Chapter 16

(**Arianna’s POV**)

There is so much anger swirling around in my heart right now. This is the furthest apart emotionally that I have ever been with Sebastion. While he was with Gia, we were still close, despite me telling him often what I thought of her. Never once in all those years did I tell him what I thought of him. The change I have seen in him over the last few months is something I have known he could always do.

Finding out the truth has been the best thing for Redwood pack, Sebastion, and everyone directly affected by his change. He is stepping up to take full responsibility for the pack, for Jace, and now for the business. Sebastion was always good at his work in Drakos Enterprises, but he was often distracted by Gia, who tried to be his personal assistant at one point.

I put an end to that farce fast after I caught them in the storage room having sex, well more aptly, Gia on her knees with her head over Sebastion’s lap. Why they chose the storage room rather than his office, I don’t want to know at all. I sent Gia home after yelling at them both for a good twenty minutes. I felt like I was chastising two horny teenagers who got caught in the act.

I am his sister, not his mother. Now I feel like the cycle he was in with Gia is repeating itself with Irina. Something about her is off. Her story has been confirmed by those vampires, but there is still something about her that I don't trust. The child she claims Vicktor is holding to keep her in check has yet to be spotted. No one can confirm that part of her story. Why am I so bothered by Irina coming into Sebastion’s life?

I think it is her use of a child to get Sebastion to believe her story. I fear Irina will be the death of us all as she does her master’s bidding. I hate that he can’t see her for the conniving liar she is. Showing up in Redwood was an obvious ploy to get Sebastion on her side. Irina is smart and knows how to get my brother to do anything she wants.

I only feel bad for letting my anger get to me and causing me to say what I did about how he thinks with his dick. True as it was, I should not have said it to him at all. He isn’t like that anymore, or at least I thought he wasn’t. It seems like I am wrong.

The ringing of my office phone makes me turn from the window to look at my desk. I walk over to answer the it, “Arianna Drakos.”

“Hey, this is Evans, I have that video you asked Gabe for. He went out for lunch and asked me to have you come down here to show you what he found for you.”

“Alright, I will be down in a few minutes. Has Tori signed in yet? She was supposed to be here after lunch today.” I ask him.

“Not yet. Do you want me to hold her down here when she does?”

“No, send her home. I will be leaving to go home myself in an hour, so there isn’t anything I will need her here for today,” I tell him.

“Ok, I will do that. See you when you get down here,” Evans ends the call.

I make my way downstairs to the main security office a few minutes later. Evans was waiting for me outside the door. He opened it for me as he saw me approaching, then escorts me to the room where they monitor the outside security feeds. Joe Kaskin, our security guard for this room, looked up at me with a smile as I entered the room.

“How are you doing today, Arianna?” He asks me in that polite, quiet way of his.

“I am doing alright. I was told you had something to show me,” I tell him as I point to the wall of monitors.

“Yes. Gabe asked me to look for a time frame from yesterday morning around the time his new assistant was coming into the building. Here is everything from that time frame. Are you looking from something specific?” Joe asks me.

“Play it back from the time the security team started installing the scanners until she walks into the building. I remember passing her as we walked into the building. I want to see what she did from the time she arrived until she walked in after us. I will tell you to stop when I find what I am looking for.” I tell him as I sit down in a chair next to him.

Joe does as I ask without question. I watch Irina walk up to the fountain and stop to stare at the men working. Her face an ever flowing mask of emotions as she stands there looking at the work being done. No one looked her way once. Not one worker noticed Irina standing there gripping her briefcase so tight her knuckles turned white. I keep watching until I see something cross her face that makes my heart beat faster.

Surprise, fear, and despair. What caused those emotions to cross Irina’s face? Then she turns her head to look at something behind her. A moment later, I watch as Sebastion and I walk into the shot. She knew. Irina knew Sebastion was her mate before she walked into the building. The wind blowing outside that morning must have carried his scent to her.

“Fast forward until after we go in and she is still out there,” I tell Joe.

The video speeds up, then stops to show Irina alone again. This time her face is pale, her eyes are wide, and it looks like she is trying hard to control her emotions. Then she squares her shoulders and approaches the building, only to stop a halfway across the courtyard. I watch as her nostrils flare out as if she just caught a scent that she didn’t expect.

Irina turns to face the direction of the parking area, her face no longer in view. What is she looking at? “Is there another angle where we can see what she is looking at? The cameras facing the parking lot, maybe?” I ask Joe.

“Give me a second,” He clicks onto another screen, the types something into the computer. A moment later, I am startled at what I see.

There at the edge of the lot is a man with a little girl in front of him. I know his face from the business world. Vicktor Treadstone. What I focus on more is the little girl standing with him. “Can you zoom in on the child?” I ask Joe.

He does as I ask, freezing the frame there so I can look at her closely. The pale blonde hair, ice-blue eyes, and the smaller version of the same lips Irina has made me want to kick myself. That child is without a doubt Irina’s daughter, Zasha. The girl exists. Does that change how I feel about Irina? Probably.

Does it mean I will eat my words and apologize? Not until I am one hundred percent sure her story is true without a shadow of doubt hanging over her. “Can you print her picture for me?”

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

Irina is in the little bathroom by the elevator cleaning up after our work day fun. I clean up the rest of our lunch while I wait for my turn in the bathroom. I sit here looking at my shoes, my mind whirling on what happens next? With Vicktor out of the country, our options are limited to find where he is holding Zasha.

I have some phone calls to make once I get back to my office to see what Rayne or her allies can do for me in the current situation. If we can get some magical help to find Irina’s daughter, I am sure we can get her out before Vicktor comes back from France. My only worry with doing that is the repercussions that we will face when he loses his mind at finding half his collection gone, the child he uses as leverage missing, and his face all over the news when I set my plan into motion.

I looked up to the sound of the elevator sounding out that someone had come down here. No doubt it is my sister coming down here to give me another lecture. I am proven correct on the who, but not yet the what she wants, as the elevator door opens.

“I can tell you two had your fun during lunch. At least this time it wasn’t in the storage room, though this isn’t much better. Will we need to find a new personal assistant for you that you won’t have sex with while working?” Arianna asks me as she walks to the desk.

I inhale sharply, let out a long sigh, then look up at her. “Is this going to continue with you?”

“What?” Arianna arches a brow at me as she stops at the edge of the desk.

“Are you and Flynn having issues or something? Is that why you are making such a big deal out of my sex life? With my mate, may I remind you?” I ask her with anger in my voice. I hate fighting with my sister, but I am not seeing an end for this argument.

“What the fuck, Sebastion? Why would you even ask me that?” She demands in outrage at my questions.

“Well, you are overly interested in what I do with my mate during my free time. Last night, today during my lunch, no doubt if there is a next time you will get pissed too. Is it the fact I am having sex and you are not? Or is it I am having sex with my mate, a woman whom you distrust?” I ask her as my anger flares hotter.

“How dare you!” She screams at me.

“No, how dare you! I get that you are suspicious of Irina. I understand your reasonings even, as I was too. But you have NO right to interfere in my sex life. This is not the same thing as what happened with Gia. Irina is NOT Gia. Do you understand that? I will not tolerate this shit any longer. I know how you see me now. A brainless, pussy-whipped, weakling who let a woman run his life with the power she held between her legs.” I finish my rant on a yell.

Arianna’s eyes go wide as I yell at her. Should I be sorry that I yelled at my sister? Normally I would be, but right now I am so angry that I just don’t care about her feelings.

“Have you ever told your sister the things you told me today? About your relationship with Gia?” Irina’s voice makes me look past Arianna to the elevator area. How long had she been standing there?

“This conversation doesn’t need your input,” Arianna barks out at Irina.

“I think there is a lot he hasn’t shared with you, now I understand why. Are you always like this or is it just my entrance into his life that you dislike?” Irina asks as she walks to me.

“What has gone on between my brother and I is none of your business. Sebastion, what is she talking about? What haven’t you told me? I thought you told me everything?” Arianna asks me as stared at me.

“I think it would be a good idea to discuss this later tonight at home. I am going to take Irina up to my office for some training on what else I need from her as my assistant. You know the job we hired her to do? Even if parts of the job are a charade, she needs to do the job so she can answer Vicktor’s questions correctly.” I tell Arianna, then I move towards the elevator.

“Wait, I have something you need to see. This is the only thing I will apologize for,” Arianna lifted her hand to show that she is holding a piece of paper in her hand. From the quality and shine, it appears to be a photograph.

“What now?” I ask as I turn back to look at her.

“I am sorry that I didn’t believe you about your child,” Arianna says to Irina. She holds the photo out for Irina to take, then she walks away to the elevator once I take the photo instead.

I wait until she gets on the elevator, leaving the two of us alone once more. I look down at the photo, my brows rise high in surprise. There she is standing with Vicktor Treadstone. Zasha, Irina’s daughter. Those same ice-blue eyes stare back out at me. He fucking brought Zasha here to ensure Irina would go forward with his plan.

That sick fuck.

I guide Irina to one chair, then once she has taken a seat, I hand her the picture. “He was here yesterday with your daughter.”

“I know. I looked right at him as he stood behind her. Then I walked to the building to do what he sent me here to do,” Irina whispers as she stared down at the picture in her shaking hands. “I know he came here with her to ensure that I went inside. He knew seeing her would make me do what he wanted no matter how much he knew I didn’t want to.”

“Do you think he knows we have cameras outside?” I ask her in confusion. Why would he risk coming here if he did?

“No, I don’t think he does. Even if he knows and is confronted, he will just claim Zasha is his daughter and they were going for a walk. He has done that before with other people in his organization. He uses Zasha’s ability to repeat back everything she hears to him. She is small and unassuming, so must of his colleagues ignore her presence.” Irina looks up at me with tears brimming in her eyes.

If I didn’t already want to kill Vicktor Treadstone, I would now. Using an innocent child to gather information like a spy is despicable. I pull Irina up from the chair, wrap my arms around her tightly, and hold her while she calms down. The trembles of her small body making my anger hard to ignore. I shove it back as far out of my mind as I can in this moment. I know that my anger will not help her now.

For now, I will soothe her the best I can, then I will vent my anger later tonight on a run in the wood. Letting Aries free for a hunt will help his aggression and mine. Fresh air will be a relief after all the stress of the past couple day. I know there will be more stress to come, but I will deal with that when it comes.

Irina’s quiet sobs subside. I lean down to place a kiss on her hair, then we go upstairs to spend the rest of the workday talking about work. Time marches on no matter how much we want it to stand still or go backwards.