Immediately, memories came flooding into me.
The tavern’s noisiness. Its sickening odor.
Kai’s hands on me, whispering.
The realization that Claire had slipped wolfsbane into my drink.
My attempts at fighting Kai.
And the stinging memory of when he’d struck me into unconsciousness.
Anger and a tremendous feeling of betrayal ran through my bones. I could remember the feeling of happiness I’d felt at Claire’s invitation, the sense of belonging as she held my hands shuffling through the sea of people, whispering urgently to me to be careful but now, in the face of what she’d done, I felt horrendously stupid.
How could I have trusted her? How could I have allowed myself to be fooled into this?
Regrets washed over me but most of all rage, rage that jammed my lungs. I could feel my blood boil with such anger like I’d never felt before and I welcomed it, letting the heat send warmth to my insides.
Isla looked from me to Radley. “Why has no one briefed me about what actually happened at that tavern?”
Radley’s eyes seared through me as I hoisted myself into a sitting position. “No one forced you to sneak out, Sophia. You knew well enough you were breaking a rule so I suggest you stop hiding and make others take the repercussions of the foolish decisions you took.”
Something snapped in me, I had no idea what exactly it was or what propelled it but suddenly, I’d had enough of Radley and the derogatory way he spoke to me, the way he looked at me. Strong disgust for him surged through me so much that I could taste its putridness.
“You do not get to talk to me like that, Radley.” My voice held venom I didn't think I was capable of mustering.
Radley stopped, surprise in his eyes that was immediately masked with cold contempt. He let out a harsh laughter.
“Finally showing yourself for who you are?” he asked. “A good thing I always saw through you, what is this? A ploy to set Amelia up? If so then I really should give you more credits than I have, a servant girl who clawed her way up here and is willing to do more to reach higher heights.”
His accusation stung.
“If you think this is some elaborate ploy by me to get myself intoxicated and get in bed with some perverted-minded man all because of Amelia then you really are more foolish than I would have ever thought!”
I watched him flinch at my words, his lips thinning as his eyes blazed with nearly the same anger that I was feeling but I knew he held no candle to my bitterness. I got up from the bed and even when a sense of dizziness swept over me, the rage I felt overwhelmed every other emotion.
Slowly, I made my way toward Radley until I was standing directly in front of him, and the fact that he towered over me didn't deter me in the least bit. I had no respect for him, he’d had enough time to get me rid of any of those ludicrous feelings when it came to him.
“You pride yourself on being so smart, don't you?” I asked, humor in my tone. “You prowl around acting all high and mighty, calling people names and going out of your way to make them feel small but in reality Radley, you're nothing but a man with an over-large ego spewing the most insensitive things. What was it you said the other time?”
I furrowed my brows for effect. I had no idea where this audaciousness stemmed from but the same high sense of exhilaration that streamed in my blood when I’d first hit Alexander was the same that ran through me now, the feeling of elation incited me to continue.
“Ahh, yes, I remember now,” I said, nodding my head. “You accused me of sorcery that one time, how daft do you have to be to reach such lengths just to justify how someone like me could be Callan’s mate? Do you sometimes surprise yourself with your level of absurdity or is this something you are unaware of?”
“You fucking bitch!” he snarled. His eyes protruded, his face had gone an unnatural shade of red and from my peripheral vision, I could see his fists clenched by his sides.
One of my brows lifted. “Are you going to say something new, Radley? It’s torture having to hear you say haul the same insults over and over.”
And I stood unflinchingly as Radley raised his hand to hit me, coming to a quick stop mid-air at Isla's commanding voice.
“That’s enough Radley!”
I chuckled. “Go on with it, I’ve come to know to be prepared for the likes of you to sink to the lowest of lows.” I shook my head at him, a smile on my face. “You do not surprise me, Radley, there's more of you crawling everywhere.”
“You are going to rue this day!” He swore just as Isla intervened again.
“Stop it right now, the both of you!” she said coming to stand beside us, her face holding a serious expression.
I folded my hands across my chest and gave Radley what I hoped was my best mocking look.
“C’mon, Beta,” his title came out of my mouth with enough slur for him to recognize the travesty I intended. “Take us to watch the execution, if you'd kindly please.”
With one last scathing look directed at me, he marched out of the room without another word. I'd thought at his exit, the high these feelings caught me in would let go but it only swelled.
Claire.
“Sophia,” Isla called with a worried look in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. I'd never felt better in my life, the look on Radley’s face as I spoke back to him forever embedded in my memory. “I need to see Claire,” I said to Isla instead.
“I wish I knew who that was.” She let out a small, embarrassed laugh. “You see no one really thinks of me as the Luna anymore and I rarely concern myself with a lot of things, Amelia is more in control.”
At her words, I could hear an undertone of sadness in her voice and a part of me softened toward the woman but soon enough my attention was caught by Amelia’s name.
Did Claire have anything to gain from doing that to me? I knew Kai hadn't done anything to me. I could still hear his voice saying, “Just lie and look pretty, Sophia, quite the meager role you have to play for our audience.”
The word ‘audience’ reverberated through me. Who was the audience he spoke about? And if Claire had nothing to gain from it, did it mean she received instructions too, and this brought me to the most important question, who was behind it?
Amelia? Radley? Or in fact, both of them? It was unlikely that they were scheming together because I assumed they’d want two different things but what if for now their wants had changed and they both had a goal to get rid of me?
“I would tell you everything, Isla but first I need to speak to Claire.”
Only she could tell who had been behind what had happened and I had no idea if he had found the answers too and if so, I needed to speak to Callan too.
Isla nodded. “But first you must change.”
I looked down at myself for the first time, taking note of the fact that I was no longer in my dress but in a shirt, which I immediately identified as Callan’s, and black pants.
“I don't think there's time for that,” I said to Isla hurrying out of the room, the fading sound of her voice opposing me followed me out as I hurried through the sprawling hallway and down the stairs.
My heart leaped when I caught Grace heading towards the back room. “Grace,” I called out to her breathlessly.
She stopped and turned to me, her face flushed. “Hi, Sophia.”
I paused in front of her. “Do you know where Callan might be? I need to see him.”
She glanced behind her. “I think I saw him head to the study.”
“Thank you,” I said before heading towards the study.
I took a turn and headed up another flight of stairs that led up to Callan’s section of the manor.
The study was the last door at the far end of the room and I made my way to it and just as my fists reached the door to knock, a feminine voice stopped me.
Callan wasn't inside alone. He was with Amelia.