Drink Deep - Chloe Neill [97]
“That was the luck of the draw,” Frank said. “She drew the position she finds herself in. There is no one to blame for that.”
But that simply wasn’t true. Frank had directed us to our poles.
“I cannot believe the GP would condone such a thing,” Malik said. “Not to any vampires who’ve taken oaths to their House, who’ve sworn to protect it.”
Frank tilted his head at Malik. “You don’t think facing the sun is an important skill for a vampire? You don’t think it’s a situation they may encounter?”
“God willing,” Malik said, eyes narrowing, “should they ever face it, it would be at the hands of an enemy, not an organization that exists to protect them.”
And that, I thought, encapsulated perfectly what I’d seen of the GP. It might have been established all those years ago to protect vampires, to organize Houses, and to provide order, but from what I’d seen of Darius West and this monster, it was only now concerned with proving a political point.
Maybe it was time to reconsider my involvement in the Red Guard. Maybe, now that Ethan was gone and Malik was under the gun, it was time to think about taking a step to protect all vampires, not just those in the House.
As the sun breached the horizon and light crossed the yard, the case in favor of RG membership grew stronger.
The ray of sunlight lengthened, deepened, reaching Juliet’s post and crawling up the side. Horrified, I watched as the tips of her tennis shoes began to glow bright red.
“Juliet? Are you okay?”
Tears began to stream down her face, but she clenched her jaw and maintained her position in stoic silence. She must have been in tremendous pain, and still she stood atop her post, refusing to submit.
Her hunger also seemed to take its toll; her eyes silvered and her fangs extended, the predator awoken by pain, hunger, and exhaustion.
I looked back at Frank, who was sipping from his mug, completely unmoved by her agony. “You have to call a stop to this. Can’t you see she’s in pain?”
He just arched an arrogant eyebrow.
“Fine. If you won’t do something, then I will. I’ll resign from the test.” I made a move to hop down from the post, but his words stopped me cold.
“Maintain your position, Merit. Maintain your position on that post, or your position as Sentinel will be revoked immediately. And the same goes for Juliet. If you cannot respect the importance of the common good over any individual vampire, neither of you deserve your positions.”
A sob echoed from Juliet’s corner of the lawn as I gaped at Frank. “You can’t unmake me Sentinel. Ethan gave me that position. Only Malik can make that call.”
“Oh, but I can,” Frank said. “It’s my responsibility to get this House in order. A vampire who voluntarily withdraws from the testing—who refuses to hold herself to the standards of her brothers and sisters in arms—is not a vampire who has the best interests of the House foremost in mind.”
I looked over at Juliet, who was shaking ferociously at the pain, her hands wrapped around her waist as she sobbed.
“Juliet, get down from there!”
“I c-c-can’t,” she stuttered out. “I can’t not be a guard. It’s all I’ve known. This House is my life.”
She wouldn’t have much of one left if I didn’t act. The punishment was unfair, but it was more unfair for Juliet to suffer doubly—the burns of the rising sun and the loss of her position in the House.
For as long as I was able to do it—even if only a few more minutes—my job was to protect the House and its vampires. If I could so easy dismiss the value of her life, I shouldn’t have been Sentinel anyway.
It was an easy call, but that didn’t mean the repercussions would be easy to bear. Ethan had named me Sentinel. Ethan had Commended me into the House and thrown me into the position. And while I may not have been ready to accept it at the time, it was my position now. Mine to have. Mine to protect.
And just as with my Cadogan medal, mine to forfeit.
I found Malik’s face in the crowd, and when he nodded at me, I raised