Valerie raced down the dark, quiet corridor. For the first time, she realized the doors were somewhat thin. She heard beings talking quietly in their rooms, the sounds muffled. She could only imagine what people had thought when Dravka had been making her scream with pleasure…but she didn’t dwell on that now.
As luck would have it, just as she reached the stairwell which led down to the lobby—their rooms were on the third floor of the inn—Tavak emerged from his room. He paused when he spotted her, his lips downturning.
“Val? Where’s Dravka?” he asked.
Valerie felt the length of the sedative injection in her pocket, heavy and cold. A slight inkling of panic began to fill her. He couldn’t leave his room. If he did, Madame Allegria would see him.
“He’s showering,” Valerie said. “I—I have to go down to the lobby for something.”
Tavak frowned and Valerie was acutely aware that every moment they wasted, her aunt might be that much closer to discovering their room numbers, or she might be climbing up the stairs with the two guards she’d brought with her.
“What do you need?” Tavak asked. “Dravka wouldn’t want you wandering around without him. I’ll go with you.”
“No!” she exclaimed, her breath hitching. Then her shoulders sagged because she realized that she wouldn’t be able to get past him without telling himsomething. “Please just…just go back in your room. I have to take care of something. Tell Dravka that I’ll meet you out front in fifteen minutes, okay? Be ready to leave then.”
His brows furrowed. “Val—”
“I’m going to the shop, just across the street,” Val said, her tone sounding exasperated though really, it was just panic at that point. “For…human female things, all right? I’d like privacy.”
Realization dawned on Tavak and she saw his expression shift towards…well, not suspicion, at least.
His lips pressed together, but Valerie was already flying by him, her feet hitting the stairs.
“I’ll be back soon,” she tossed over her shoulder, hoping that her tone sounded breezy enough, when really it was breathlessness.
“Vauk,” she heard Tavak curse, indecision in his voice, but she didn’t wait to hear anymore.
She raced down the stairs, her heartbeat thumping in her throat. The staircase down to the second floor was long and winding. Valerie didn’t even remember coming up it but then again, she remembered that Dravka had carried her up when they’d arrived two nights ago.
This has to work, she decided.It has to.
She just had to believe that it would.
She just had to believe that this would be the last time that she’d ever see her aunt.
The landing on the second floor was narrow and looked identical to the one on the third floor, a long corridor stretching out both ways, dark and quiet, doors to about a dozen rooms on either side closed tightly.
Valerie was just about to descend towards the lobby when she heard the echoing of…heels. Quiet voices, one she recognized, and heels.
Madame Allegria was coming up the stairwell from the lobby. In the echoing, the words started to become clearer the higher they climbed. Her aunt was saying, “…need to find them at the perfect moment. The vessel will take time to refuel. We need to stall. And don’t kill any of them, I want them alive.”
Hatred burned through her at the words, making her scowl, paused on the second-floor landing.
Her aunt wanted to stall?
Well, Valerie had every intention of getting out of there on time. She could handle her aunt, she believed, but what would she do about the guards? Especially if they were armed.
I’ll figure it out, she knew.
Valerie didn’t want to hide but she also didn’t want her aunt to believe she’d willingly come to meet her. That would only make her suspicious.
So Valerie started to descend the stairs, her heart pumping steadily and hard. Her teeth were gritted together as the sound of heels became louder and louder. She could almost smell her aunt’s perfume. Just one more turn and…
There she was, climbing the steps and looking put out because of it. Her red hair was swaying behind her. She was dressed in a bright magenta dress that molded to her curves. Her red lips were pursed in a frown. And behind her were the two guards, younger men, with the unmistakable outline of stunners strapped to their hips.
Valerie made her eyes go round when Madame Allegria glanced up at her. Valerie froze on the steps but her aunt recovered first, lunging forward to grab her arm, her nails digging into her flesh, hard enough to draw blood.
“Well, if it isn’t my little niece,” Madame Allegria hissed, pulling her up the flight of stairs with renewed vigor until she was back on the second-floor landing. “Howwonderfulto see you here on Nimida. Enjoying your little vacation?”
