seduced by Lies by Alex Lux Page B

eyes, breathed a ragged breath, and opened them again. "I thought fighting was the answer once, but no more. No more."
    "Don't die," Paul said, openly weeping. "Don't die."
    "I am done with this world," Curtis said. "Thank you, for making me feel welcome."
    Unbidden tears burned my eyes. "All are welcome here." I yelled toward the crowd, and toward the Bishop with his hateful heart. "All are welcome here. No matter how different. All are welcome at Elysium."
    I kneeled again next to Curtis, giving Paul enough room to be by his side in these final moments.
    "Elysium," Curtis smiled. "I'm glad to have been here."

S EVENTEEN
     
I Will Speak Daggers
     
D EREK
     

     
     
    I will speak daggers to her, but use none
    — William Shakespeare, Hamlet
     
     
    WE DIDN'T WAIT long to have a funeral. Everyone who needed to attend was already here, so three days later we got everyone together for the service.
    I had our clan shift into wolf form to dig the grave, the first one at Elysium, though not the first loss for most of the kids here. Those who escaped Rent-A-Kid saw their teachers and friends die in the final battle, and likely this brought back a lot of that pain.
    Curtis had been well liked since he came out and stopped bullying, and the tears were all genuine.
    Father Patrick conducted the service around the graveside and spoke of Curtis's life and courage, and his final act of heroism. "Curtis understood what we stood for. He understood that everyone deserves a chance at happiness. That everyone deserves to find Elysium."
    Curtis became a martyr for our cause.
    My entire pack showed up wearing the formal robes for druid ceremony, showing full honor to a boy they didn't know well but respected nonetheless.
    When the Bishop showed up, Drake turned to him in shock. "Why are you here?"
    "I'm not such a villain as you think I am. There is one among you who made me feel welcome, and he deserves my respect."
    I'd already known the Bishop's answer. He understood what Curtis strived for.
    Drake glanced at me, then turned to the Bishop. He nodded. "Thank you for coming."
    I would miss Curtis more than I wanted to think about. He and I had become close during martial arts lessons, and it wouldn't be the same without him.
    I had patrol as soon as the service ended. We'd set up shifts and I was up next. "I'm heading out now," I told Rose and Drake.
    Rose reached for my hand. "I'm coming."
    Drake nodded. "Me too, dude." He looked around for Sam, then stood still a moment, most likely communicating mentally with her. I often wondered what it would be like to have that with Rose.
    We told Father Patrick where we were headed, said our goodbyes, and patrolled the perimeter of Elysium. The new name had spread through the school so fast that the craftier students had already started making t-shirts and the writers were planning a student newspaper of the same name.
    It was starting to feel real, to feel like more than just a bunch of orphaned paranormals taking refuge in a big house, which made saving this place all the more important.
    Curtis was buried here. We couldn't leave. Ever.
    "Why do you think this lycan kills our kind?" Drake asked.
    I shrugged. "Like Curtis said, people hate and fear what they don't understand."
    "Do you think he would have killed Curtis if he'd known him?" Rose asked, her heart-shaped face grief-stricken.
    "I hope not," I said, thinking of the man who had finally stopped the insane beating, who had finally seen the truth about Curtis and his pure heart. "I hope no one could do such a thing."
    "People will never stop hating those who are different, we saw that the other night," Rose said.
    "And we saw that it could be overcome," I reminded her, marveling at this role reversal. She was usually the optimist, despite being betrayed by her whole family. I was usually the sullen pessimist. When had that changed?
    "But this lycan isn't so different from us, is it?" Drake asked "Isn't it…" He stopped, staring off into