Captive: Hopeless

Chapter 22 - Surrounded

Marcus and Claudia reached the bottom of the stairs and moved aside while Darius took the center position as the others flanked him, making him, Adrian, and Kay the center of attention, which she did not appreciate.

He handed his wife over to a young man who resembled him, and Adrian took Kay's hand in passing, leading her to Darcy and Marcella, where the two of them remained.

"Tonight, we do more than announce the engagement and upcoming wedding of my daughter Claudia Rose Lupine the second to Marcus Andrew D'Argon, and we make history," Darius announced with solemn dignity.

His intimidating gaze swept over the crowd, a challenge in their depths.

"Although Marcus and I did not start this rivalry between our families, we will end it," the weight of his unrelenting glare made some guests uneasy. They shifted uncomfortably, and only the immortals understood the true meaning of his words.

"We will not fail in our endeavor as others did and will not be swayed or influenced. Our houses will stand together and triumph," Darius offered his hand to Claudia, who walked over to him with Marcus at her side.

"People have always criticized our choices, way of life, and business strategies. As a unit, the Lupine family has always defied the odds, changed the rules, and rose above the rest." He nodded at his daughter.

"We have many things in common with D'Argon and his people, and that is why they have always been our greatest rivals and our most tenacious competition," Claudia took over, and every move she made and word she said only proved she was his daughter.

"As such, Lupine Industries and D'Argon Enterprises will merge into one global conglomerate. We're putting our money where our mouths are by joining our families and our businesses as proof that we have faith in this merger," Marcus took over from her, and it was clear to Kay this whole setup was well planned and rehearsed.

Marcus beamed his winning smile, and the audience clapped hands, but judging from the stunned expression on their faces and their spinning minds, they were shocked.

A couple of reporters were texting or phoning as if their pants were on fire, and a low buzz of impolite conversation interrupted the silence.

"Enjoy your evening, honored guests, good old friends, and new ones. As my father used to say: eat, drink, be merry, and thank you for gracing us with your presence tonight. Toasts are at eight. Dinner will be at nine, and live entertainment after," Adrian took over, not giving them time to recover as she returned to her husband's side and took his arm. They led their little entourage to their tables and settled themselves before starting to circulate.

***

Kay dreaded this part of the evening, but with the bomb that Marcus and Claudia had so casually dropped, her presence was the last thing on most people's minds.

Darcy, who had yet to speak to her, took her by the arm.

"Come, let's get you to meet some people," she announced, dragging Kay along. "This will be fun."

Darcy grimaced, her eyes teasing as she zoomed in on the nearest target. It looked like all of Darius's women had a slight touch of brazen naughtiness to them, mixed with a hefty dose of satire and spiced with unexpected directness.

He had a type.

"Madam Mayor, how are you tonight?" Darcy asked with bubbly fake charm, watching the woman squirm with unease in her presence with amused indulgence.

Madam Mayor did not approve of Darius or his women and kept glancing at her husband, who spoke to Marcus some distance away, leaving her trapped.

Offending either Darius or Marcus could end her husband's career, and it was a reelection year.

The woman's wifely duty overcame her strait-laced upbringing with great difficulty. Even though she could scarcely bear to look at Darcy, her gaze flickered in Kay's direction, assessing that sexy dress only once. Those pale cheeks flushed, her manner turning almost rigid, and in the lady's opinion, she might as well be naked. Her mouth settled into a thin, hard, disapproving line as she turned her head away.

Her thoughts were not hard to read, especially concerning Kay's presence at what was supposed to be an engagement party for Marcus and Claudia. Instead, it seemed more like a business merger with the groom's "whore" already in attendance.

Ouch.

***

"This is a beautiful event, and I am well."

Madam Mayor's fake smile and the wringing of her bejeweled hands spoke of discomfort as well as the way she avoided addressing Darcy directly. What was the werewolf's official title? Ms. Lupine, since she was a member of Darius' household? No. This was the same as with her and Marcus. What was Darcy's last name then, and why had she not thought to ask?

Maybe more than ten years as a prisoner and a slave had made her lose track of social niceties more than she thought. Although being around the vampires helped with that—they were sticklers for such things.

Despite her earlier discussion with Adrian, the woman succeeded in making her feel guilty and dirty somehow, squaring her shoulders and straightening her spine.

Catching a glimpse of herself in the solid wall of mirrors, the woman reflected at her looked regal, despite her guarded expression and the polite, dangerous smile on her lips.

The mayor's wife glanced at her and froze.

"This is Kay Lupine, the newest edition to our family," Darcy introduced with a charm born of practice, her eyes glittering with an icy disdain as she warily watched the other woman.

Darcy had been in her shoes and lived this life. Kay's emotions were no mystery to her, and somehow, it made everything a tiny bit better.

"And Marcus's mistress," Darcy had hesitated for just a second after her introduction before dropping her little bomb.

It allowed the woman to nod awkwardly in Kay's general direction and acknowledge the introduction, then startled Dinah Warborough out of her inane and automatic response of "pleased to meet you."

She didn't seem to find the introduction to her taste as Dinah muttered something unintelligible and started off in a random direction. She could be pretty if she did not wear such an old-fashioned dress and wasn't such an obvious snob.

*Her old-before-her-time attitude may be why the mayor has a mistress of his own,* Darcy intruded into her mind.

Kay turned to face her, angry, her succubus just below the surface, where it had been lingering most of the night, feeding off the crowd's responses to her.

*I will not be used as bait.*

She discovered the mind link with an ease she did not expect, even though it did not come naturally to her kind and was more commonly seen in wolves.

*That was not my intention. Forgive me; I thought you would be more at ease if you saw the humor here,* Darcy defended herself, and Kay stared her down.

*At first, I did, and then you went too far.* Kay did not back off, despite suspecting that Darcy could be an implacable enemy, and she also might prove to be a treacherous friend if not handled firmly.

Anger flashed in the werewolf's eyes for a second, but then a slight grin touched her lips, approval replacing the more volatile emotion. She'd goaded Kay to elicit a reaction and test her mettle.

It seemed that this new family of hers will take some getting used to. Were werewolves naturally as accepting of people? No. Then there would have been no war with the vampires and the fae.

Then why did they accept her as if she were one of their own? Was it the link with Baccus?  

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