Page 140 of Rise of the Queen

Instead of waiting for Battista, we quietly left and went to join Adrik and the others once again. Ilya caught us walking back toward the group. “Sephie, something’s happening and I can’t explain it,” he said urgently.

“To you?” I asked.

He shook his head no. “No, not to me. It’s the wait staff that’s here. I was by the door to the kitchen a moment ago. One of them is having some kind of attack. They’re trying to keep it quiet, but nobody knows what to do. The person is screaming that she can see ghosts.”

Ivan quickly told the group to go to the kitchen as we followed Ilya. We tried to be as discreet as possible, but it was difficult given the size of the men I choose to keep company with. Most people noticed us leaving toward the kitchen, but their curiosity was short-lived as there was an auction starting right at the same moment.

When we got to the kitchen, there was one poor girl being held down by three others. She was still struggling, urgently telling people that she could see things no one else could see. They thought she was being violent and a danger to everyone around her. In truth, she was scared out of her mind.

After a quick glance to Ivan, he removed the three guys holding her down so she could sit up on her own. She was just a little thing. She was definitely younger than me, with blonde hair and pretty grey eyes. I’m sure when she wasn’t scared for her life, she was quite adorable. I knelt down in front of her, as calmly asI could, asking her what she was seeing. “There’s an older man out there. He has a ghost standing next to him.”

“The older man, can you describe him for me?”

She described Vitaliy perfectly. It was Lena she was seeing.

“Is that all you’re seeing?” I asked.

“No. She glanced around the room, her eyes landing on Viktor before looking away. There’s another one,” she said in almost a whisper.

“She’s seeing Lena and Kostya. Get everyone else out of here.”

The room was cleared in a matter of seconds.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Jessica.”

“Hi Jessica. I’m Sephie. Can you stand up on your own, Jessica?”

She nodded, standing up. I stood up with her, but I was careful not to touch her. If she could see Lena and Kostya, I wasn’t sure what else she would be able to see. I didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was.

“The other one you see, it’s a little boy, isn’t it?” I asked her.

Her eyes got wide. “You … You can see them too?”

“I can’t right now, but I have in the past. What I’m going to tell you might be difficult for you to believe right now, but you’re not seeing ghosts, Jessica. They’re angels.” I paused, mostly to gauge her reaction. Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about what I just said. “The two men associated with those angels are very special men. Those angels watch over them. There’s nothing to be scared of. You have a special gift. You can see things most people can’t.”

“Angels are … real?” she asked.

“Very real. I have more than one that keep watch over me. One is just very busy and pops in and out as his schedule allows,” Isaid, smiling at her. “The other one is with me all the time.” She scanned the room, her eyes landing on Ivan.

“He looks different from the others,” she said. She was trying to be quiet enough that Ivan wouldn’t be able to hear.

“He is different. He needs to be to stay with me all the time,” I said. I could feel her starting to relax. Her curiosity was overtaking her fear now. “There’s no reason to fear what you’re seeing, Jessica.”

“Nobody else would believe me. They called me crazy. They said I was on drugs or having a mental breakdown,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. The urge to hug her was getting very strong.

“Most people don’t believe what they can’t see, but you have a very special gift. Unfortunately, you’re also going to need to be very discerning with whom you share your gift. People don’t always understand. They see different as a threat not something to be cherished. You’re going to have to protect yourself,” I said.

“How do you know? Why do you believe me?”

I reached out and touched her, letting her see everything she could see. “Because I’m different too.”

Chapter Forty-Two

Adrik

Ilya had informed her thatsomething was happening in the kitchen, so we all met Sephie there. There were guys holding down a girl in the back of the kitchen. She was struggling as much as she could, but she didn’t stand a chance. She was little anyway, but she had three guys holding her.

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