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"How would I do that?" I asked. "The witches were Dex's allies. They might not take too kindly to having him pushed aside. Where is he, anyway?"
"Alive," Seth said in an offhand manner. "That alliance is over. The witches have no place here in the Vault."
"Is that the reason for this coup?" I asked. "Because Dex made friends with a mortal enemy?"
"Yes," Gwendolyn hissed.
"It's one reason amongst many," Seth said, the picture of calm against Gwendolyn's expression of rage. It seemed she really, really hated witches.
What do you know, we have something in common.
"Witches have long looked down upon shifters. And treated hemitheos as tainted. They exiled the first of us here. They continue to do so." He gave me a meaningful look and a nod.
He might as well have knocked the air out of my lungs. I was breathless and lightheaded. For a good two minutes I sat there in shock.
When I was finally able to speak, I said, "Heknew. The Covener. He knew what I was. That's why he sent me here. It was exile." I knew that last part. It was the knowledge that Denis Crane knew I was hemitheos that surprised me.
"Why didn't they tell me?" What did he think I would have done with that knowledge? Get angry? Sure. I might have voluntarily come to the Vault, seeking others like me. That might be what kept him silent. I might team up with them and go after him.
Seth shook his head. "His reasons are his own. Men like him are rarely forthcoming."
“It sounds like you know him?" I eyed Seth sideways.
"I know of him," Seth said. "Those who lead and let power go to their heads are alike."
"If you think Dex is anything like Denis Crane, think again," I said.
"Did the Keeper not think of you as his possession?" Seth asked. "Did he not control every aspect of your life while you were here?"
I hesitated. He had done just that, but it hadn't bothered me. Maybe it should.
"He took care of me," I said after a few moments. "He knew the witches treated me like an outcast. He wanted to make me feel at home." I glanced at Bain, who nodded.
"Dex would have let her leave at any time," he said. "She came with few belongings. Dex saw to it she had what she needed. Had she told him to stop, he would have."
"Yes, see?" I nodded. "He's nothing like the Covener." And yet, I wasn't so sure. Seth planted a seed of doubt and it was growing.
"They are alike, whether or not you want to see," Seth said. "The so-called Alpha was no better. Gwendolyn has told me how controlling he is."
Is, not was. I assumed that meant he was alive too. Judging by the look of distaste on Gwendolyn's face, that wasn't her doing. She gave new meaning to ‘toxic relationship.’
"So, what happens if I decide to join you?" I wouldn't assume I had a choice, but Seth couldn’t accuse Dex and then turn around and do the same thing, could he?
Okay, he could. He seemed exactly the kind to let power go to his head. Only— Iwasone of them. A hemitheos. If he believed I could be influential, could I influence him?
What is it they say? Better the devil you know. If I could learn from him and steer him in the right direction, then maybe I could be a force for good.
Seth hid a smile behind his hand, but I saw it in his eyes.
"Power," he said. "Perhaps revenge against the witches, once and for all."
"Viva," Bain warned.
"She can think for herself," Seth said.
"Yes, I can." The idea of getting my own back against the people who treated me like shit was very tempting. More tempting than I could have imagined. I itched to make them pay. Now I had the chance.
I lifted my chin. "Okay, I'm in."
