Page 48 of Of Daggers and Deceit

Apple looked over at me with a grin and a thumbs up, and I laughed low in response.

“The female, I’ve dealt with once. She shifted in and out quickly. She’s a bull but struggled on the sand, so I’ve never seen her shift outside that one time. She’s an incredible fighter, though, I’ll give her that. Packs a powerful punch, doesn’t she, Hayden?” Apple teased as Hayden rolled his eyes. Clearly, he’d been one-upped by her at some point.

Bohdi interrupted their banter, injecting seriousness back into the discussion. “Silver, we don’t know much about. He is new. I observed him briefly before he knocked me out with something. He is stealthy and more considered in his approach, quite a good anticipator of our movements.”

For all of Bohdi’s humour, I appreciated how serious he was on this matter. The abduction of Omegas was abhorrent and deserved our full attention.

“Agreed. I had one run-in with him. It’s like he knew where I was going to land when I materialised, managing to sidestep me as if it was no trouble.” I paused and frowned before continuing. “I’ve never experienced that from anyone, not with my power.”

Bohdi looked over at me in contemplation, the others mirroring his expression.

“Has anyone ever seen him shift?” I asked, looking around the room. “Something seems unusual about him.”

Bodhi shook his head, and others followed suit.

“He doesn’t smell like a Dominant to me,” Klarissa replied as she studied me. “I’ve been close to him a few times before, albeit fleetingly. If anything, Raya, he has a similar underlying scent that I often smell on you now that I’m more familiar with your gift.”

I couldn’t help but look to my sister then as everyone else looked towards me. Riley’s usually composed expression pinched at the eyes, a minor twitch, invisible to those who didn’t know her, but entirely obvious to me.

The extent of Silver’s abilities was still unknown, something I needed to draw out. Another Gifted like me? I didn’t know whether to be excited or afraid.

I didn’t dare tell them the rest of the details about how they had wanted to take me. I didn’t want to cause havoc in already strange circumstances with Riley present.

Maybe tomorrow night, things would be totally different, though that anxious feeling that now lived inside me roared higher in objection to that thought.

I decided then and there that I’d be wearing those cuffs tomorrow night.

RILEY

Iwasn’t meant to be out tonight. After I’d returned from the Alpha compound, Zander had directed Sly to keep me inside. Another night in his prison while he could leave to do whatever he pleased. It was beginning to grate at me.

Zander could be a desperate lover, going to great lengths to keep me close, to force me into the box he wanted me to fit in. I’d grown to look forward to defying him, even if he didn’t know. It helped me cling to a sense of agency and control.

I’d requested to go to the rooftop tonight to think beneath the stars. Sly had gladly followed me, all humour and smiles, clearly not intent on following Zander’s orders to keep me in my chains. I think he looked forward to the glimpses of myself I’d allowed him. I quite enjoyed that he looked forward to seeing the realest parts of me.

I seated myself on some pillows rimming the illuminated petals marking the walls of the rooftop, rubbing the excess moisturizer I’d recently put on deep into my skin. Sly had seated himself near the entrance, further away than usual, something I was quietly thankful for.

For some reason, when I looked at him, I just felt guilty and trapped, especially when I caught him staring at me with an expression I couldn’t seem to name. I watched as he fiddled with the cuffs of his suit, that little dimple in his cheek that I liked so much visible.

“Do you ever get bored being a guard and taking orders all day?” I asked, eager to disrupt my own thoughts of him and break the silence between us.

He looked up towards me with a soft smile. “Not so much these days. But I used to.”

I hummed and trailed my hand across a glowing petal beside me before flicking my gaze back towards him. He leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed, his face relaxed as he simply breathed.

I couldn’t help but watch him. He was beautiful, though I’d never thought too much on it. I’d never thought too much about anyone other than Zander. It had caught me off guard.

The corners of his mouth slowly lifted, as if thinking about something that brought him joy. I wondered if he was thinking about her, the lover he lost. My heart pinched.

I closed my own eyes, imagining a world where I was loved by someone like him instead of Zander. I wondered about the person I would be if I had that kind of freedom, and I wondered if he would be any different if he had that too.

A soft laugh bubbled up, and I quickly cut it off as I realised it had escaped me, my eyes darting open to find Sly staring at me.

My face shifted and smoothed reactively. He frowned. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” I asked curiously, unclear as to what I did that drew a frown to his face.

“Change. Mute your emotions. Hide your joy. Whatever you just did. I hate that.” He flicked his hand up and down my body.

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