Page 115 of No One’s Daughter

His suit was black, immaculate, tailored within an inch of its life, clinging to a powerful frame. But it was his eyes that held the room captive.

They swept across the room, taking in everything, missing nothing, and when they passed over me, something inside me twisted.

They were cold and calculating.

But the part that stopped me mid breath was that they were identical to my own.

The same shade of blue.

Holy fuck.

A dark, creeping sensation curled through me, seeping into my flesh, digging deeper with every second that I stood there and taking root in my soul.

The resemblance was startling. Scary even. And my stomach threatened to empty itself at just how obvious it must have been to anyone who’d laid eyes on me. I dared a glance at Davien, whose eyes were staunchly on me, his face almost unreadable—that tough, angry mask he liked to wear so much—but I saw through it to see the concern in his eyes.

Fuck him and his concern. He could have told me so much sooner. Would he ever have told me if I hadn’t overheard him and Marlette? Maybe if I'd had more time, I would have been better prepared.

I slowly brought my attention back to him… He who was now busy talking at the room, though I couldn’t hear a word.

I felt Leon’s hand brush against the small of my back, the warmth of it bringing more comfort than I ever wanted to admit because it dawned on me then that I was in a nest of vipers. Sharp teeth surrounded me and they all wanted a piece of me.

I was sure they could all hear my pounding heart.

I needed to get a hold of myself.

Calm the fuck down Ailsa, for Claire.

I took a shaky breath and stretched my palms against my thighs to dry them.

I forced a small smile as I took in this new world around me, with the sinking realisation that I’d probably meet my end at the hands of one of these monsters. I was a fool to think I’d stand a chance.

But I had to at least try.

And that’s exactly what I’d do.

“I trust you’ll join me in welcoming a special guest tonight, one that’s dear to my heart, Ailsa,” his mention of my name spun my attention back to him. He outstretched his arm to direct everyone’s eyes onto me with a creepily bright smile on his face. “It’s so good to finally have you here.”

My confidence dropped momentarily. I couldn’t hold it together when he addressed me, putting me on the spot like that. He had to have been doing it deliberately. Fuck, I was playing right into his hand by responding exactly how he wanted me to. He wanted me to make a scene.

I had to do the opposite of what he’d expect.

So I inclined my head in respect. “I’m glad to be here, thank you for the invite.”

My stomach turned at my choice of words but I needed to show him I wasn’t to be underestimated. Though I refused to smile at him. He wouldn’t get my submission.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said with an unreadable expression. It made me uneasy. We were so alike, but his mannerisms were completely different. “But for now, let’s eat and enjoy the party,” he said, raising his glass of dark red liquid in a toast.

That must have been the signal for everyone to move because all at once, chairs glided back, bodies lowered into seats and then the servers arrived.

They flowed into the room like ghosts, silent and efficient, placing dish after dish along the length of each table.

Plates were set before us, mine a delicate arrangement of roasted vegetables, glazed to perfection, alongside slices of meat that still glistened with juices.

I stared at it, then picked up my fork.

And did absolutely nothing with it.

I nudged a piece of food around the plate, dragging it through the sauce, cutting it into a smaller piece I had no intention of eating. The motions were automatic, something to do with my hands so I didn’t betray how tightly wound I was.