Page 81 of Night's Fall
“Already ordered,”Settold him.
“My father been informed?”AlekseiaskedSet.
Set nodded. “Allainis doing it.Thenhe’ll be here to assist you.”
“There is absolutely no wayCat,GayleorMr. andMrs.Truelockare involved in this,”Iannounced.
No one paid me any mind asSetinformedAleksei, “Iclocked him when he came in.Atfirst, he had eyes only forLaura.”
“Same,” the female said. “She’spretty, but it wasn’t that.Hewas locked on.”
I turned on her. “Ofcourse he was,”Isnapped furiously. “Butthere’s nothing left for him to take from me.He’salready killed my beast.”
At my announcement, the air in the room turned completely static.
This highly uncomfortable feeling didn’t alter one bit whenAlekseiasked sinisterly, “Ibeg your pardon?”
I whirled on him again. “Hewas one of the ones who attacked me in that alley three months ago.Obviously, the police didn’t find him.AndnowIthink…”Ishook my head. “Idon’t know what to think.Becausefrom the instantIsaw him, he was looking at you.”
Aleksei stared at me.
I stared at him.
He stared at me.
BeforeIstarted screaming, because we were doing this again, he said with clearly forced calm, “Yourbeast isn’t dead,Laura.”
My stomach twisted, the pain so excruciating, the bitter dripping off my words was barbed.
“Then you didn’t read your briefings on me very closely, your highness.”
“Your beast isn’t dead,” he repeated.
I opened my mouth.
“I feel her right now.”
I closed my mouth, and a bolt of fire shafted through my internal organs.
“She’s been very quiet,” he said, his voice exceptionally low, like he was talking to a being clinging to the edge of a tall building, hoping to convince them not to jump. “Shewas highly communicative the night we met, but since then, nothing.I’vethought it curious.Butmy creature communicated to me she’s small, vulnerable, and he suspects she’s been taught to hide, and seek your shelter, my guess was, because what your parents thought of you…and her.”
I felt my eyes begin to sting, because he was touching too many raw chords with his words, butIslanted my chin to the side in an effort to control my emotion and kept my gaze steady on his.
“She’s not quiet,Aleksei.She’sthere, becauseIrefused to allow them to cut her out.Butshe’s still gone.”
I was feeling something come off him.Somethingdangerous and scary.
But his voice remained calm and painfully reassuring when he asked, “Someonewanted to cut her out?”
“At the hospital, after the attack.”
“The attack three months ago,” he said.
“Yes.Ithad to have been in my brief.Imade a statement to the detective inspector.He’seven commed me since.Notoften, but he’s been in touch to share where he is with the investigation.Whichisn’t far, something that became very obvious tonight.CatandGaylewere there whenIreported it.Theywere also there when the doctor and his nurse tried to encourage me to surgically let her go.Mygals got pissed, particularlyCat, because they were badgering me about it,Ididn’t want it, they wouldn’t let it go, and eventuallyCatlost her shit, demanding they leave the room and eventually chasing them out.Thenshe calledMr.Truelock, and he had me transferred home and had a home healthcare nurse look after me the next couple of days.”
“This detective inspector’s name?”Alekseiasked.
“Farlay.”
