The Court of Owls was completely under Lavina's control. By making Henry Vanaver the Head of the Court, she was the one who held actual power and authority since all the members were aware that she held the right to that rank yet for some reason, she had chosen to stay in the background.
Furthermore, they were terrified of her as she had not refrained from revealing her identity to the entire court yet it seemed like she had challenged them and given a clear warning that even if they knew who she was, they could never cause any harm to her.
She had also proved the fact that she was aware of their identities since whenever she was alone with another member, she wouldn't hesitate to call him or her by name, emphasizing upon that fact.
In short, Lavina was the Court in herself without even holding the rank of the Head.
Henry Vanaver had an only daughter Samantha who Lavina had personally taken under her wing. The two women had come rather close as the elder guided her so that after Henry, she could take the rank of the Head.
Samantha did not see why Lavina chose to stay in the shadows and let them take the reins apparently. However, she knew not to doubt the woman's judgment as she had personally gotten to see how clever and cautious Lavina was in matters of the Court.
The two had started to meet often in their public lives as well and the younger woman had almost started to consider Lavina a friend.
She was no doubt a very benefitting friend to have. But Samantha knew well that it was equally as destructive if her friendship turned to enmity.
They had all witnessed with their eyes how she had murdered Lincoln March without even a second's hesitation.
That side to her was probably the scariest yet captivating nevertheless.
"Sam, darling, you seem a lot in thought today."
She looked up startled and turned to see Lavina step into the room, discarding her overcoat that she handed to her butler who vanished immediately after.
She knew he would resurface with tea soon enough as per routine.
"Oh please keep seated," Lavina remarked, noticing that she was about to stand up, "I hope you stay for tea this evening."
She smiled, "I would love that very much."
Lavina took her seat across from her, dark irises scrutinizing the woman closely. "Is something bothering you lately?"
"No... I mean, yes. A bit."
"What is it, sweetheart?" She had edged closer, eyes eager to know what was troubling her, "maybe I could be of some help."
"I... I want to ask you a few questions and I hope you wouldn't mind..."
"Sure," she smiled, waving off her concerns breezily, "go ahead."
Samantha tried to sort out among all the questions she had to ask, knowing that she couldn't possibly get the answers to all. So she picked up one that was related to the topic discussed in the previous meeting of the Court on which Lavina had taken a firm stance.
"Why are you so firm on avoiding the Gray Son at all costs? Considering what he's been doing in contrast to what he was destined to, don't you think it would land us in a lot of trouble?"
Lavina's soft eager eyes had turned stone cold but the smile still lingered on her face, "he is not to be bothered with at the moment. Let him be."
"But he is supposed to be a Talon..."
"And he's unwilling," her tone was unwavering, "at least, for now."
"I don't understand."
She nodded, taking her hands gently in her own, "would you keep a secret for me?"
The woman agreed, bluish grey eyes looking deep into the dark maze like irises of the woman in front of her.
"He has already received all the training needed to become a Talon. The only thing left to do is for him to join the Court officially which he would have done so if he didn't set out on the path of protecting this city. As of now, I am giving him some time to find out for himself that the path he has chosen will only end up in flames. Who will he come back to after that? To us, to the Court."
Samantha kept silent, letting her resume.
"Taking him in forcefully is not going to benefit us. It will only cause him to retaliate and trust me when I say that he can be extremely dangerous if provoked. The better option for us is to wait for him to turn himself in."
"And are you sure that would happen? What if he never turns himself in?"
Her eyes darkened and a small smile flickered on her face, "oh he will. You don't have to worry about that."
At the moment, it seemed as if Lavina had planned something extremely cunning and was so far satisfied with how things were unfolding.
Sometimes in order to put things on the track she wanted them to be, she would have to create certain events that could act as catalysts. And that was exactly what she was doing with Richard at the moment, without him getting suspicious in the least.
The tea trolley was brought in by the butler after which he was dismissed again as Lavina began to pour the tea in the cups herself, offering one to Samantha.
The woman smiled slightly as she took the cup however the thoughtful look from her face hadn't faded.
Lavina knew she had an inquisitive nature and the knack for finding out the answers herself. That was the main reason she kept her so close to her so that she could constantly keep her in check.
She did not want to risk anyone probing deep into the way she did things and especially not Samantha since she was being trained to fill in a rank her father held at the moment. Hence, Lavina had to be a bit more controlling and manipulative towards her, all the while making sure that she would not suspect her and continue to trust her.
After all she had had years of practice in keeping people under her control without them even realizing it, the biggest example of it being Richard and Bruce.
Though the former had broken away from her and was on a path of his choosing, the latter was fully under her mesmerizing spell, just like the beautiful blonde woman was finding herself being captivated by Lavina by every passing second.
"Sweetheart, do not trouble yourself so much," Lavina spoke up, breaking her train of thoughts again, "your father is the Head right now and so far he's doing an excellent job. You don't have to worry about all these matters just yet."
She nodded but couldn't ignore the questions simmering inside her, "can I ask one more thing?"
"Of course," she smiled but her dark eyes were cautiously observing each expression flickering on the woman's face.
"Why did you choose us to lead the Court when you are the rightful Head?"
The smile on her face was meaningful, hiding a lot of secrets within.
"Sam, I saw potential in both you and your father. That's why I chose you. As for myself, I already have a lot to tackle without having to lead the Court as well. Now of course I couldn't leave it in the hands of a power hungry tyrant as Lincoln. I gave him a chance but he threw it away. So some changes had to be made."
Hearing Lincoln's name from her had made her stiffen, recalling how brutally he had been killed and that too in front of the entire Court.
Lavina's hand reached out to cup her cheek, startling her at first but the touch was gentle as the woman drew closer, dark eyes softly looking at her. "Do you know, if I hadn't gotten rid of Lincoln, he would have gone and messed everything up. He was this close to exposing the Court by targeting the Mayor's family and then we would all have been in deep trouble. In order for us to maintain our control over the city, we have to remain discreet and that was exactly what Lincoln compromised. And such blunders ought to be punished so as no one dares to repeat the mistake."
The way her voice had fluctuated from soft and explanatory to eerily cold sent a shiver down the younger woman's spine. Her eyes flickered in uncertainty as she spoke, "I understand. But... Did you really have to kill him?"
She could see that Samantha was new to how the Court processed things and was still taking time to adjust. She was new to the prospect of getting rid of the obstacles in one's path permanently.
"Why are you so afraid, dear?" Her fingers still lingered on her cheek as she looked at her closely, "you've done nothing wrong. And as long as nothing goes wrong, what happened with Lincoln wouldn't repeat."
Samantha nodded, bluish-grey irises still uncertain as she looked back at her.
"I have become really fond of you, sweetheart," she resumed in a gentle tone, her fingers gently weaving into the soft blonde tresses.
A faint red spread on Samantha's cheeks as the woman had come closer than usual, those owl-like eyes piercing right through her yet the smile on her face was sweet and inviting.
But she didn't pull apart. She couldn't.
Lavina Vikander could easily hold anyone in her spell and right then, Samantha was no exception.
"I know all this is very new to you. And I also know that you sometimes get overwhelmed with how we deal with things in the Court," she added in a reassuring tone, "but you'll understand for yourself that some decisions need to be executed, no matter how troubling it may seem to you. Still, if you ever get troubled about anything and want to know why it was so necessary to act as such, please don't hesitate to come to me. I will always answer your questions."
She nodded, feeling the tension that had built up inside her ease at those gentle words, "you're too kind to me."
"As I said, I am really fond of you," her smile widened as she retrieved her hand at last, "what you think about me matters a lot to me. And I would rather give you your answers honestly than leave you to find things out from others. You do know that the more mouths there are to talk, the more twisted the story becomes. So let's just keep this between me and you, okay? No third person to twist the tale."
A soft smile flickered on Samantha's face too as she nodded, "I will keep that in mind."
"Good," her dark eyes focused on her again, "whenever you have any question, just come straight to me. I won't disappoint you as long as you keep sincere too."
***