her.
âIf I had my way,â the man whispered hotly, âyouâd all be taken off this island and eradicated. Why does the Vatican still humor you?â He laughed. âThough itâs not surprising. I thought it would be the end of you all after what happened in St. Maryâs, with that witchââ
Angelaâs heart raced. She braced herself against the stone. âYou knew about that?â
âMy sister died in there,â he said between clenched teeth.
Angela sensed him stifling a deep urge to throttle her.
âSome demon killed her. A demon summoned by a personââhe pointed his pen directly at herââlike you.â
âIt wasnât me who killed her,â Angela whispered. Her mouth felt deathly dry. Her left palm burned where the Grail throbbed and throbbed.
Sophia was noticeably angry, her gray eyes almost flashing. But the man was either too tipsy or too upset to care.
âIt might as well have been you who killed her,â he continued hotly. âYouâre all the same. One of you is the Archon and will be the Ruin of us all, yet we canât stop you or get rid of you before you get rid of us. Do you know what itâs like to live in constant fear? This island is cut off from the mainland, from the whole world. Weâre isolated, covered in more ice and snow by the hour, waiting for more angels and hell-spawn to arrive and turn everything upside down and backward again, and yet you and all the others continue to live like itâs all a game, or a Christmas miracle. Well, I donât think there are any miracles,â he said, his tone so loaded with pain that Angela couldnât even defend herself anymore. âSoâwhat now? Still want to enter the party and have a grand old time?â
âYes, actually.â Camdon stepped through the velvet curtain, slightly stooping as he entered the room. âDonât you?â he said to Angela.
Angela bit her lip and turned aside for a moment.
Was she really the kind of person who needed a knight in shining armor to save her?
Not at all. You know where thatâs gotten you before.
âYou know her?â The man gestured at Angela, clearly disappointed Camdon was a blood head and that he might say yes.
âIt doesnât matter,â Angela said. âBecause Iâm going inside no matter what you say. Come on, Sophia. Letâs not waste any more of our time.â
âYes, sheâs with me,â Camdon said wryly and eyed Sophia as well. âTheyâre both with me. Now if youâd excuse us . . .â
Camdon grasped Angela by the arm and yanked her into the grand ballroom without another word to the fuming guard. Sophia followed only a step behind. Heat rose to Angelaâs cheeks, mostly because she hadnât gotten the chance to storm through the curtain on her own.
She shook Camdon off and cornered him against the wall. âWhat the hell do you think youâre doing? I had everything under control.â
âSorry, sorry,â Camdon said, raising his hands. âIt didnât quite look that way to me. What was I supposed to do, just stand back and watch?â
Angela let him have some breathing space. âWhy do you want me here?â she murmured, trying to smile at the immense crowds of people. The gray marble ballroom was thick with shade and flickering candlelight. Garland and glass ornaments in the shape of globes and stars hung everywhere from the cathedral-style windows. This was the largest room in the Grand Mansion, but hundreds of men in fancy coats, tuxedos, suits, and even the frocks of the novices had overloaded it to capacity, and women in velvet and heavy furs suffocated whatever space remained.
Angelaâs midnight blue gown received both admiring and envious stares.
âIsnât it obvious?â Camdon said. âYouâre pretty, and I wanted a partner to dance with.â He looked her over