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. 1D;

Eighteen

They hurried up the stairs with thetranscended Alex and Jordan taking point. When they reached the front of the mansion, the guard was still there, along with another man in place of the one who had escorted Alex and Skyla to the dungeon. Jordan didn’t hesitate in shooting them both, and they fell to the ground with a quietthud. Declan and Blink moved the unconscious men outside and around the corner of the mansion until they were out of sight.

“We’ll see you in a bit,” Tom said, and he ushered the others out the door.

“Wait,” Alex called, taking the Stabiliser from Jordan and asking him to release her from his gift.

“What?” Tom asked her when she was visible again.

She offered him the weapon and said, “Here.” At his repulsed grimace, she passed it to Kaiden, who took it from her and held it confidently.

“What if you need it?” he asked.

“There are two of us and seven of you. You need it more,” Alex said. “And besides, no one will be able to see us.”

“And you have my juggling balls,” Samson pointed out, although Alex didn’t find that to be much of a reassurance.

“Go,” she told them. “We’ll see you soon.”

She felt proud that she’d managed to refrain from adding a ‘hopefully’ at the end of her sentence.

“Be careful,” Kaiden whispered to her as the others started sneaking away.

“You too,” she replied, just as quietly.

“We need to move, Alex,” Jordan said.

With that, Kaiden took off after the others and Jordan grabbed Alex’s arm, sharing his gift once more.

“I can’t wait until we finish this task and get back to the academy,” she muttered, leading the way up the main staircase to the party.

“I know,” Jordan said, his voice sounding strained. “It’s not so much fun anymore. I think I’ll sleep for a week once we’re back.”

Alex could feel him trembling from the effort of maintaining his gift, but she knew it would make things worse if she tried to mother him. And besides, his transcendence was needed to get them in and out of the party unnoticed.

“We’ll just grab the bag and bail, yeah?” she said as they neared the dining hall.

“Nice and simple,” Jordan said. “Love it.”

When they entered the room though, Alex knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as they’d hoped. Because standing on the staircase leading down into the hall was Sir Oswald—the real one—with the only difference being his new outfit. Beside him was Quinn, who looked to be extremely dazed from the relaxant Alex had nearly suffocated him with.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Sir Oswald called out, before wincing and pressing a hand to his stomach where Alex had shot him. “I apologise for my absence, but unfortunately I was assaulted and left unconscious in my own home.”

Shocked exclamations spread around the guests and Alex dug her fingers into Jordan’s hand, pulling him towards the other side of the room where the stage was located.

“Alas, the young woman responsible for my attack is yet to be apprehended, but rest assured that my security team is searchingfor her as we speak. Due to her actions, I feel that for your own safety I must end the night earlier than planned. I thank you for your attendance and I look forward to the next time we all meet.”

There were murmurs of lingering alarm as well as disappointment, but Sir Oswald’s guests followed his instructions and began to leave. Alex and Jordan had to press themselves up against the wall to avoid anyone bumping into them. Just because Jordan’s gift could move them through solid objects didn’t mean Alexwantedto step through another human being. That was just…Eww.

The room cleared quickly, but there were about fifteen or so people who remained in place. Alex wondered what they were hanging around for, but she didn’t have to wait long before the doors to the room slammed shut and Sir Oswald’s previously kind expression morphed into one of hatred.

“I want to know who that girl was, the one posing as Larissa Rolar’s daughter,” he spat as he stormed down the stairs. “Someone better have answers for me! Who was she and what was she doing in my house?”

“I don’t know who she was, Sir Oswald,” said a security guard who had just entered the room, “but I might know why she was here. It looks like the performer has escaped, along with the other intruders we detained earlier tonight.”

Sir Oswald cursed savagely. “Security? What a load of rubbish. I want you and the rest of your incompetent team gone from my residence immediately, or I’ll be locking the lot of you in my dungeon. And don’t for a moment think that you’ll be compensated for your work tonight. I should be chargingyouafter the mess you’ve all made.”