He clapped his hands together, pleased with his discovery. “Enough talking. Let’s go inside, shall we?”
Sam perchedhis small bird body on a chandelier above the main door to Gedeon’s office, waiting. In their past searches, he and Lauren had yet to come across anything useful, and it felt pointless to come at night anymore. The king was always either asleep or fucking someone.
Sam had come early tonight, but there was still no sign of Gedeon. The only place he could not access was Gedeon’s office, and he had hoped to catch the Lux King leaving, but as dusk turned into night and no one left, he chuffed, frustrated with their lack of intel.
As he lifted his wings to leave, a familiar maid wheeled her cart toward the king’s office and spoke with a guard, who smiled and let her into Gedeon’s office.
Sam glared at the too-friendly man opening the door for her. The non-Aatxeguards, no matter how nice they seemed, could not be trusted, and he didn’t like the way this one looked at Anastasia.
He knew he couldn’t speak with her in Gedeon’s office, where the guards could hear and would wait until she left. Sam wouldn’t chance her getting hurt.
Sometime later, she exited the office, said goodbye to the guards, and pushed her cart down a different hallway. Sam took flight, following her until they were far enough away from prying eyes. There were no guards in this section of the hallway, and he flew in front of her, shifting mid-air.
She startled, and Sam clamped his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream. Her body trembled, and her skin looked sickly as she stared at him with wide eyes. Once she realized who he was, she relaxed and closed her eyes, still panting.
“Is there an empty room where we can talk?” he whispered.
Pushing his hand away, she nodded and looked behind her before leading him down another hallway and into a deserted banquet room.
Closing the door softly, she spun around and took measured steps toward him as though he would strike if she moved too fast. “What can I help you with, Commander?”
“Call me Sam,” he replied as he prowled toward her. “You need to terminate your employment.”
She stared at him with a blank expression that morphed into disbelief. “You’re serious? I can’t quit my job.”
“Why would I say something if I was not serious?” he asked, perplexed. “It is not safe for you to work here.”
She laughed in his face, and he curled his hands into fists. Did she not understand the gravity of the situation? “You are not listening,” he barked, wincing at the tone he took with her.
Her laughter abruptly stopped, and he didn’t think it was possible for her to pale further, but she did. “You’re not kidding.”
“I have already told you I was serious.”
“Forgive me if I don’t quit my job because a randomAngeldrops in periodically and tells me to,” she whispered hotly.
He needed her to understand the severity of the situation, and with Rory now married to Caius, their time was running out. It was only a matter of time before everything came to a head.
The thought of Anastasia being hurt lit something within him. He couldn’t explain it, but thinking about it threatened his control. If he had to carry her out of The Capital kicking and screaming, he would.
“Take a seat,” he said, pointing to a chair. “I will tell you a story, and if, after I am done, you decide to continue working here, I will leave.”And come back when her shift was over to remove her from this place.
She looked scared, like a mouse, and he didn’t like that either. Once she lowered herself into a chair, he took a deep breath and told her everything from the beginning, starting with how Rory watched Gedeon murder Cora and ending with Rory’s marriage to Caius.
It was a long story, and she listened patiently, calmer than he expected. The silence between them stretched on forever until she finally asked, “Her sister’s soul is in a jar?”
Of everything he told her, that was her question? “Yes. It is presumed Gedeon still has Cora’s soul somewhere.”
“I think I know where it is.” A look of determination crossed her face, and Sam’s body tightened. “One night, I was late doing my chores, and he was in his office when I walked in. He was holding a jar that glowed a bright pink.”
OnlyFeycould see souls with skin-to-skin contact or when theyleft dead bodies, but if a soul was trapped inside a jar by aMerrow, they’re visible to everyone. There was no mistaking what Anastasia saw, but he couldn’t let her try to retrieve it.
“Where in his office?” he asked her. The longer they talked, the more he felt the need to get her out of The Capital.
Her knee bounced as she thought. “In a cabinet. When you walk into his door, it’s on this side,” she said, waving her arm to the right.
Sam nodded. “Either my first in command or I will find it and free her.”
She lifted her chin proudly. “I can do it.”
