Before she could utter a word, Julian had the Nephilim by his throat, dangling him over the edge of the hotel. Below was a dark alley. The drop wouldn’t kill Micah, but it would do massive damage.
“Julian!” Lily screamed, rushing after them. “Stop it!”
“What did you say to her?” Julian demanded in a low, deadly voice.
“You heard what I said, you damn freak!” Micah raised his arm, intent on stabbing him.
Julian caught Micah’s arm and twisted until the blade slipped out of his hand. Micah yelped as the dagger fell into the darkness. “I think you need to apologize right now.”
Micah gripped Julian’s forearm. “Over my dead body.”
Julian’s smile was cold. “That can be easily arranged.” He moved Micah farther away from the safety of the ledge.
She grabbed Julian’s arm, but he didn’t budge an inch. “Knock it off. Both of you need to stop!”
Neither of them listened. Julian thrust Micah out farther while the Nephilim struggled against him. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control, and Lily didn’t doubt that if Micah called her a name one more time Julian would indeed drop him.
She pulled on Julian’s arm again, desperate. When that didn’t work, she slugged him in the stomach. “Julian, listen to me. Let him go. Now,” she begged. “Let go of him for me. Please.”
Julian peered down at her. “For you?”
“Yes!” She forced a smile. “Put him back down—on the ground, gently.” She felt the need to clarify her request.
He stepped away so that Micah no longer hung over the edge. Lily nodded reassuringly, praying Micah would remain quiet. The last thing she needed was him to say something antagonizing. But then Julian tossed Micah to the roof. “He still needs to apologize,” he grumbled.
She nearly laughed with relief. Julian would destroy the Nephilim if push came to shove. She glanced at Micah.
Julian exhaled heavily, seeming to collect himself. “He should apologize.”
She kept a wary eye on him just in case he had a change of heart. “Why were you following me?”
Micah straightened his shirt. “Someone is feeding info to the Fallen. My guess is the one who is sleeping with them.”
She immediately threw her arm up, blocking Julian. It didn’t stop his response. “Keep it up, you little shit. I will fucking break you.”
“I’d like to see you try!”
“Are you accusing me of betraying the Sanctuary?” The irony of the situation didn’t pass her, not even in her anger. She suspected Micah, and he suspected her. It would be comical if she didn’t feel like letting Julian drop him off the building.
Micah gave her a dismissive look. “Honestly? You act all offended, but you don’t deny what you are doing. The circle knows, Lily. The circle suspects you.”
It was like being smacked in the face. Granted, she knew her relationship with Julian didn’t shine a favorable light upon her, but for them to think she would actually betray them? She wanted to kick them all in the face.
“What your circle suspects is what they are led to believe,” Julian sneered.
Lily frowned at the cryptic sentence, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Micah’s left hand slip behind him. He was fast—they were trained that way. If she hadn’t been Nephilim, she wouldn’t have even caught the darting movement.
Without thinking twice, she pushed Julian back and spun into a roundhouse kick. Julian stumbled backward, stunned by her unexpected move. Her kick connected with the fleshy part of Micah’s arm, and the dagger clanged against the roof.
Micah exploded into a sea of curses, lunging for the blade. Lily’s knee connected with the broad side of his face, sending him flying. The kick would have snapped the neck of a man, but for a Nephilim it only stunned him.
Time seemed to stop as she stared down at Micah, breathing heavy. Lifting her head, she turned to Julian. What she had done hung between them.
“Go, Julian,” she gritted out.
Julian had a hand over his heart. “You defended me?”
There wasn’t time to discuss the ramifications of her actions. She could sense another Nephilim. She darted between Julian and Micah. “Go now. Another is coming.” In other words, what she pulled with Micah she may not be able to get away with again.
Micah slowly climbed to his feet, rubbing his jaw. Lily grabbed the blade, casting one last look over at Julian. “Please go,” she whispered urgently.
He hesitated. “Lily, I…” He stopped as she pleaded with her eyes. He gave a curt nod, and then he was gone.
Blood trickled from Micah’s split lip. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”
The soft thud of boots landing on the rooftop drew Lily’s attention. Not sure how to explain any of this, she kept her eyes on Micah.
Luke came to a halt beside her, surveying the damage. “What happened?”
Micah wobbled a bit on his feet. The kick had been powerful. She hadn’t restrained herself at all. “She’s betrayed us.”
She hadn’t betrayed them. She only…what? Bared arms against one of her kind. Did that technically mean she had betrayed them? Maybe not in the way Micah would insist, but she had turned against him in favor of Julian. She’d fought a Nephilim to protect a Fallen.
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “What in the hell is he talking about, Lily?”
She glanced away from Micah, clenching the blade in her hand. Up until this moment, she never had to question her actions. Not even when she accepted that she wanted more, wanted Julian. She was still a Nephilim, born and trained to fight the Fallen and their minions. The line between their kind was clearly drawn ages ago, and she’d always operated on the principal that the Fallen must be stopped no matter what. She’d been able to convince herself that her relationship with Julian didn’t affect her duty. She was still Lily, but with one single act against her brethren she had changed everything.
She dropped the blade. The sound was thunderous and final. “Micah has been following me. Apparently he suspects I’m working with the Fallen.”
“What?” Luke frowned at him. “He’s been following you because Nathaniel asked him to.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Why?”
“Because of Baal,” answered Micah. “But that has nothing to do with what happened tonight. Luke, it’s her. She’s been feeding info to the Fallen.”
Laughing, Luke clapped him on the shoulders. “You’re a good hunter, but you’re dumb as a bag of fucking rocks if you really think that’s true. Lily is loyal.”
His unwavering faith in her bruised her worse than Micah’s accusation. “He found me with Julian.”
Luke stiffened. The amused grin slowly slipped away. “What?” was all he asked, and in that one word was a world of meaning.
“What do you think?” hissed Micah.
“Shut up,” Luke snarled. He stepped away from him. “What were you doing?”
She lowered her eyes. “We were talking.”
“Didn’t look like talking to me,” said Micah. “I always lose her around this time, but tonight I kept up with her. They were all over each other.” Revulsion laced his words.
“Lily. I knew you were…friendly with him,” Luke whispered hoarsely. “But not like that. Not after what happened…”
She tore her gaze from the lightly stained cement. “We kissed.”
Luke stared at her, and the deep disappointment he wore nearly broke her heart. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. It was like standing in front of Nathaniel and being lectured, but far worse.
“That’s not all.” Micah shoved past Luke. He glared down at her. “I went after Julian, and she attacked me!”