Page 196 of Owned

I felt stronger.

Stranger.

“Hello?”

I frowned immediately.Why had I said that?

“You’re alone,” I muttered. “Don’t be stupid.”

But was I?

The spell— The Black Thread.

A willing possession.

But… it hadn’t worked.

Had it?

A sharp knock on the door made me jump back and my calves bumped against the window seat and toppled some of the boxes that had been re-stacked on the cushions. Gifts I didn’t want.

Tokens I despised.

“No—” I called out.

Was it already time?

I wasn’t ready.

I didn’t want—

But the door opened and two women entered the room. Uniformed servants I didn’t recognize.Always new faces.Silent wraiths that moved through the halls.

“Come with us, Miss Velez,” one woman said.

“I—”

There was no use in arguing.

I’d been dressed and ready for far too long.

My shoulders straightened as I walked across the room.

Suddenly, I stopped mid-stride.

“I need a moment.” The words were forced between my lips and the sensation of a robe slipping over my shoulders took hold of me. “Lucian won’t mind waiting just a moment longer.”

What— What was happening.

I tried to speak, but something stopped me.

A smile that wasn’t mine curved over my lips as the women exchanged glances.

“Wait outside,” I said. “I won’t be long.”

The women seemed reluctant to leave, but they did, and my confusion only intensified as I tried to make sense of what had happened. My body lurched forward, and I bit back a cry of surprise. I didn’t want to walk—what—

“Be calm,” a voice murmured in my ear.

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