Page 70 of Wicked Allure
“Some of them have stayed behind, while others have left due to fear of another attack,” he said.
Dru could understand that. She was sure it was hard for families to feel safe in an area that had come under such an attack. That wasn’t uncommon. Some opted to move to the bigger cities where there were more numbers and the chances of them being targeted by lycans lessened.
“I dug deeper into the ones who remained and found a few interesting things.”
“And that is?”
“When we questioned how the traitor could have known we were coming, then the lycan attack, it got me to thinking. I know I can trust every single warrior who’s here with us. There’s no way any of them would betray you or the crown. I looked into the missing humans’ families who remained and discovered two who are of interest.”
“And who might they be?” She folded her arms. Talbot certainly held her attention. The warrior had been hard at work since they’d returned.
“One of the men who went missing had a son, and that son works here at the inn.” He paused dramatically.
Dru froze in place. A deep, chilling notion slipped through her body at the thought that Solomon had planted a spy amongst her men. It was a tale as old as time. Hold something over a human such as the possibility of their loved one remaining safe or returning. Humans—or anyone—would be desperate to save the ones they loved.
“Who is this male?” she asked.
“A groundskeeper. He didn’t report to work today,” Talbot said.
“Find where he lives and bring him to me,” Dru snarled. She leaned against the railing and gripped it tight. The sky still held the memory of the light storm that had blown through town. She studied the clouds that hovered. The storm was far from over. Darkness had settled fully. A few stars pierced through the gaps, their light glowing brightly behind a veil of thinning clouds. “And the other person?”
“Another male who was deemed missing. His family remains and, General…” Talbot paused.
There was something in his voice that snatched her attention away from the restless yet quiet sky. The hairs on the back of her neck stood erect. Her stomach knotted as a sense of dread overtook her.
“What?”
“That male’s daughter is your human donor.”
Dru didn’t blink. She didn’t breathe. Tomesha wasn’t a leak. She was too pure. Too innocent to be working with a traitor. Dru would have sense dishonesty in her when she’d drunk from her. She shook her head.
“Tomesha doesn’t know anything.” Dru ran a hand through her damp hair that she’d left down.
“And you’re certain of this?”
“Are you questioning me about the female?” she asked.
“No, General. Not at all.”
“I have tasted her blood. She knows nothing of what’s been discussed here,” Dru said.
Tomesha hadn’t been amongst the warriors for long before being escorted up to Dru’s quarters. She doubted the woman would have heard anything vital in the few moments she’d been downstairs.
Where are you going?
Her question had been innocent enough. The sight of her sitting up with her sleep-filled eyes, tousled hair, swollen lips, and naked figure had almost distracted Dru. But Dru hadn’t revealed anything to Tomesha. The female knew Dru was here on business, and she hadn’t alluded to anything else other than she was going hunting.
She glanced back up at the moon and frowned. She’d called for Tomesha to be brought to her before she’d gotten in the shower. She should have been here by now.
The glass doors behind them slid open.
“General.” A warrior, Leandro, stood waiting for her.
“What is it, Leandro?” Dru scanned the area behind him and didn’t see traces of Tomesha. She stood straighter, already sensing something was wrong. “Where is my donor?”
The word sat sour in her mouth as she said it, but that was what Tomesha was for her. She’d paid a lot of money for her to be readily available for Dru and Dru only. The mistress had guaranteed it. She’d better not have gone back on her word. They had signed a contract.
“When I arrived at her home to notify her that she was needed, her brother shared with me that your female had been taken by royal guards. She’s been drafted.”
