13.

-HIM-

“I doubt this woman,” Valter grumbled under his breath as we walked out of the office. My eyes were glued to Annelies’ back as she walked in front of us. I was finding it hard not to stare at her perfectly round butt. I soon realized that Valter was talking about Annelise.

“You doubt everyone,” I answered back in Lucteesh. This made him frown at me. I glanced at her for the last time before I followed Valter out of the office.

“But I have a very off feeling about her,” Valter switched back to English as we stepped out of the office and headed towards the parking lot.

“Why?” I couldn’t hold back myself from asking. I was curious about her too although I never showed it deliberately in front of Valter. I didn’t want him to get any idea that I was interested in Annelies.

“I don’t know. She smells wrong. I found her staring at your watch,” He answered as we got into the car. This made me frown at him, “You’re just being paranoid,”

“I am not paranoid Theo. We need to keep an eye on her,” He gritted as I started the engine. I chose not to comment on that as we drove back to the hotel where we were lodged.

“Theodore!” A very feminine voice chirped as soon as we entered the hotel reception. The owner of the voice instantly came running towards me before hugging me tightly. I lightly hugged her back while Valter asked, “Vipsania, what are you doing here?”

I gently pulled back from the woman but before I could react, she pecked my lips. I felt Valter cringe beside me. It was his sister. The three of us had grown up together because our families were good friends. Valter’s sister had always liked me but I always found it hard to reciprocate her feelings. Although, I always tried my best to be good to her because I didn’t want to hurt Valter.

“I was here for a fashion show and got to know that you two were here,” She answered merrily. Meanwhile, I stepped back from Vipsania, putting a healthy distance between us. I felt somewhat uncomfortable being so close to her.

“When are you going back?” The question left my mouth before I could think about it. Her head snapped towards me and a look of bewilderment climbed on her face. I quickly rephrased my question, “How long are you going to stay here?”

“As long as you guys are here,” She chirped. I fought a frown as she continued, “Itaville is a beautiful city. I want to explore this place more,”

“Okay,” Valter murmured before he walked away, leaving the two of us alone. With her brother gone, she closed the distance between us again. I watched her warily as she looped her hand around my arm and grinned at me. Her eyes gleamed at me with a certain possessiveness that I never felt towards her.

“Let’s go out tonight,” she purred. I gently unwrapped her hands from my arm before I told her politely, “I am here for work, not a vacation,” A frown climbed on her face instantly after hearing my words.

“Please, I want to have a good time,” I felt sick at her words but I couldn’t turn her down. My hands were tied. After agreeing, I somehow managed to excuse myself from her. I took a sigh of relief as soon as I was back in my hotel suite.

When I thought that I couldn’t be bothered, I heard a knock on the hotel door. It was Vipsania again. I found it hard to not frown at her presence.

“What are you doing?” She chirped and stepped inside my suite. I clenched my jaw and followed her inside. It was a big and luxurious suite but her presence made it uncomfortable for me.

“I was working, Vipsania,” I grumbled.

“Can’t you take a break for me?” She pouted at me.

“No, if you want me to go out in the evening then you have to leave me alone now, please,” I spoke as polity as I could before I motioned her outside. She didn’t look very happy when I closed the door after her.

After that, I got to work instantly. I tried my best to concentrate but Valter’s words about Annelise kept replaying in my mind. I was naturally very gravitated towards her because of my primal urges but apart from that, she had something different about her.

She was smart and had an eye for detail. Whether it was natural to her or whether she acquired the skill due to her job was a mystery but it was definitely something that could land her in some trouble soon.

She sure wasn’t a human. It was hard to tell what she actually was. Her human scent was very overpowering and misleading. At first, I thought was human but Valter confirmed that she was not. According to him, she was mixed. She had some supernatural blood in her. It wasn't very prominent but she still had it.

Maybe she was a Zlaque. They were very humane like but were a bit more on the stouter side. They were mostly natural collectors and had an eye for details. Annelise showed only a few properties of that kind. It was still hard to conclude anything about her.

The probabilities of her not telling me anything on being asked was very high. Maybe she had no idea about her kind or maybe she was really good at pretending. Whatever it was, we’d have to find out sooner. I understood Valter’s paranoia due to some past experiences but at the same time, I wanted Annelise to be innocent.

If she got caught having any information about the Legacy or the work we did then they’d make her disappear. Just thinking about that gave me chills. I certainly felt an undeniable attraction towards her. The first time when I was with her, I almost gave in to the urges. I just couldn’t help myself around her.

I was sure that she was my Czira, a minotaur’s better half but I couldn’t have her anyway. I was part of the Legacy and loyal to it. Besides she wasn’t of my kind so the chances of me accepting her were very thin but I wasn’t aware how the situation would change.