Sapphire Bones

Severance

Updated: April 9, 2019

Corvo

Dinner passed without interruption. Medium rare steaks, garlic potatoes, and other hearty dishes were served with reckless abandon. We only ordered a fourth of what ended up on the table; the rest served as a bribe to stay quiet the following day. But the food wasn't the key to my silence. Matty and I paid our checks and left the restaurant. While our exit was quiet, the burning eyeballs of other patrons didn't do much to ease the ever-growing tension between the two of us and everyone else in the enormous building. We made our way down the hallway back toward the main lobby of the Council hotel. Every now and then he'd exchange a glance my way but I kept my attention forward. Matty went ahead, at least five steps quicker than me. He and I both knew I needed to be alone, to process my emotions and prepare for something I had zero control over. Exhaustion clouded my body with bubbles of sleepiness that popped at random.

At the end of the hall, Luis stood next to a large velvet sofa the color of fresh blood spilled over concrete. Ruby's former leaders nestled into the cushions. Roddy's head rested against Cole's shoulder while they whispered to each other. At the sight of my friends, I quickened my pace, hopeful they had information on their meeting with the Chairman.

"Cole," I called out. He ripped his head my way and stood, losing Roddy's touch as he did so. As I approached Roddy came up from his place as well. "What did he say to you? What did he want?" I caught up and replaced a hand to Cole's shoulder. Reassurance in a place like this was scarce but I had spare to hand around to friends who needed it.

"He wanted to talk," Roddy stepped up, glare piercing through the back of my skull. He hid something behind his teeth. His lies twinkled in his iris' with flashes of white stars.

"About?" I pushed. I crossed a glance to Cole but he kept quiet as well. "I guess it's a good thing you're not part of the pack or else you'd be forced to tell me," I hissed and broke from the circle we'd created around the two of them.

"It's in your best interest," Cole sighed. "You have bigger things to worry about right now." At his words, I shifted my attention back to him but he nodded as if to change my direction of focus to behind me. Following his guidance, I swung around on my heels to face an approaching woman much shorter than any other I'd seen since arriving. Her black curly hair was pulled taut into braids, gold and silver wire wound through each section, and metallic beads dangled off the ends. Her dark brown skin contrasted the indigo lipstick painted on her mouth.

"Excuse me," she said while approaching. Her tall, dark nude heels clicked on the tile as she walked. My friends all shifted to face her as well but the girl didn't back down in sight of five much larger men. Instead, she stood tall with her shoulders back and jaw forward. Confidence gusted off her in harsh ripples that struck all of us in sharp stings. The cobalt lipstick glimmered in the dim lighting. A well-trained member of the Council, but something about the laugh lines on the sides of her mouth and crinkles on her forehead made me believe that she hadn't been beaten into submission yet. At least not completely. Her eyelids didn't narrow like the rest of them. Baby hairs weren't perfectly laid around her face, and her mouth parted once she came within a couple of feet.

"Alpha Corvo Edwards," she said, stopping just shy of two tiles away from us. The woman smoothed out her dark blouse tucked loosely into a black pencil skirt that reached just below her knees. "I would like a word with you."

Luis shifted his gaze to me for a moment and nodded in agreement with the woman. We'd caused enough problems since arriving, and denying another meeting with a Council pet wouldn't prove smart on our end.

"Alright," I stepped from my friends and followed her across the room. She paused near another couch but before she said anything she shifted, a nervous trickle of sweat glistened on her collarbone. She altered her weight to either foot and cleared her throat. Nerves built up in the muscles on her neck and moved beneath the thin skin on her throat.