Endgame |18+ (Ménage)✔

|69|

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~Year 2091-Winter-

"Laisha...she was Richard's beloved," Dante's voice is quiet as he sits on the edge of the bed.

It still doesn't add up...

"Dante..." my voice trails off dangerously, stalking toward him until I'm a few feet away. Narrowing my eyes, I see the hurt in his own as if he'd just said something, Rose's life could have been guarded much more carefully if I had known the active threat and the reasoning why.

Dante looks up at me and says, "Richard has a daughter with Trinity...he also found his hybrid mate, Tansy Mercer..." he pauses before he exhales deeply, "...Laisha is barren and would never be able to provide Richard with a child, so she grew to resent his other mates, especially Trinity."

Just like that, everything falls into place. I tilt my head to the side and state, "You knew...the second I told you that Laisha called Aohdan..." I glance away for a moment and shake my head, "...you're right, Richard would never kill his mate..." I bring my gaze back to his and snarl, "...so Laisha did it for him, set him up. Here's the question I want to know, what did Laisha gain from any of this?"

"Power," Dante appears to have already thought this through after I told him everything, "from what I've seen, she portrays as Aohdan's beloved, having a very close connection with the council makes her powerful," he pauses though and shakes his head while holding it in his hands as he sighs, "I don't see how any of this could have prevented her attempted murder."

A chuckle leaves my lips and it draws his attention. He stares up at me and I narrow my eyes on his, "Apparently...you taught me something and you hardly recognize it yourself..." though Kirsten was the one to influence Laisha, it all makes sense behind the actions she took, "...Laisha is a hybrid's beloved...just like I am and before I even knew about you, I could sense the differences...Laisha did the exact same thing," I clench my hands into fist while trying to remain calm, "she knew what Rose was back when she tried to have Aohdan perform that hysterectomy. She wanted Rose to feel her pain as she couldn't cause pain to her own hybrid mate herself."

"But I-"

"If you had told me..." I cut him right off and growl, "...I would never have left Rose alone with Laisha...despite what Rose's intentions were to have us standby, that would have been out of the question had I known."

Dante swallows hard, the guilt in his features evident as he asks quietly, "What do we do...?"

"Arthur knows Rose is a blood relative, not necessarily a hybrid at the moment..." for how much longer, I really can't say...though after the Valentine dance, he knows and at least our plan is headed in the correct direction, "...we knew he'd be suspicious, a chance that he might figure out who she is...so we stick with our contingency."

Dante remains very silent for awhile until he also appears thoughtful and asks, "That woman..."

Shit.

"What woman?" I ask, perhaps hoping that Tresor might have somehow affected Dante to not remember any of this...because I am positive that he had Delaney save Rose's life...the fact Delaney and Mercury were even outside at the time was very suspicious.

No luck...

"Don't play stupid...because that's one thing you are not!" Dante stands to his feet and I take a step back, staring at each another intently before he asks, "Who is she?! That woman spoke as if you'd been in contact for a long time."

There's not much I can say, I'll risk Rose's safety with Arthur.

I turn away from him, ready to leave this be and head to my room when I return with, "Like the woman said, she influenced Laisha once before...this was just another attempt."