Silent Assassin

Chapter 23

"And what does she have the genes of."

The man's gaze wandered over the hall, as if nervous that someone might overhear us. There was a moment of hesitation. "Let us talk somewhere private."

He walked forward, passing me and Allen, before rounding a corner, not even glancing back to see if I would follow. Lilac bounded after, giving me a bright smile as she passed, a big difference to her brother's impasive personality.

I stayed still for a moment, weighing if I should follow and have my questions answered, or find the nearest window to climb through and escape. Before I could decide on either, a hand clasped on my shoulder. Instinctively, I grabbed the hand, turned around, and twisted it. There was a grunt of surprise as Allen knelt before me, his arm twisted in an uncomfortable angle.

"Don't", I said before letting go.

There was a flicker of hurt before he eased it into an easy expression. He stood up and shrugged at me, but made no move to walk away.

Allen was shrouded in mystery, with so many identities and responsibilities that I didn't know how to react or respond to them. This made me uncomfortable and uncertain of him. Other than my discomfort around him, I somehow felt... safe, which alarmed me. There had not been a time when I felt safe. Even around Sam, who I trusted the most, have I not been able to simply stop myself from expecting a fight. But to feel safe around Allen...

I quickly turned around to follow the lanky man and his sister, wanting to put as much distance between Allen and myself. Of course, my wish had not been granted because he followed close behind me, as if making sure I wouldn't escape. He was thankfully quiet however as we walked.

Trying as much as possible to ignore his presence, I focused on my senses. My hearing was slowly returning, and as I slowly tuned it up, I was able to hear two pairs of footsteps: one steady, and the other uneven. But as I tried to tune it more, I was met with a painful screech, a sound similar to a broken television. An uncomfortable wince was the only sign of my pain as I quickly tuned it down to a comfortable pitch. Seems that the effects of the poison had not yet disappeared.

My body felt light, however, the heaviness now gone as I followed the footsteps of Lilac and his brother. Allen and I entered hall after hall, each filled with expensive looking furniture and a few guards. The guards stared after me with hard eyes as my lips twitched into a dark smirk. They looked like they would attack me but with one look from Allen, they backed down.

Finally stopping in front of a large double door, Allen stepped forward and placed a hand on its surface for a few seconds. A whirring and then a click sounded from within before the double doors swung automatically.

Beyond the doors was a library. Rows and rows of books filled each shelves in the room. A large window took half the wall in front of me, allowing light to enter the room. An unlit fireplace was at the left side of the room, with pillars on each side that reached the ceiling. Above it, was a painting of a gruesome battle between two sides, but my eyes skimmed past it before I could look further. A couch and a few armchairs formed a horseshoe shape before the fireplace as Lilac and his brother waited patiently by it.

Allen walked forward, as I slowly followed after him, the door swinging to a close behind me.

I didn't let that bother me, even as I have no weapon to fend myself if ever this conversation turned into a battle.

As soon as I was near the couch, the man stood, leaving his sister seated. Allen placed himself beside a pillar, a place where he could easily see us all. And to monitor me, I realized as his eyes lingered on my figure.