Page 45 of Anger

“That is a good question. One that’s probably crossed everyone’s mind, and we dismissed it!” Sela agreed.

“Alainen, do you think they’re right about him?” Lanie asked.

“Oh honey,” Sela replied, squeezing her. “Mir’ald had been planning to speak to you. We’d heard the rumours.”

“Damn. I thought I was so in love with him, and now I discover he’d planned on betraying me all that time,” Lanie said and closed her eyes on the threatening tears.

“Alainen was born wrong, and we know he made the first moves. He was also much older than you and knew better. But Alainen’s group was not the Beloved of God, and there was jealousy,” Liadun soothed.

Lanie frowned. “How could there have been jealousy? The Sin’s hadn’t been released.”

Sela and Liadun blinked. “The Sins are human. Not God’s Protectors. But Lanie is right. Negative emotions shouldn’t have existed. What is going on?” Sela murmured.

“How have we never considered that before?” Lanie asked, sitting up.

“It doesn’t make sense. How the hell could human emotions affect us, and how could they have affected us before they were freed?” Liadun demanded. She, too, sat up.

“Alainen was showing all the signs of being infected. Jealousy, lies, hate, spite, possessiveness, yet the Sins hadn’t been released,” Sela mused.

“Or had they?” Lanie asked.

“There is a big chunk missing from this puzzle,” Liadun agreed.

“And Andie has the answers. Do we push her?” Sela inquired.

“No. Andie will retreat into herself. Maybe even flee. I believe we are close to something. A breakthrough or confrontation. The truth is near, I can sense it,” Liadun murmured, her eyes unfocused.

“Then we sit tight and wait. The truth will always come out,” Sela said.

“It’s just a matter of time,” Lanie stated.

“Indeed it is.” Liadun nodded.

Chapter Nine.

Lanie/Lamia

Lanie wasn’t surprised when she entered her house a few days later to find Ranson and Mac waiting for her. Ranson looked a lot better, and Mac appeared relaxed, but he was on edge.

“We explained your absence as being necessary due to the attack,” Ranson said by way of opening.

“Hello to you too,” Lanie replied and smirked as Ranson blushed slightly.

“Good morning, Lanie,” he responded.

“I did message Laura, and she rescheduled everything. But thank you for taking your time to look out for me.”

“Fisher is driving today, and Mac will be in the back with you,” Ranson said.

“Is Fisher…?” Lanie let the sentence fade as Ranson shook his head.

“Just Mac and me, please remember that,” Ranson replied softly.

“Okay, let’s go because I’m pretty sure my day is chock-a-block with meetings.” Lanie sighed.

She wasn’t wrong. Laura had even only scheduled a fifteen-minute lunch break. Lanie could kick herself, but she had not realised how much time she’d lost in Refuge. She would be more careful in the future.

Lanie replied to emails and phone calls and worked up till eight at night. She was yawning when she left the office. Security around her was heavy. Simon Clare had evaded capture, and his face had been splashed everywhere. But he’d gone to ground. Lanie barely ate her dinner before she was asleep. She was still catching up with the shocks she’d recently received.

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