Page 19 of Of Daggers and Deceit

“But,” he began, but Zander was quick to cut him off, and I didn’t miss the agitated twitch of his lips.

“But what?” Zander interrupted, his fingers now pinching ever so slightly on my waist.

“But there is a female requesting her mother’s sentence be revoked. Her mother is an Omega, and she is stating that her sentence will be lifelong because she is likely to be taken at the thinning of the shield if we leave her there.”

My head snapped up at the mention of an Omega serving punishment. I knew there was only one Omega in the entirety of the Outer Ring. Zander also knew who my mother was, a known sympathiser to Alphas after she took Bodhi in, but he stated he loved me regardless of the political tendencies of my family, that he knew I would pull them to understand why our laws were in place: to protect the citizens of our great city. I’d just nodded absently when he mentioned it. Bodhi was neither violent nor oppressive.

I held my breath when he paused, clearly ascertaining what to say in my presence.

But the guard rushed to continue. “She used her gift. It is almost unbelievable, even having witnessed it.”

I kept my face completely impassive, but my anger was building. Raya knew better than to use her gift like that; she could have guaranteed a death sentence.

I turned to face Zander, watching the cogs turn in his head—whether he would consider they were my family, whether he could wield this to support his city or himself.

“I see,” he began. “We must not tolerate that even if her gift is defective.”

My heart pounded against my ribcage. I cannot believe either my mum or Raya did this at all. They put me in this terrible position whilst I was still trying to build my influence with Zander.

I ran my hand up underneath his shirt to touch the hairs on his chest, my fingers rubbing soothingly over his heart as I placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

His lip twitched upward, his eyes shifting towards me.

“I trust you,” I stated softly, and his face softened.

Zander wanted me to bend completely to him. It was so evident to me. He wanted to be in charge, be the leader and the provider and protector. So even though I was completely terrified at this moment, I said those words to pull him on side and to invite him further in, just as he’d asked of me.

“She seems persistent. I do not see her folding even if we deny her. It may pose a problem, given the power of her gift.”

The hairs rose on my arm as I looked at the guard. He looked terribly nervous, with his hands twitching at his sides, his eyes dancing around the room, unable to focus on a single thing, but it was no match to the storm of emotions raging inside me. Not when my own sister’s life was being determined right before me.

So, I said something equally as reckless as Raya’s actions, but something that would inevitably save her and my mother if anything could.

I gave Zander the only information I knew I could wield—that in turn, he could wield so long as it didn’t end in my sister’s death.

My hands hooked into the unbuttoned collar of his shirt, clutching it as I moved my lips towards his ear.

“She does have control of her gift,” I murmured quietly, the words only for him.

His sharp eyes flicked quickly to mine in acknowledgement, briefly flaring in satisfaction but also annoyance. I’d never told him or anyone else that before.

I waited for Zander to deliver his command as the Supreme, and it took several quiet, terrifying minutes until he gave a response that had dread and relief warring inside me.

“Send the Gifted an invite to a dinner at my house. I wish to hear her plea.”

RAYA

Loud banging at the front door interrupted my incessant pacing as I plotted how I could possibly free my mother without the consequence being my death.

It was no surprise I came up with nothing, which only angered me further after already having had to endure the rest of the walk home with both Klarissa and Bodhi, the same Klarissa who had managed to wrangle Bodhi away for tonight after all the whining she’d done about him not attending the dinner and how the new recruits would need his presence to bolster their confidence.

I bolted down the stairs, huffing angrily at the person continuing to bang with increasing volume as the door rattled repeatedly on its hinges, threatening to fall off. It would be another thing to fix among the many issues that already existed within our home, another thing we couldn’t afford.

I quickly grabbed the handle of our door, yanking it open before whoever it was could commence their next round of battering. To my shock, I came face to face with the guard I’d spoken to yesterday to request my mother’s punishment be reviewed.

“Your presence is requested for dinner tonight with the Supreme. 6 pm sharp. Here is your token for entry beyond the gates to the Inner Ring. You will be escorted the entirety of the way.”

He shoved a small golden token into my palm and retracted his hand quickly, as if he did not wish to be tainted by a brush with my skin, like my impurity could transfer to him. I suppressed my annoyance. It was so very typical of an Inner Ring resident. At least I was higher up the social hierarchy than Alphas, so there was no risk of me transferring savagery over to him as well.

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