Page 89 of Dark Gambit: The Play

Eleanor grinned. "Most people don't like my direct approach, so it means a lot to me that you do."

She led her up the stairs, punched the code into the keypad so fast that Sofia's eyes couldn't follow, and opened the door.

When they were out of the cottage, Sofia took in a deep breath. "It feels so good to be outside."

Eleanor nodded. "The Kra-ell need the outdoors to thrive. Emmett was wilting when he was kept in captivity. You have their blood, so being underground must affect you negatively."

It hadn't occurred to her. Sofia had thought that the lack of freedom and the isolation were making her agitated and restless, but it was also being cooped up in an underground bunker with no windows and no fresh air.

"What time is it?"

"It's almost midnight. We can probably sneak out to the beach without anyone noticing you."

"Except for the guards."

"They are called Guardians."

"Are they your military branch?"

"They are part an internal police force, part defenders, and part rescuers of trafficking victims. Do you know what that is?"

"The term is confusing, so I'm not sure. Does that refer to women who are kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery?"

"By and large, yes. But most are not kidnapped, just manipulated or sold by their families, and some are forced into menial job slavery instead of forced sex service, which is only slightly less horrific, and not all are women. Girls and boys are also taken."

"Why is it called trafficking?"

Eleanor snorted. "Don't ask me. It's one of the idiotic terms that politicians come up with. It makes an abomination sound like a speeding infraction. But anyway, that's the clan's humanitarian project. They raid the cells, free the victims, and rehabilitate them. The clan is not big, so their impact on the global problem is negligible, but every life matters, right? At least they are doing something."

Sofia nodded. "It's admirable."

"It is, and that's why I told you about it. The goddess leading these immortals made it her goal to assist humanity to become a more enlightened civilization, where everyone's human rights are respected, where people are given equal freedoms regardless of anything other than being born under the sun and given equal chances to succeed. She instilled those values in her children and grandchildren and their children and so forth. The clan is a force for good, and they made a convert even out of me, the most cynical, jaded woman you ever met."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating. You can't be that bad if I like you."

Eleanor snorted. "Perhaps compared to the Kra-ell females, I'm a sweetheart. Anyway, I haven't met anyone worse than me, so I can't be sure of that statement. But I can assure you that I'm a changed woman, and in my case, it wasn't because of a man. I met Emmett long after deciding that I was going to work with the clan and not against it."

They'd walked around the lodge rather than through it, so they'd made it to the beach without anyone stopping them, and as Sofia stood in front of the vast expanse of water, her agitated nerves reduced their firing speed. "I missed being out here at night."

Eleanor stood next to her. "The Kra-ell compound is not near the ocean?"

"There is a lot of greenery inside the compound as well as around it, and there are many bodies of water in Karelia." She smiled. "Over the last seven years, I lived mostly in Helsinki, but I made sure to spend as much time as I could in nature. It's probably the Kra-ell part of me that craves it."

71

MARCEL

It was almost two in the morning when Eleanor and Sofia returned, and Sofia looked like a different person. She even gave him a tentative smile.

"She's all yours." Eleanor winked at him. "Don't mess it up." She turned and walked toward the stairs, but then stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. "All the information is verified, and there is nothing to add. You can take it from here."

"Hi." Sofia remained standing. "I'm sorry about blowing up before," she said as the door at the top of the staircase closed. "Eleanor explained a lot of things, and I know now what the clan and the goddess who heads it are about. I find it admirable, and I wouldn't mind becoming part of it. I wish that my family could join me, but Eleanor explained that wouldn't be possible even if they were free. Kian rarely admits humans into the village."

If Eleanor was still there, Marcel would have given her a big thank-you hug and kissed her on both cheeks.

Instead, he walked over to Sofia, hesitating for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have doubted you."

Letting out a sigh, she rested her head on his shoulder and sagged into his embrace. "You had your reasons, and I had mine. Eleanor explained it all. But she left one thing for you to explain." She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "She said that you need to tell me about fated mates and what it means."