Free Thrall by Jennifer Quintenz Page A

What the hell is wrong with you?”
    Hale spoke up. “We need her, Gretchen.” When she turned her rage on Hale, he didn’t flinch. “This is the assignment. Are you in or out?”
    Gretchen glanced at me, incredulous. “You can’t be serious...?”
    All of a sudden I felt cold, like ice water had flooded into my veins. “Someone tell me what’s going on.” Gretchen faced me, her eyes full of venom.
    “Gretchen,” Dad warned. But she shrugged past him to get in my face.
    “The demon that killed your father was your mother,” Gretchen said. “That makes you a Lilitu, just like her.” Dad grabbed Gretchen by the shoulder and spun her around to face him.
    “That’s my daughter,” he growled.
    “She’s the enemy,” Gretchen hissed back. “And if you were half the Guardsman you’re supposed to be...”
    “
Enough.
” Hale’s voice rang with authority, cutting Gretchen off. “Gretchen. Wait upstairs. And Gretchen, Lucas stays in the dark. Are we clear?”
    For a moment, it seemed like Gretchen might refuse. Hale just watched her calmly, waiting for her to make a move. Gretchen finally nodded sourly. She turned and marched back up the stairs. I heard the door at the top of the stairs slam shut.
    I shook my head. “That’s insane. I can’t be what she said.” I turned to Dad, pleading. “Tell him.”
    “Honey...” Dad’s gaze didn’t waver. In his eyes I could read the truth. I turned away from him abruptly.
    “I want to go home.”
    Hale pulled two chairs out from under a worktable. He sat in one and gestured at the other, offering me a seat. I didn’t move. “Braedyn,” he said. “You’re going to be very powerful very soon.”
    “Powerful? Look at me. I... I’m getting a C in phys ed.”
    Hale gave me a brief smile. “Lilitu powers present at sixteen. If you haven’t felt them yet, you will.”
    I looked him in the eye. “What do you want from me?”
    Hale sat back in his chair, watching me levelly. “Murphy says you could be a powerful ally. Most of the Guard won’t see it that way. If they knew you existed, they’d want to eliminate you before you grew any stronger.” He said this so casually it took a moment for me to realize what he meant.
    With great effort, I kept my voice steady. “And what do you think?”
    Hale considered this. After a moment, he spoke. “In your DNA, you are the enemy. But Murphy raised you. He taught you empathy and love.” Hale leaned back in his chair. “The plain truth is, we need your help, Braedyn.”
    I glanced around at the weapons surrounding us. “How can I help you? You’re the ones with the arsenal of demon-killing crap.”
    “We’re losing ground against the Lilitu. We know they’re planning something big for Winter Solstice. We need your help to figure out what.”
    “Sure,” I said, keeping my voice level. “Just let me grab my special demon decoder ring and I’ll get right on that.”
    “Braedyn.” Dad spoke quietly, but I saw fear in his eyes.
    Hale stood. “It’s okay, Murphy. Let’s give her some time. This is a lot to digest.” He turned back to face me. “You want to know what I think? I think you have a choice to make. You can take lives or you can save them. So I’m reserving judgment until you let me know whether Murphy was right about you.” Hale studied my face almost gently. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.” With that, Hale stood and walked up the basement stairs, closing the door on his way out.
    When we were alone I turned to Dad. Stricken. “Why didn’t you tell me? Dad?” He didn’t respond, and a searing rage rose up in me. “Oh, right. I forgot. I’m not your daughter. I’m your
ally.
”
    “You are my daughter, and you know it,” he said softly. I felt pressure building behind my eyes.
    “Did you kill her? Did you kill my mother?”
    He shook his head. “As far as I know, she’s still alive.”
    I needed fresh air. I tried to brush past Dad but he caught me and held me tightly.