Chapter 21: The Girl Is a Spy
*Theo*
A knock on my office door drew me away from the work that had occupied most of my day. I’d thrown myself into it, trying not to think about the events of the past few weeks.
My assistant, Ciana, had made a full recovery from the curse that had befallen her-or whatever it was that made her lose her senses that night-and since that time, I’d hardly seen her at all.
Which was for the best.
Now, I had to assume this knock on the door was likely her, coming to ask me some silly question. “Come In!”
The door opened just a crack, and a woman stuck her face in.
But it wasn’t Ciana. It was that other girl… Sophia? Was that
her name?
“Pardon me, sir, but… I have some important information I think you need to hear. I don’t want to intrude.”
I blew out a deep sigh. Of course, she wanted to intrude. This girl was very much about attempting to secure a place with the royal family for herself, though I wasn’t exactly sure it was
me she was after….
“What is it?” I asked since she’d already barged her way into my thoughts.
She approached my desk and stood on the other side, her hands folded, her head tipped down. “It’s about your assistant, Your Highness.”
Here we go again. She was going to try to tear Ciana down somehow. “Make it quick.”
“Your Highness, I thought you should know, I just saw her meeting with some man outside in the forest. She was talking to him by this rundown house. It was all very strange.”
I set my pen down and looked into her eyes. The rundown house wasn’t something that Sophia could make up, and that was where the kidnapper Luther had led Ciana. Why would she go there? Who was she talking to?
Sophia gave a little shrug and said like she was just trying to help me out, “I don’t think we should trust her.”
Who was this “we” she was referring to? I wanted nothing to
do with this arrogant woman.
“I think she might be… a spy,” she concluded.
I didn’t want to believe her. She’d been trying to get Ciana in trouble from day one. But somewhere, deep in my gut, I began to wonder what Ciana had been up to lately.
“All right then. I’ll check,” I said, dismissively. “Anything else?”
She opened her mouth as if she might say something else, but when she saw the look on my face, she knew better.
“No, Your Highness.” She bowed again and left.
attempted to continue to do my work, but I couldn’t
my life lately, and somehow Ciana always seemed to be
up from my desk, I headed outside
when I heard someone moving around, and I knew that it
was jumping out from behind a tree with a knife in her hand, lunging at
multiple throwing stars flew at me and almost took me by surprise.
could fight like
and covered her mouth
Highness!”
skillful than I thought of
you
was just taking
She lied.
challenged her. “Taking a walk with yourself fully armed?” My tone grew
in the dark, and I was frightened. I
plan had failed, you wanted to pretend that this was just an accident, and you would be off the hook
“Your Highness-”
tell me, what exactly did Luther ask you
she blanched, her eyes widening. “Luther? I was
Were you or were you not
me blankly, not saying
a denial was confirmation
her in. She was a good-looking woman, and she had a pair of seemingly innocent eyes, but those
words rang in my ear. “She’s
no different from the other men or women who wanted my
all the time, but Ciana…. What made me think that she
if I was betrayed by someone who I trusted. It was ridiculous; she was
when I slaughtered those other assassins in my office with Jake. She should’ve been among the first to fall. That way, she never would’ve weaseled
me and Jake. Hell, even Warren
waiting for the right
didn’t take! It was all faked. It was all just part of the show she was putting on with Luther. I had stayed up all night nursing her, hoping she’d be all right, and
kissed her lips! The thought of it now made
I’d been stumbling along behind her, trying
called
“Yes, Alpha.”
the garden
Yes, Alpha,” he said immediately. “Where do you want
could get
out what was going on. “Please, Prince Theo, if you just give me a chance to explain myself, I promise I can clear this
for all of that. I gave you a chance to tell me the truth, but you lied. Jake, take her
wouldn’t disobey me,
I still had her blood for the blood moon,
she wouldn’t be able to cause
*Jake*
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