7. Finley #2
I let out a frustrated growl rolling onto my back and looking up at the ceiling.
“Please tell me this is the last of it, that the universe doesn’t have any more surprises because I just can’t deal with it anymore.
All I want is to look at these files, plot out our mission and end it all.
This is what I was trained for, to act rational, cool, detached, and not let things cloud my mind jeopardizing the mission.
Yet everything is chaotic and I don’t know how to deal with it. ”
“Then we will plan,” Derven announced. “Rathal and I spent plenty of time with the members of the Dark Ring and the Senate alike. You’d be surprised at how many members cohabitate without even knowing the dark secret hidden in plain sight.”
Grabbing the laptop, I handed it to Rath, who quickly typed in the password.
The new screen that showed up was filled with files with more names than I could have fathomed.
For every single person attached to the Dark Ring or the Senate, it had all the people in their family, mistresses, illegitimate children, and the like.
Anyone and everyone attached who I could use for information and leverage.
My father had given me more ammunition against these people than I could have dreamed.
No wonder there was respect between the Organization and the Senate.
With a click of a button, the Organization could destroy any member of the Senate in a political sense.
“That is a massive amount of data,” Derven said, having come around the back, leaning in to see the computer.
Having his scent lingering nearby was nice, and it made my wolf happy that he wanted to be around us. My magic didn’t really seem to care much at all while Rath was at my back, but if I decided to create a soul bond with Derven, then it might change.
“You’re the expert here. Where do we even start,” Derven murmured, his eyes taking in the screen.
I clicked the search bar and typed in a name, wondering if a file would pop up, and sure enough, there it was.
Tabitha, AKA tango-eight-one-three, the assassin that turned against the Organization and joined the enemy, setting me up to fail.
I scrolled through her information, looking to see if there was more that maybe Margaret didn’t know, but it was just as she’d said.
A year ago, she went to a simple job and never came back.
They sent out a team to investigate, seeing as the job was completed, but the assassin didn’t return.
“She’s the one you thought was your friend,” Rath murmured, his lips brushing the skin of my neck. “You told me she was with you on the job where you freed us.”
“Come to find out that the whole job was meant to put me in a place where they could kidnap me and sell me off like the rest of you. The Dark Ring wanted me gone, but I’m still not sure why the Senate got involved,” I shared.
“The last job against the Dark Ring was on a lower member, so I’m not sure why they would put in so much effort. ”
Next, I typed in Delilah’s name for her file to pop up.
When I opened it, there were tons more information about her than I was given for the job.
It showed her connection to her grandfather, who was protecting her right now.
That she was part of the team that set up all the social gatherings in secret locations to gain more members for the cause.
It would appear Delilah was far more important to the Dark Ring than I’d known.
Was this information added after I was taken, or had they always had it?
“This is who you asked Morwyn to acquire,” Rath said, sitting up to see past my head.
Derven reached out and clicked on her picture, blowing it up. “Oh, the bitch with King Kong. I’ve seen her around the parties. They use her to show people just how fun being cruel can be.”
“That’s how I got bit. I was assigned to take her out, so I got into one of her parties.
Everything went wrong and I killed everyone else but her and her pet monkey,” I explained to Derven.
“I freed all the supers trapped there and when I got to Cory, he freaked out and bit me. At the time, I had no idea an omega typically couldn’t change someone or that he was Colt’s little brother.
Cory’s last words before he died were to find Colt and that’s how this all happened. ”
“Hmm, this was before you knew you were an elf, correct?” Derven asked, and I nodded.
“Elves are one of the only supernatural creatures that I know of who can adapt to any kind of supernatural that transmits a change through a bite, scratch, blood exchange, pretty much anything that isn’t a spell.
I’m not sure what it is or if it has to do with the magic you possess.
I’ve seen many elf combinations over my many years of life.
Of course, they are usually banished from their clan for ruining the purity of their kind, which is why people believe it didn’t happen. ”
“That would explain why everyone was so shocked when I was without a doubt changed into an omega,” I commented, as I connected the dots of all the bits and pieces of information I’d gathered.
“Learning to deal with the personality change before my elf magic appeared was rough. Thankfully, now my magic has helped to even out the complexities of being an omega. The more I work with both parts of myself, the more harmony is created between the two.”
Derven shifted slightly so he was facing me more than the computer, reaching out to place his hand on my forearm.
“While I know Ayla seems to have zero issues with you being a mixed supernatural, you need to understand that many elves won’t like it.
From what I’ve seen, your power is the strongest in a long time, even before the war, so there is no denying you are their queen.
I just don’t want you to be blindsided if their reception of you is less than welcoming. ”
“Dealing with people like that won’t be an issue.
I’ve had plenty of experience. All my life, I’ve never really had a place in the world.
Assassins don’t make friends, or have long-term lovers or families.
The men in this house are the first who have accepted me for who I am and not what I can do for them, but I appreciate your concern.
It’s nice to be looked after and to have people worry about you,” I said with a smile.
“I look forward to earning my place in your family. I can’t say I’ve had much of one myself,” Derven murmured, leaning in to rest his forehead against mine for a moment, then sat back. “So if Senator Morwyn is bringing us Delilah, then what?”
“Then we get all the information out of her we can,” I answered. “That means getting to work on these files to find out what information we already have, what we need, and ensure she’s not lying to us. I find most of what comes out of her mouth is pure manipulation.”
“Sounds about right for her,” Rath muttered. “Don’t forget they’re supposed to get the gorilla too.”
An evil smile tugged at my lips. “Oh, that is purely for revenge and someone we can use against her. While she tries to hide it, I think she actually likes the ape.”
“Remind me not to ever make you that mad at me,” Derven said, giving me a wary look. “I keep forgetting you’re an assassin first and foremost.”
“That is most people’s biggest mistake,” I shared, leaning in, our noses brushing against each other. “They underestimate me.”