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OK, so how did her detailing the MacLachlan’s plans suddenly detour into a sales pitch? She wanted to laugh They had juue Hunter because they thought she was being oppressed by Lucien? And suddenly their sales pitch had turned into soed to keep the smirk off her face as she leaned closer to Lucien to reassure hied diplomatically, "Pierre will auard the place with four, and he’ll have five spies watching the MacLachlans Together they live on five streets in the city So we’re looking at nineteen iks"

Marita frowned "That’s a lot of arsenal"

"I’d say overkill" Caia nodded

"It also s of quite a rebellion," Lucien added, his voice husky froreeers so abruptly Caia flinched A ik appeared alure of a man whose face held no expression, whatsoever

"Noble, I assume Miss Ribeiro and Mr Líder’s rooms are in order"

"Yes, madam"

She turned back to them "Noble will show you to your rooms Get some sleep Tomorrow, after Mordecai and Marion have shown Caia around some of the Center’s facilities, I want the two of you to reconvene here at five o’clock to discuss our plan of action Lucien, I thought you ht be interested in our Second Unit"

His brows creased in confusion, as did Caia’s What an earth was their Second Unit?

"Lykans" Vanne grinned

"Yes, quite Our Second Unit are our infantry of lykans I’ll have a representative sent around to your roo"

Lucien nodded politely

"One , Caia"

It was said pleasantly, yet an unexpected chill shot through her

"Yes?"

Marita’s frozen srimace "You should be aware that despiteof you, and her utmost belief in your sincerity and trustworthiness, not all of Daylight is inclined to believe her"

"What does thatlook "It means, Mr Líder, that soht blood"

"Daylight blood as well," he reh clenched teeth

Caia felt those nervous butterflies returning as Marita shrugged "Well, perhaps if she had come to the Center as a permanent resident everyone would have been able to look past the fact that her hts, including your father and her own"

"Marita" Marion stood from her chair, her expression pained

Her sisterback into place upon her marble face "I don’t mean to be cruel" Her eyes turned to Caia, whose oere bleak with uncertainty She felt Lucien’s tension beside her, and was reain of all the differences that stood between them, of how et past it so can they," Lucien’s voice rumbled around the rooainst hers The butterflies began to abate, and she snuck a grateful glance at hiaze back to her "However, I would encourage you, Caia, to think about staying longer than this business with the MacLachlans It would go a long way in securing you the right allies"

"Well," she plastered an equally painfully polite smile on as her hostess, "I thank you for the advice, Marita, but I hope h to show the people here whose side I’ my own uncle would have incurred soers will just have to do the trick"

Lucien didn’t even disguise his amusement and in fact neither did Vanne Marion was the only one who tried to hold on to a straight face as Marita narrowed her eyes at first her husband, and then Caia

"You ht do well here after all"

Caia raised an eyebrow in surprise at the grudging respect she found in the ht take issue tohere, does that include the Council?" Caia asked quietly, watching warily for a reaction

Marita sly "The Council does not reside here on a permanent basis They only convene on their schedule, or for eht her a lot over the last fewsohts, the Daylights had an appointed council that included members of the more influential families within the Coven Their existence was a precaution; an acting body of control that disavowed the idea of an autocracy, even though Marita had co as herthe Coven with adequate protection and defense Caia had learned froreat-grandainst the Head - a tyrannical warlock, who to overthrow the Council and take complete power for himself She went to the Council with this infor she had had to hide her intentions from him in her trace, and asked to be put forward as a candidate for Head of the Coven Usually, this would have led to a political cahts would be allowed to vote for whomever they wanted to lead The loser was killed so that they could ask Gaia to irandmother’s case, the Council had been so horrified by her discoveries they’d had the Head killed immediately, and placed her in power Their fa ever since

So far, the Council was very happy with Marita

"But do they take issue with Caia?" Lucien persisted