Page 149 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince

“Oh, and I am going to be in the way? It’s too crowded here with so many people!”

Hank looks relieved. “Exactly.”

Cindy puts a hand on my shoulder, takes a plate of delicious smelling pancakes and steers me toward ‘my’ room. “Robert is coming,” she whispers to me. “Like I told you, he is a difficult man. Just stay here for a while. Please, promise me you will stay here.”

“I will,” I promise as I watch her close the door behind me.

And now? What am I going to do now?

forty-six

Mastering the Game

*FLORA*

It doesn’t take ten minutes for me to hear noises coming from the other side of the door. I hear Cindy, but also Gary or Hank, or maybe both. It’s hard for me to distinguish their voices with Celeste’s powers being suppressed. But there are also new voices to be heard. Maybe two or three men.

When Cindy and Hank convinced me to go to my room, I did it to pander to them. But I knew it would be useless. Whoever had me kidnapped certainly wants to see me. They can’t hide me away from them. I know that Cindy, Hank and Gary aren’t really involved with my being abducted, and they were just manipulated into keeping me here.

I don’t know how it feels to have a sick child, but I am sure a loving parent would do almost everything to keep them alive.

When I can hear some rustling at my door, I put my plate aside and retreat to a further corner of my room. There is a plush teddy bear which I grab and hug tightly. It makes me look much more childlike. Let’s see if it works with these guys.

The door opens and a dark-haired man looks inside. Right behind him, is a second one, and a little further, I can see Gary, who looks nervous.

They immediately see me. “What a precious little cargo,” one of the men sneers.

Okay, so my innocent girl act didn’t work on them. Time for my second strategy – one of my favorites, that works with all ages and genders!

The nutcase!

I look at him, beaming. “My, thank you,” I exclaim, lifting the teddy bear into the air and twirling around with it. “I am sure they are precious too! What do you think, Mr. Softpaw? So-“ I tilt my head as if I am seriously pondering this question. “What type of cargo am I?” I hold the bear to my ear and giggle. “I agree.” Spinning around, I look at the man who just called me cargo. “You look like you could be liquid bulk. As for me, I don’t want to be a suitcase. I want to be something cute! Mr. Softpaw agrees.”

“Er…” the man glances at his comrade. “Liquid bulk?” He looks seriously surprised.

“Well, blood runs through your veins-“ I say, making sure to look at him with a creepy smile. “-and technically, it’s liquid, isn’t it?” I add, blinking innocently. “So, if your blood is the cargo, despite all the flesh around it, then-“

The guy looks disturbed, which is just hilarious. “Okay, okay, I got it!” he blurts out, before gazing at the second guy. “They didn’t say she was a lunatic.”

“She is just innocent,” Cindy blurts out, pushing past the guys. “You need to leave her alone, Robert.”

I am not sure if her words get through to them, but certainly, my weird antics did because they look more than a little weirded out. I wonder if that one dude is now imagining how I would drain him of his blood and then ship it off as cargo.

When they all leave me alone again, closing the door behind them, I let out a sigh of relief. I might have gotten rid of them for now, but this doesn’t solve my problem. I still don’t know what they want from me, and why I am even here. Is someone trying to use me to pressure Elden? Is it money? Cindy denied that whoever hired Robert is after Elden’s money, but I am not sure if she is really aware of what’s going on.

It could be money.

But if it’s not money, it’s something else, and I have no clue. Revenge maybe. But while I might have made enemies in school, Elden didn’t. The boys kissed the floor he walked on, and the girls crushed on him. He always remained respectful and distanced, not getting involved with anyone, which helped him maintain a mysterious air around him. They put him on a pedestal, and he never truly fell from it.

For me, it’s different; I am the weirdo who was mated to one of the most loved guys in school. But if they were out for revenge against me, why keep me here with Cindy? Why not hurt me or mess with me?

Alone with my thoughts, the minutes and hours seem to drag by. Cindy only visits me once, bringing me some more to eat, and whispering to me that their visitors are still here, but that she will let me out of my room once they are away.

I realize I am not so much worried about me, but about Cindy. I need to find a way to alert Elden. This can’t go on. I am sure they won’t harm me, by now I know I am here for a different reason than to be killed or trafficked or anything. I justdon’t know their reason. What I know, though, is that Cindy is in danger. She is disposable to them, as are her husband and brother. They don’t care about them or their sick child.

I am still struggling with finding a way out of this mess, when my ears take up another voice, a new one. Someone else seems to have visited!

The voice instantly startles me, making me rush towards the door and try to open it, but it’s locked. No way! Pressing my ear against the door, I try to hear what’s being said, but it’s difficult to catch anything, aside from bits and pieces that don’t make any sense on their own.