Page 11 of A Shadow of Betrayal

“Oh, hey… Dad,” Theo whispers, cringing and looking at me with wide eyes as he slowly reaches out and taps my hand holding my knife, signaling me to lower it. “I thought, I mean—” Theo sighs and shakes his head. “Where's Cap at?”

“He's still over an hour away. He sent me in his stead since I was heading to the compound,” he says, glaring at his son, “Where is your pendant?!” he barks. Then barrels on before Theo can even take a breath, “No. No point in spewing pathetic excuses, we’ll have to set up a ward perimeter and assess the need for memory adjustments. It will be found then,” the man says, eyeing me warily. “And you are?” he asks, dismissing his son and turning his full attention to me.

I can see the family resemblance to Theo as I look at him. Same brown eyes and sandy brown colored hair. They stand at the same height, maybe an inch or so under six feet, but you can tell this man is older. There are wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his lips are pulled down in a sneer that looks like it might be a permanent feature on his face.

“Who are you?” I counter, and Theo groans a little behind me. I feel his foot tap the back of mine as if to silently tell me to shut up. But, what the hell? I just met Theo, and the only reason I've stuck around as long as I have is because I want answers. But I honestly don't feel safe now that his dad is here.

“Bloodline and title, miss,” Theo’s dad commands, like some kind of weird police officer, and Theo steps forward, placing himself between his father and me.

“Dad, she doesn’t—”

“Was I talking to you? Do what you do best and keep your mouth shut. I'll deal with you later,” his dad snaps, and Theo flinches back like he's worried his dad may physically lash out at him.

My hackles rise, and I glare at the man in front of me. Theo may be annoying and a little handsy, but from what I've seen in the few minutes I’ve known him, he's a nice kid.

“Listen here, you giant asshole,” I start, laying into the prick. The wrinkles in the older man’s forehead deepen with my every word, and Theo turns and stares at me in fear. The color drains from his face when I step toward his dad, and his arm darts out, wrapping around my waist to stop me from getting closer. I'm unsure if he's trying to protect his dad or me, but I'm too upset to care.

“Dad, she has no idea what that means,” Theo says desperately, making his dad turn his attention back to him as he scoffs.

“She's at least thirty, if not older,” the man says, making me grit my teeth and flip him the bird in response. “There is no way a rogue shadow would have survived this long on her own.”

“She's twenty-six,” Theo corrects, his hand whipping out to cover my hand in order to get me to stop flipping his father off. “And I don’t think she's a rogue shadow. She literally has no idea what we are talking about.”

“And she is done with this conversation,” I say, shoving at Theo’s chest to get him to let me go. “I hope your friend is okay, but I'm over this crap. I'll get my answers somewhere else.” Even though I kinda feel bad leaving Theo to deal with this prick on his own, I just met the guy, and he’s really not my problem.

“That will not be happening. You need to be brought in front of the Seniorem to be questioned. We can't have an Umbra rogue running around causing mayhem.”

Theo reluctantly lets me go while I glare at his dad. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I snap, keeping my eyes on the man as I slowly back away, sweat dotting my brow as my hands begin to shake.

I knew these guys were going to be bad news! Stupid, Meyer, really stupid to think you could trust anyone but yourself, I mentally chide myself.

“Dad, please don't—”

Something suddenly wraps around my waist, and I gasp in shock, looking down but seeing nothing. Theo’s dad is chanting something, weaving his hands in the air in a circular motion while Theo starts to yell at him.

“Theo!” I shout in fear as my vision starts to blur, no longer able to move my feet as his dad’s chanting grows in volume. His eyes flutter closed as he concentrates on whatever he is muttering under his breath. His hands begin to glow a weird white color and my stomach lodges in my throat. I grab my blade from my jacket again and take a deep breath, panic filling my chest as I raise my hand up in the air, aiming for Theo's dad.

“No! Meyer, don't!” Theo yells, reaching up to stop me from hurting his dad. His hand connects with my wrist just as I throw the knife with what's left of my failing strength. Theo’s attempt at stopping me hinders my aim, making the blade slam into his father's big bicep instead of his chest.

With a shout, the older man stops chanting, bringing his injured arm to his chest with a jerky movement. The weird, invisible binding is no longer tightening around my waist but still keeps me frozen in place. Angry dark brown eyes meet mine, and I glare at the dick who thinks he can just waltz in here and take me.

With slow, precise movements, Theo’s dad grabs the hilt of the blade and yanks it from his arm, making dark blood seep from the small wound and run down the length of his arm, dripping from his elbow onto the pavement below before he throws the knife at my feet.

“Wrong move, girl,” he says in an eerily calm voice. “Theo, take Jordan to the truck. He’s waking up,” he instructs as he takes a menacing step in my direction.

“Dad, Meyer has no idea what's going on. She’s scared and protecting herself! Please don’t do this!”

“Theodore Drakos! Take Jordan to the truck, NOW!” Theo’s dad roars, his face turning an ugly shade of red.

Theo flinches and throws me a desperate look but does as he's told, walking over to Jordan and grabbing his friend under his shoulders before heaving the young man up and over his own, and slowly walking toward a truck parked down the road.

“As for you,” Theo's dad steps up next to me, stopping only a few inches away, making me have to tip my head back a little to meet his eyes. “My name is Senior Drakos, and you will show me the respect earned by my title.” I narrow my eyes on this pompous ass, trying really hard not to roll them and aggravate him further.

But seriously? How the hell am I supposed to show respect to a title I don't know the meaning of?

“How exactly does one earn respect by title alone?” I ask, sarcasm heavy in my words. “I was always told you had to earn respect with actions, not because someone demands it.” My face whips to the side a second later, taking me completely by surprise, and I blink in shock when I realize the dickwad just slapped me, the sharp pain radiating through my cheek and down my neck.

“Your insolence will be reported alongside the injury you have inflicted on a fellow Umbra Hunter. Now, are you going to be cooperative, or are we going to go about this the hard way?” he drawls, brushing his hands together, acting as if touching me while slapping my cheek made him dirty. I slowly turn my face back and meet the man's cold eyes, wishing I could stab him again.

---