Marked By Lies: A Reverse Harem Series (The Marked Series Book 1) by Paige Orr (the red fox clan TXT) 📗

“Zaphyr needs a list of all of our people who are missing and their home addresses. Apparently, this detective he has working for him needs to check out their homes.”

“I'll send it to him right away. You know he has a point though, an outsider might spot something that we wouldn’t. It's worth a try if it helps us find them, don’t you think?”

“I know that. I just don’t like the thought of someone I don’t know, looking through my people’s private spaces.”

“Well, let’s just hope that she’s as good as Zaphyr thinks she is.”

With that, Eli gets all the info that Zaphyr needs together as I pull the book I was in the middle of, back in front of me. Before I can start reading though, my phone chimes with a message and when I open it I find the information about the woman. Sliding my phone across the desk to Eli, I tell him to check her out before finally turning back to the book.

Time isn’t on our side, and I can’t waste anymore time wondering about something I can’t change. I have to focus for my people, because if I can’t solve this then they’ll never trust me again, and to bring about the change our people need, their trust is a necessity.

Chapter Eleven

Melissa

I stand outside Adelaide’s shop, taking a moment to get myself together before heading inside. I’m not exactly looking forward to this conversation. I know she won’t be surprised to see me, but I also know that I’m in for a lecture after I didn’t take her warning seriously. I should have known better than to ignore what she told me, she’s never steered me wrong in the past, and I doubt she would start now.

Being a seer takes its toll on Adelaide, which is why I don’t ask for her help unless it’s something that I have no hope of figuring out myself. I’m worried though that getting her involved in this mess could put her in danger. She’s the closest thing to family that I have, and I would hate to be the reason that she got hurt.

Making my way through the familiar path of her shop, I make my way into the back room and over to the globe. I remember the first time that Adelaide ever showed me this part of the store, and the wonder I felt at her secret passage. At the time I was in love with mysteries, and the fact that there was an entire part of the shop hidden behind a bookcase.

At that age, I felt like everything inside Adelaide’s shop was an adventure. From making my way through the precariously stacked piles in the backroom to exploring the hidden cave. There was never a dull moment when I came here, and my memories are filled with happiness. Adelaide was never strict with me, letting me roam and discover things as I pleased. Visitors to the shop were always so shocked to see my little head poking out from hard to reach spaces, and I remember one conversation like it happened yesterday.

“Oh, Adelaide! You shouldn’t allow a child to wander around like that. What if she gets hurt?”

Adelaide turns towards me with a bright smile as she tells the woman.

“If a child doesn’t explore and ask questions, then how will they ever learn anything. You ask me, what if she gets hurt? But if she doesn’t fall down, she’ll never learn to get back up again.”

The woman seems shocked by Adelaide’s reply, and her eyes flick to me with worry filling their depth.

“That may be so, but can’t you just teach her these things without the danger?”

“My dear, danger is just a part of life, without it we can’t come to understand how wonderful the little things are. Without sadness, happiness becomes something that we take for granted. A child's mind soaks up everything around them like a sponge, and I want Melissa to grow and learn exactly what she enjoys, without me deciding for her.”

A smile spreads across my face at the memory as the familiar sound of concrete scraping reaches my ears and I make my way down the stairs. Adelaide was always encouraging me to try something at least once because if I didn’t then I wouldn’t know if I liked it or not. How Adelaide treated me growing up, shaped me into the person I am today, quirks and all.

I step out of the stairwell to find Adelaide placing a pot of tea onto the table and motioning me towards the chair opposite her. I make my way across the room, pouring us both a cup before taking my seat. Adelaide reaches forwards, taking her cup and studying me as she takes a sip of the chamomile tea.

Even as used to Adelaide’s ways as I am, I can’t stop myself from fidgeting in my seat as she continues to stare at me. I can see in her eyes that she already knows why I’m here, causing shame to fill me. I’m not trying to use her, but that doesn’t change the fact that lately, I've only come to visit when I needed something.

The hard part is trying to figure out if the admonishment in her eyes is from what I’ve gotten myself caught up in, or because of the way I’m beating myself up over my treatment of her. What’s certain is that even now she still has the ability to surprise me. She places her cup down onto her saucer before settling back in her chair and giving me a warm smile.

“Stop worrying, child. You know I understand better than not that things are a little too crazy for a normal visit right now. So why don’t you fill me in on what that wonderful mind