Page 3 of Dark Gambit: The Play

In that, Sofia had an advantage. As Valstar's granddaughter, she'd been given more leeway, and if she'd stayed in the compound, in a few years she would have been considered too old for breeding hybrids and free to choose a human husband. But her relation to Igor's second-in-command had come with a price—a mission she'd been ill-equipped to fulfill, and she was never going back.

She would have preferred to be a nobody like her cousin Helmi. No one expected anything from her. She had a hybrid boyfriend, who was actually a nice guy, and she was short and pudgy, so she wasn't attractive to the pureblooded Kra-ell and most of the hybrid males who preferred tall, slim females.

"What are you thinking about?" Marcel asked.

"The benefits of being a nobody." She smiled at her own clever reply. "Eleanor's method is very helpful. As long as I talk in generalities, I can actually say something that's close to what I was thinking about."

"So what are the benefits of being a nobody?"

"When no one notices you, and no one expects anything from you, you are not asked to do things that you are not comfortable with. It's safer to be a nobody."

"I actually agree with you. I don't like attracting attention to myself either. That's why I chose a career in computer engineering. Most of the time, it's a solitary occupation. And when I do have to work with others, they are just as awkward around people as I am."

"You're not awkward." He was a little, but it wasn't enough to detract from his attractiveness.

In fact, it made Marcel even more attractive to her. She didn't want a guy who was perfect in every way and made her feel inferior. The Mother knew she was as flawed as the next human.

He chuckled. "Are you being polite or trying to butter me up?"

She was doing neither. She was being honest, and he was making her angry.

"You're annoying. You should learn how to take a compliment. Happy now? I can hurl more insults at you if that tickles your fancy."

Marcel gave her the first genuine smile since the shit show had started. "That's the Sofia I know. Prickly and adorable at the same time."

"Adorable? More like despicable." She pushed her plate away. "Can you call Kalugal now? I'm anxious to talk to him."

"Yeah. I should." Marcel put both plates in one of the boxes and put the boxes on the floor. "If he agrees, I'm going to use a video chat." He pulled out his phone and motioned for her to get closer to him.

When she scooted over, he placed the call.

The phone kept ringing for a long time before the call was answered, and when it was, Sofia heard a baby crying in the background.

"Is it a bad time?" Marcel asked.

"It's fine. Give me a moment. I need to move to someplace less noisy."

The man had a cultured voice, if somewhat haughty and impatient. He sounded as if he was trying his best to be friendly, though, which was nice of him, especially given the crying baby in the background.

Was it his child?

"Do you prefer to do it voice only or video?" Marcel asked.

"Let's do video. I'd like to see the lady who's responsible for all the brouhaha."

Sofia winced. "I'm sorry."

As Marcel switched to video and held the phone to her face, she was taken aback by the breathtakingly beautiful man on the screen. With his dark coloring, he could be a hybrid Kra-ell, but he had blue eyes, so that wasn't likely.

Was he human? Or was he like Marcel?

Different.

"Hello, Sofia." He gave her a charming smile that probably had women falling all over him. "My name is Kalugal, and I will try to override the other compeller's hold on your mind. Look into my eyes and focus on the sound of my voice."

"Thank you for doing this for me." She looked into his blue eyes.

"I'm happy to help if I can." He focused those intense eyes on her. "I want you to feel free to say whatever you want to anyone you want."