Eleanor’s POV
The buzzing fluorescent light overhead felt like an interrogation tool itself, casting harsh shadows that seed to shift and mock .
The detective—a large man with a tired, skeptical face—leaned across the tal table, his presence sucking all the oxygen from the room.
"So, let get this straight," he said, his voice a low, disbelieving rumble. "You went to the Kingsley Hotel, alone, to... buy sothing. And instead, you were kidnapped to be human trafficked."
I nodded, my hands clenched together in my lap to stop them from shaking. "Y-yes. They used a perfu. It knocked out."
"And after you miraculously escaped," he continued, his eyes boring into , "this sa ring, instead of cutting their losses, decided to track you down. They found your apartnt, laid a trap, and orchestrated a massive, public chase across the city, all for you."
"Yes," I whispered, the word barely audible. My heart was a frantic bird beating against my ribs. I could feel my cheeks burning under his scrutiny.
"The witnesses, the bulletin we received... they all identified the situation as security personnel trying to recapture a dangerous ntal patient who had escaped."
"They lied!" I blurted out, my voice cracking. I took a sharp breath, trying to force a calm, straight tone I didn’t feel. "They said that so no one would help . So no one would be suspicious when they... when they took ."
The detective leaned back, the chair groaning under his weight. He spread his hands. "Why? Why you, Ms. Eleanor? Look at you. You co from an average family. You’re not a celebrity. You’re not a public figure. You have no unique traits that would make you a target for this... this extre level of obsession. Give one good reason."
The real reason—my claws, the supernatural world, the powerful man I’d scarred—was a truth that would see locked away forever.
"I... I don’t know," I stamred, dropping my gaze to the scarred tabletop. Helplessness washed over .
Oh, for the love of the moon, Beatrice snarled in my head, her voice dripping with a venom I rarely felt from her. Look at this bloated sack of incompetence! His gut is so full of donuts it’s pressed all the sense out of his tiny brain! He couldn’t find a clue if it bit him on his ample backside!
"Fine," the detective said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let’s move on to your... friends. How did they get involved in this ss?"
"They were just trying to help escape," I said. "They heard I was in trouble and they ca."
"How noble," he sneered. "Now, explain what happened at the Serpent’s Kiss. Explain how you and your friends survived, while the n who were, by your account, chasing you, were torn to pieces. Slaughtered by those... creatures."
My throat closed up. I couldn’t tell him about the shift in the air, the cold, ancient power that had flooded my veins. I couldn’t describe the feeling of looking at Mira and Roxy and feeling not recognition, but a distant, predatory interest.
All I could rember from that mont was a blinding, all-consuming bloodlust. If a part of hadn’t resisted, hadn’t scread in a tiny corner of my mind... I can’t imagine what I would have done to Mira.
You asked for my help, Beatrice’s voice was a low growl in my mind, defensive. I gave it. My instincts are to protect you, to eliminate all threats. I made you strong. I made you survive. What did you expect?
You made a monster. You scared them.
I kept you alive. That is my only function.
BANG!
The detective’s fist slamd down on the table, making jump violently. "Everything you’re telling is bullshit!" he roared, his face inches from mine. "Your friends gave a statent. A completely different story."
My heart stopped. A different story? Did they... did they tell the truth? Did they reveal what they are? What I am? No. They couldn’t have. They wouldn’t.
"You caused a city-wide panic, millions in damages, and the deaths of multiple individuals!" he shouted, spittle flying. "You need to start telling the truth, and you need to start now!"
The door to the interrogation room opened. Another officer stood there, his expression grim. "Detective. A word."
The detective whirled around, his face purple with rage. "What? I’m in the middle of an interrogation!"
The other officer leaned in and whispered sothing low and urgent into his ear. I watched, stunned, as the detective’s bluster visibly deflated. His shoulders slumped, the aggressive tension draining from his body. He shot a final, furious scowl, a look of pure, impotent rage, before turning on his heel and storming out of the room with the other officer.
The door clicked shut, leaving in the sudden, deafening silence. I was alone again, my mind reeling. What just happened? What could soone have possibly whispered that would make him back down like that?
The door opened again, and the sa officer who had whispered to the detective poked his head in. "Ms. Eleanor? You’re free to go."
"F-free to go?" I stamred, certain I had misheard. "But... he said..."
"All charges have been dropped. You can leave." His tone was flat and final.
Still trembling, I pushed myself up from the chair and followed him out of the suffocating room on unsteady legs.
We walked down a corridor and through a set of double doors that led to the main reception area of the police station.
And I imdiately saw why.
The scene before was one of stark, intimidating power. The K-trios—Keith, Kael, and Kade—stood in the center of the room like a wall of bespoke suits and cold authority.
They were speaking with a group of n I recognized as high-ranking city officials, through their outfit. My heart plumted into my stomach.
I had brought catastrophic trouble to their most high-profile property. I tried to make myself smaller, invisible, as I watched the exchange.
The man talking to Keith nodded obsequiously. "You have my personal assurance, Mr. Vexxon. We’ll make sure this... incident... dies down. The dia will be handled. There will be no further official inquiry."
"See that it is," Keith replied, his voice a low vibration that promised consequences if it wasn’t.
With a few more respectful nods, the officials dispersed, leaving standing alone, exposed in the middle of the room. The brothers turned their heads in unison, their gazes landing on . Their countenance was unreadable, a mask of polished stone.
Was it anger? Impatience? Cold calculation? I couldn’t tell, and that terrified more than the detective’s shouting had.
How could I possibly explain any of this? Where would I even begin?
Keith’s gaze was a physical weight, pinning in place. "You have a considerable amount of explaining to do," he stated, his voice dangerously calm. "Join your friends. Now."
I opened my mouth, a weak apology or explanation forming on my lips, but the words died before they could escape. My friends?
I followed them out of the station, the cool night air doing little to clear the fog of dread. Parked just behind their imposing black car was another, slightly less intimidating sedan.
And standing beside it were Mira and Roxy, their faces etched with a mixture of relief and deep anxiety.
The mont she saw , Mira rushed forward, grabbing my arms. "Ellie! What happened in there? Did you... did you tell them anything? About what you are?"
I shook my head, my voice a hoarse whisper. "No. I didn’t."
Mira sagged with palpable relief. "Thank the moon. We are so lucky the Vexxon CEOs intervened. If they hadn’t..." She trailed off, but the unspoken horror hung in the air between us. We’d be in a lab sowhere, being dissected.
Roxy, her arms crossed, cut to the chase. "Does anyone have a clue why the big bosses themselves want to et with us? Personally?"
My eyes widened. "The CEOs want to et you guys, too?"
Before anyone could answer, a short, sharp blast from the horn of the lead car made all three of us jump. It was not a request; it was a command. Ti was up.
Without another word, we filed into the back of the sedan. The driver, a silent man in a dark uniform, pulled away from the curb, falling in behind the Vexxon brothers’ vehicle.
***
The car took us to a sprawling, modern estate known simply as The Queen’s estate, perched high in the hills overlooking the city. We were led into a room that was all clean lines, floor-to-ceiling windows, and intimidating silence. The three of us—Mira, Roxy, and I—sat on one side of a long, low table. On the other side sat the K-trios.
The table was set with a few elegant carafes of water and a small platter of treats, a gesture of hospitality that felt more like a test. None of us moved to take anything.
Keith broke the silence, his voice echoing in the spacious room. "I trust that whatever is said within these walls will remain here." He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over each of us. "My first question. Are you all supernatural creatures?"
Roxy, her usual bravado dialed down to a simring wariness, gave a single, sharp nod. "Yeah."
Mira’s voice was quieter but firm. "Yes."
All eyes turned to . I could only manage a weak, jerky nod.
My mind raced. Were they going to expose us? But that made no sense. They had just extracted us from the heart of the human legal system.
Unless... unless they wanted to deal with us discreetly, on their own terms. I can’t let Mira and Roxy be punished for my mistakes.
Before anyone could say another word, I shot to my feet. "I... I apologize. So much." My voice trembled, but I forced the words out. "It was my idea to lead the car to the Serpent’s Kiss. I thought we could lose them there. I didn’t expect them to follow. Whatever punishnt you think is necessary..." I took a shaky breath and bowed deeply from the waist, my gaze fixed on the polished floor. "Please, spare Roxy and Mira. I’ll accept full responsibility."
I stayed there, bent over, waiting for the axe to fall. The silence stretched, each second an eternity.
Then, Keith’s deep voice cut through the tension, laced with sothing that wasn’t anger, but... amusent? "What makes you think I want to punish you?"
My head snapped up in confusion.
He continued, his expression unreadable. "I can be cruel, but I am, above all, a man of logic. I gathered you here because I believe you can be of significant use to . Especially you, Eleanor."
My eyes t his piercing blue ones, and my breath hitched.
His eyes, and those of his brothers, began to glow. Not a faint shimr, but a bright, electric, and utterly terrifying blue. A palpable pressure filled the room, a wave of raw, dominant power that pressed down on my shoulders, making my knees feel weak. Inside , Beatrice let out a whimper, a sound of pure, primal recognition.
The sudden, staggering realization dawned on , washing away every other thought.
The Vexxon brothers... were supernatural creatures, too.
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