Chapter 78
Lirael
I turned immediately, every instinct screaming run, but forced myself to stay calm. Faced a tapestry as if studying it, using the window's reflection to track Sebastian without turning around. My fingers white-knuckled around the champagne stem.
Why is he here? Did he track me?
Of course he'd be invited. Head of one of the three great families, connections everywhere. This was a social dinner for elites, and Sebastian was about as elite as they came.
He doesn't know you're here. Can't know. The Moon's Tear is foolproof—
But my hands were shaking anyway. I set the glass down before I dropped it, pressed my palms against my thighs to hide the tremor.
"Blackwood Alpha!" Victoria's voice cut through my panic like nails on a chalkboard.
Oh, you stupid bitch.
In the reflection, I watched her make a beeline for Sebastian, features arranged in what she thought was alluring. She'd clearly mistaken his danger for opportunity.
She had no idea what kind of monster she was approaching.
"What an honor to finally meet you!" Victoria's voice dripped honey. "I'm Victoria Hartfield—I've been doing work with the Nightwatch that might interest you..."
She stepped closer, hand rising toward his arm. Nearby guests exchanged knowing looks. Someone muttered, "Is she insane?"
Sebastian's expression didn't change, but I caught the micro-tension in his jaw, the slight eye narrowing that meant someone was about to have a very bad day. Victoria seemed oblivious.
"I have information about a particularly rare specimen. An elven with unique properties. If you're interested in expanding your collection—"
Her fingers reached toward his sleeve.
"You have information about elves?" Sebastian's voice was perfectly controlled, but something underneath made my skin crawl—ice cracking over deep water.
Victoria's face lit up like she'd won the fucking lottery, misreading his tone completely. "Yes! I used to—"
"Marcus." The word cut through her babbling like a blade. Sebastian's bodyguard materialized—a mountain of muscle whose expression suggested nightmares. "Take Ms. Hartfield to the VIP lounge upstairs. I want to hear more about this... information... in private."
Victoria looked like every dream was coming true. Her face flushed with triumph, and she shot a smug glance at her companions before turning back with a smile that turned my stomach. "Of course, Alpha. I'd be delighted."
I watched them leave—Victoria glowing with satisfaction, Sebastian unreadable, Marcus following like a shadow—and felt a complex knot of emotions. Relief that Victoria's attention was off the ballroom, but also sick satisfaction at what was probably about to happen.
She thinks she's seduced him. Thinks she's about to become his mistress.
She has no fucking clue what she just walked into.
The ballroom returned to its rhythm. I slipped toward the back, where a hallway led away. My legs felt shaky, adrenaline still flooding my system, but I forced them forward. If there were restricted areas—
A scream shattered the atmosphere, high and terrified and unmistakably Victoria's.
"No! Stop! You can't—please—!"
From somewhere above. Guests froze, exchanging glances, but nobody moved to investigate. Whatever was happening was none of their business.
I should have stayed. Should have used the distraction to search for Sophia. Instead, I found myself moving toward the sound, taking stairs two at a time, driven by something I couldn't name—curiosity, or that dark satisfaction, the part wanting to see Victoria suffer.
My heart pounded as I climbed, fingers trailing the banister. Each step brought Victoria's cries closer, and with them a savage anticipation that probably made me a terrible person but I didn't give a shit.
The VIP lounge door stood ajar. Through the gap, Victoria knelt on the floor, hair disheveled, mascara running in black streaks. Sebastian stood over her with such cold contempt it stopped my breath.
"Let me make something very clear," he said, voice carrying quiet menace worse than shouting. "I despise two types: women who think they can use their bodies for access, and fools who trade information for favors. Unfortunately, Ms. Hartfield, you're both."
"I'm sorry—I didn't mean—please, Alpha—" Victoria's voice cracked, confidence stripped away to reveal the coward underneath, and god help me, my lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"However," Sebastian continued, and something in his tone shifted, became sharper, "you mentioned information about an elven hybrid. Genesis Foundation's S-class specimen, if I'm not mistaken." He circled her slowly, predatory. "I want details. Everything you know about this... creature."
My breath caught. Every muscle locked. No. Don't—
"I—I don't understand—" Victoria stammered, clearly confused by the sudden shift.
Sebastian's voice dropped to something deadly soft. "The one your family kept. The one who could produce Moon Dew. I want to know everything about her origins, her capabilities, what Genesis discovered during their experiments." He paused. "And most importantly, I want to know if she's still alive."
Ice flooded my veins. My fingers found the wall beside the door frame, nails digging into expensive wallpaper. He's asking about me. He knows Victoria had me. But does he know I'm here? Does he suspect—
"She—she's alive, as far as I know," Victoria said, eagerness creeping into her voice now that she thought she had something he wanted. "Genesis was very interested in her. They paid us 25 million for her three years ago. Said something about her being a pure-blooded lunar elf. Extremely rare."
"Pure-blooded." Sebastian's voice held no inflection, but I heard the interest underneath. "Go on."
"My parents found her when she was seven. Some kind of trafficking ring had her, said she was found in the ruins of an old forest sanctuary up north. She had these silver eyes that glowed in moonlight, and this mark—" Victoria gestured to her neck, "—right here. Like a tattoo, but it pulsed sometimes. "
My hand flew to my own throat, fingers pressing against where I knew the silver tracery lay hidden beneath Sophia's glamour.
"And the Moon Dew?" Sebastian pressed.
"She only produced it when she cried. Real tears, from real emotion—pain or fear or grief." Victoria's voice took on a cruel edge that made my stomach heave. "We had to... motivate her. My mother was very creative. Burns worked well. Starvation. Watching things die." A pause. "She was stubborn though. Sometimes we'd work on her for hours before she'd break."
My vision blurred red at the edges. The wallpaper tore under my nails, and I had to bite down on my tongue hard enough to taste blood to keep from making a sound. Every word was a knife, carving open old wounds I'd thought I'd learned to live with.
"Fascinating," Sebastian murmured, and I couldn't tell if he was disgusted or intrigued or both. "And Genesis—what did they want with her?"
"They were researching something about elven genetics. Said her blood could synthesize compounds that affect werewolf physiology. Something about calming the beast, preventing entropy—I didn't understand all the science." Victoria shifted on her knees. "But they were willing to pay a fortune for exclusive access. Said if their experiments succeeded, she'd be worth hundreds of millions."
Calming the beast. Preventing entropy.