Our Forgotten Souls

Chapter Twenty-Five

I had not been expecting this.

And by this, I meant this dress.

Nice had been an understatement. Or just an incorrect description.

The dress I wore was made of indigo velvet. A keyhole cut-out marked the chest, and it had a high neck with no sleeves. It hugged every curve tight and ended barely beneath my butt.

It was intentionally revealing.

And I had a bad feeling I knew why.

A "Plan B" as some would say. Erebus would definitely not approve.

I'd barely gotten the chance to look at myself in the mirror before I was swept away to the familiar black limo.

As we drove past the poor sectors of the town, I watched the dilapidated buildings go by. I remembered that day when we had been attacked. Nobody was really talking about it. It didn't totally matter – we'd all survived, and we were already fighting for these people, even if they didn't know it.

I guess I was one of them now, too.

As much as I still was conflicted about being held captive, I had to respect their drive. They had a point in what they were doing. Even if it involved taking away my freedom.

I guess that was the consequence of passion.

The limo pulled up to Darius Adamos's house, and I made sure my hair wasn't falling out of the messy bun it'd been pinned up in. Makeup had been dashed across my face to make me look a lot more mature than I was.

I was really not looking forward to this.

Darius already creeped me the hell out. The way he treated me like I was a little pretty plaything made me want to get sick. Still, there were things that you had to do for freedom. I was just praying plan B wouldn't have to happen.

Hank was at my side, and per usual, opened the door for me. Unlike the ball, there weren't very many people pulling up and milling about at the entrance. This must have been a more private event.

I didn't know if that made me more or less nervous.

The house itself was very elegant. The outside seemed to be made out of light gray marble, with a couple marble pillars out front. Vases filled with overflowing flowers lined the windows. At the top of the steps, a black-suited butler opened the door before I could grab it myself.

I walked down a short, luxuriant hallway, and was led to the dining room. As I was lightly guided inside, Hank gave me a quick look and left the way we'd come.

I guess I wouldn't have him as backup this time.

Maybe I was more disposable than they were letting me think.

There were already a handful of dark-suited men seated around a long wooden table. Golden curtains were pulled back away from the large windows, letting the dining room's light seep onto the forestry outside. Darius was nowhere to be seen.

I became brutally aware of how few women were present.

One or two of the men had brought their wives, but the majority sat next to slightly younger-looking versions of themselves. I assumed they were all senators. Still, I felt extraordinarily exposed with the amount of skin I was showing.

Erebus was also MIA. I didn't know where he was, but I was hoping he'd show up soon.

Awkwardly, I took the only open seat a few down from the larger chair at the head of the table. Most of the senators chatted nonchalantly, paying me no mind. A few eyed me suspiciously, and I wondered if they'd known I'd also been invited. Probably not.

Had it really been necessary for Hank to leave me?

Suddenly, the senators around me stood up, and I quickly followed suit. In walked Darius with Erebus at his side. Immediately, Erebus made eye contact and gave me a playful wink. I tried not to react. After all, if I were to utilize plan B, flirting publicly with his son wouldn't help.

Darius didn't speak as he took his seat, and as Erebus took the chair right beside him.

Without hesitation, a flock of servers came out and began placing plates down in front of the dinner guests. I could not figure out what kinds of meat were on any of the plates. Whatever was placed in front of me looked decent enough. I poked it with my fork.

"Don't you worry, it's not going to bite," Darius commented, chewing a bit of his own meat and looking at me in subtle amusement. I offered a tight smile back, utterly uncomfortable from his attention. I swore I remembered a man had been sitting between us, but I guess he'd left. Or had been requested to leave. Darius leaned closer to me and lowered his voice. "That is quite the dress, by the way," he muttered, his hot breath a little too near my cheek.

I shuddered and leaned back as inconspicuously as possible. I was starting to hate June for making me wear this.

Also, wasn't Hank supposed to create a distraction by now?

"Thank you," I mumbled quietly in response, praying Darius would just leave me alone. But no. I'd been given the special seat right beside him.

"You must have quite the tailor," he added, finally moving back an inch or two.

"I do," I stated simply. I had to get on his good side. "She's a very lovely woman." It wasn't like I was lying.

"So are you," he complimented. I promptly shoved a large bite of meat in my mouth, hoping that'd change his mind.

It didn't.

"Why don't you come up to my office once we finish eating?"

Nope. No way.

"Um..." What was I supposed to say? Yes? I mean, June would tell me to say yes. But I really didn't want to get harassed. Darius was making plan B far too easy already.

Before I could respond, right on time, a horde of bodyguards entered the room.

The one in the front walked up to Darius and leaned forward, whispering quickly in his ear. I knew what they'd say.

Darius stood and tapped the side of his glass to get everyone's attention. "Good evening, friends. I've just been informed that we need to evacuate. It's nothing to worry about – just a small threat. We'll get everything checked and we can return to our meals."

Perfect.

Then, Darius held out an arm for me.