Page 119 of No One’s Daughter

“I’m surprised to see you here,” a male voice to my right startled me out of my thoughts. “It’s not like you to make cosy with this bunch,” Rupert said, pulling out the chair next to me and taking a seat. He was one of the turned ones with a mid-level role within the Ninth. Our paths had crossed many times over the last few decades, but that wasn’t to say I knew him well. He was a good team leader, but terrible at poker. That was as far as my knowledge of him went.

​I cleared my throat, he wasn’t wrong, these events left me crawling in my skin. “Yeah, thought I’d make an appearance this year.”

​He hummed his response. “Any idea on what’s going on?”

​I turned to look at him then, trying to get a read. “Not sure what you mean.”

​“The extra security. Thought that’s why you were here. He’s called everyone in,” he paused, looking around. “Obviously not to the party, but everyone is in the grounds. You’d think we’re going to war.”

​I straightened in my seat. “Yeah, that’s why I’m here, but I don’t have details. I’m in the dark.”

​Fuck, I was fairly certain his appearance next to me hadn’t been a coincidence and he was here as my babysitter. It was a warning, ‘don’t try anything, or else’.

​He looked at Ailsa, and I felt myself tensing. “Interesting date Leon’s brought, I’ve not seen her around.”

​Fuck, he was definitely fishing for intel. Or was he trying to warn me.

​“No idea,” I said, acting nonchalant. “Never seen her before.”

​He hummed low, as he picked up his wine glass and slowly took a sip. “Regardless, I think it’ll be an interesting night.”

​I nodded my agreement and went back to mentally planning how to survive this night.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Leon

THIS WAY, SWEETHEART,” I said, trying to sound like nothing was wrong when every instinct in my veins told me something was very wrong.

​I led her towards the seats in the centre front row we’d been assigned. Not that I had the faintest idea what for. That dinner, if it could even be called that, was strange as fuck. It was quite clear that a good ninety percent of the humans in attendance had been compelled. I didn’t like it. I rarely used compulsion, and when I did, I did so for good reason. I didn’t like the thought of toying with humans the way so many of my kind did. It made me uneasy. They weren’t toys.

​Ailsa looked over her shoulders, like a lost fawn. I watched as her curious eyes took everything in. I saw them scanning over every detail. And curiously I watched as she clearly made note of all exits.

​The question had been gnawing at me since I first set eyes on her in the Ninth. “How did you come to be here?”

​She turned her head to look at me and fuck me, she was so goddamn beautiful, but that spark that had first drawn me to her wasn’t there. She’d been dulled, and the mere thought of what could have done that saddened me. She was so free, so careless that night. She took what she wanted with no regrets, she was life itself. And now, I didn’t know, it wasn’t as though I actually knew her, but the difference was simply too startling to ignore.

​“That doesn’t matter,” she shook her head. “He took my sister, Claire, and I need to get her out of here,” she continued, looking around us, as though scared someone might overhear.

​She kept mentioning her sister like I was supposed to know anything about her.

​Wait.

​Realisation dawned on me.

Oh fuck.

“Your sister doesn’t happen to have mid length curly brown hair and brown eyes, does she?”

Her eyes widened at the description, telling me everything I needed to know. The human woman I’d seen earlier must have been Claire.

“Yes,” she said, her tone more hopeful than I’d heard it all night. She gripped my forearm as she turned her whole body toward me. “Please tell me she’s okay. Did you see her? Where is she?”

I swallowed away the dryness in my mouth. “I saw her earlier, just briefly, she was okay. But I don't know where she is now.”

It wouldn’t do any good to tell her about the bruises or glassy eyed look I’d seen on her face. She was alive and that at least something. But I worried for how long. Valerius wasn’t above killing for shock.

She chewed her lip and I could tell she had a million things running through her mind. I recognised that helpless feeling. Knew it all too well.