The Moon of Lunar Hybrids

Chapter 7

A loud buzzing sounded, followed by a door opening. Graham rose to his feet, helping Sophie up as he did. Standing, they stood face-to-face, mere inches apart, where she noticed a roguish grin spreading across his face. 

"Seems Grace is done." He still hadn't let go of her hands, so she tried tugging them free.  

"So I see," she murmured amusedly. 

"Graham, I told you not to play with her." Sophie turned at the sound of Grace's voice. She was holding a stack of papers in her hands. Her friend looked between the two of them and to a fiercely scowling Kieran and laughed. "Or should I be saying that to Sophie?" 

"It was only some harmless teasing. No harm in that, is there? Besides, I think she rather likes me. She even offered to give me a love bite." 

Grace's stricken expression and Kieran's moody silence had them both laughing. Not helping it, Sophie leaned over gave the playboy a kiss on the cheek. What stunned them all was Kieran's reaction. 

Finally breaking, he reached over and pulled Sophie from Graham's grasp into his own. He circled his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. Sophie was laughing into Kieran's shirt, enjoying his jealously immensely. She'd never found comfort in someone's embrace before, but she did, now, with him. 

She heard a laugh from Graham who'd tried to disguise it as a cough. Sophie turned in his arms - Kieran refused to let her go - and noticed Grace's knowing smile. 

Grace knew her best friend had just found her new plaything and felt somewhat sorry for Kieran. From the look on Sophie's face, Grace knew her friend wouldn't have any trouble with boredom in the next few weeks. Then, she noticed the look on the Overseer's face and changed her perspective. It seemed as though both were intent on playing with the other. Reconsidering, Grace figured they'd each met their match. 

She smiled this time and started in on the reason they'd come together.  

"Since you guys are already acquainted and we don't have a lot of time, let's just get straight down to business. I know you have questions, but you're going to have to be patient and listen to everything we have to say." Sophie looked at Grace's solemn expression and nodded. "In return we want your side of the story." Grace didn't wait for her to respond. 

"I already told you over the phone the Nightshade has put a hit out on you. What we don't know is why. The original story was that you murdered your parents and were being hunted down to face punishment, but your parents were ostracized and strongly disliked. The members of our covenant would have been glad that they were dead and you exiled, as horrible as that sounds." Grace sat on the floor and laid papers out as she spoke. "The Elders' role is to maintain peace, not incite lethal fear. They did so in the members of our covenant so that they would support an order to capture you under the guise of 'facing punishment'. 

"Most people are killed on the spot for running from their covenant, so why was your case different? It could have something to do with the disappearance of Elder Teiraeyl, but there was no proof of foul play whatsoever and nothing that could have been linked back to you. It was only a rumor." Grace paused in her movements and looked up at them with a spark in her eye. "What did they really want from you? I asked myself that very question. They're afraid of you!" 

Grace suddenly picked up a stack of papers and stood up to give a copy to each person. "I was shopping online for some cute clothes for a date -" 

"You have a date?" Sophie interrupted. "With who?" 

"Yes, with who?" Graham asked rather seriously. 

"With Sebastien from the Regulation unit," she stated absently, waving away the comment as if it held no importance. "I was saying that while I was shopping I suddenly thought, 'what if they left behind a trail?'"