As the screen finally flickered to black, Raine dusted herself off as she picked herself back up from the floor. Shaking her head, she felt her system purge the poison inside her body.
"Well, that was rather unpleasant," she scoffed. "Didn’t think it’ll actually make sick."
"Are you sick?"
"No?" Raine chuckled. "Just made a bit dizzy is all. Nothing too serious."
"Well, that’s all well and good, but what’s the plan," Aspen chid in. "We might’ve pulled one over Marcus today, but that doesn’t an we can do it again."
"We’ll be fine," Raine waved the man’s concern away. "So long as we stick to the plan, we’ll get out of this with our skin intact."
"Easy for you to say," Davin scoffed. "You’re not the one whose life is in danger."
Raine winced. While it was true that the kids were still in danger of being killed, she at least knew that her father wouldn’t do sothing so stupid as to get rid of his own bargaining chips. At the very least, they’ll still be alive co the ti of the exchange.
"Father won’t back out now. Not now that his pride is wounded," she explained. "The only thing left for us to do now is to play into that."
"What? We should just appease him then?"
"Of course not," she frowned at Aspen’s words. "But that doesn’t an we should just run roughshod over everything. We should at least give him so slack."
There was always giving soone too little wiggle room, after all. If her father felt as if he was walking into a trap, then the risk of him going ballistic would only increase.
"Slack, eh. Then give him one. So long as he doesn’t enjoy himself too much," Boris chuckled.
*****
The ti for the exchange is nigh, and nerves were running rampant in the case of Decan and Raine. Currently, they were at the agreed upon eting place; an empty lot right in the middle of both the Moon Clan and the Convel Society Territories. Even with Marcus giving them free rein on what to choose as the exchange site, they still decided on a place that was close enough to both territories so as to not look too suspicious. After all, spooking the King Marcus too much might just make him more unpredictable, and thus, more dangerous.
"The sun’s not out yet," Raine comnted as she looked through one of the broken windows. "It’s almost ti, right?"
"If he appears on ti, that is," Decan scoffed. "Knowing him, he’s probably already setting sothing up just to renege on the deal."
And to that, Raine couldn’t help but frown. She couldn’t even refute him. It was true that her father had a penchant for doing everything just to get ahead. Being ruthless was how he beca king, after all, and she wouldn’t even fault him if he had sothing planned just to make sure he’d get what he wanted.
"Keep alert. He’s here."
Hearing Decan’s warning, Raine positioned herself just behind the forr king with Lyne beside her. Making sure that she was presentable, Raine smoothed out her clothes as kept up a neutral expression. She still had a role to play, after all, and fooling her father was the hardest role of all.
The two watched silently as they saw King Marcus enter the scene. At first glance, it looked as if he went in alone, only flanked by the two children on either side of him as he strolled towards them with a frown on his face. The girl and the boy looked to be safe, at least. Well, for the ti being.
"I see that you didn’t run away from this deal," Marcus scoffed out loud, the two kids beside him looking hopeful upon seeing Decan. "And I assu that you have my daughter with you?"
At the King’s words, Raine showed herself from behind Decan. She gave her father a small bow, her respect and reluctance clashing within her as she kept a cool face.
"We’ve kept our end of the deal, Marcus," Decan called out. "Can the exchange proceed? Ti is running out. Your daughter needs the antidote soon."
"Very well. Give the antidote now!"
"Your daughter already knew where it was and we two had a deal that she will only take it once we safely reach our territory."
Marcus did not comnt but quickly pushed the two children to walk forward and signaled his daughter to do the sa.
With a nod, Raine took in a deep breath as she walked forward with Lyne. Looking at the two children in front of her, they could only stop themselves from running for so long until they actually reached the safety of Decan’s presence. The two cried as they embraced the familiarity of him, the forr king soothing the two as he embraced him.
"We will have words, my daughter."
Raine kept her expressions schooled as she found herself standing by her father’s side once more. The familiar comfort was still there, but a nagging anxiety now intermingled with the usual comforts that she was used to having.
"You let yourself get marked by a werewolf," Marcus seethed. "What were you thinking? And that’s not to ntion the botched attack that you led."
"It was the sensible decision at the ti," she coldly countered. "The opportunity presented itself, and we tried taking advantage of it. It didn’t help that the fact that we found a plant within the clan. It only warranted the plan even further."
"Even despite my instructions not to do so while I was under a coma?" her father grumbled, his anger barely being contained as he spoke. "That was foolish, Raine."
Raine kept her silence, her teeth grinding as she kept her composure.
"And what of the mark?"
"The mark is sothing insignificant in the grand sche of things," Raine cooly lied, her hands crossing over her chest as she spoke. "It’s nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about? Really?" Marcus’s eyes widened. "Are you even aware of what that monster did to you?"
"Yes," she neutrally replied. "And I did the sa thing to him, so it’s only fair play."
The King fud at his daughter’s standoffish behavior. Balling his fists, he forced himself to calm down as he beckoned his daughter forward. "We’ll speak of this later. For now, let’s get the antidote and get you ho."
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