Chapter 55: A Target

Michael’s POV

Xero and the others arrived not long after.

On the other side of the building, the reception continued as if nothing had happened. Music played, guests laughed, and the wedding celebration carried on, completely unaware of what had taken place only a short distance away.

Xero stepped inside. His gaze moved from me to the two dried remains on the floor.

"Take care of everything," I told him.

He nodded. "Understood."

I did not need to explain further. Xero and the others understood what had to be done and moved immediately.

I stayed where I was, holding Emerald in my arms until they finished clearing the room. I needed to be certain nothing remained that could raise questions later.

When they were done, I carried Emerald out.

Alaric walked ahead, making sure the path was clear.

We took her to one of the private lounges attached to the reception hall. It was quiet enough that no one would disturb her, but close enough that her absence would not immediately draw attention.

I lowered her carefully onto one of the sofas. She was still unconscious.

For a while, I simply watched her. Her breathing was steady, and there was no sign of injury. The only concern left was the memory I had removed.

I had been precise. She would remember going to the restroom. She would remember feeling dizzy. Nothing more.

A few minutes later, her fingers twitched. I stayed seated nearby as her eyelids slowly opened. She blinked several times, taking in the unfamiliar room.

Confusion flickered across her face before her eyes found mine. "Mr. King?"

"I’m here." She slowly pushed herself upright. "Where am I?"

"One of the private lounges," I said.

She glanced around again. "Why?"

"You fainted."

Her brows drew together. "I did?"

"Yes."

She pressed a hand to her forehead. "I don’t remember..."

She stopped, and I watched her carefully as she searched through her memory. Then her expression shifted.

"I remember going to the restroom."

I nodded. "And then?"

"I think I felt dizzy."

Her memory was exactly as I had left it.

She looked at me. "Did you find me?"

"Yes."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You did?"

"Yes, I did."

Then she lowered her gaze to her hands. "I’m sorry," she apologised.

"For what?"

"For causing you trouble," she said.

"You didn’t."

She looked at me again as if she had indeed been a burden to me. "But you had to bring me here."

"I did."

Instantly, colour rose faintly in her cheeks. She was embarrassed.

"You carried me?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

She looked away. "I’m sorry."

I almost smiled. "You have apologised twice for fainting."

"I know," she admitted.

"Then stop."

She gave a small nod. "Okay."

A few seconds passed before she looked towards the door. "How long have I been here?"

"Not long." I kept my answer brief.

She nodded slowly. "I should probably go back to Claire and Laura."

"You can."

She stood carefully. I watched long enough to make sure she was steady. She was.

"Are you still dizzy?" I asked, just to be sure.

"No."

"Any pain?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I’m fine."

I nodded. "Then you can go back."

She hesitated before looking at me. "Thank you, Mr. King."

"You’re welcome."

She turned towards the door, then stopped before leaving. "Did anyone else see me?"

"Your friends know you weren’t feeling well," I answered.

Relief softened her expression. "I don’t want my family making a fuss."

"They won’t," I assured her.

She gave me a small smile before leaving.

I stayed seated for a while. The memory alteration had worked exactly as intended. There was no trace of what she had seen, nothing that would make her question what had happened.

A few moments later, I stood and followed her out. When I returned to the reception area, Alaric was waiting for me.

"She’s back with her friends," he said.

I nodded. "Good."

His gaze shifted to me. "Everything went according to plan?"

"Yes."

He gave me a knowing look. "Then we need to talk."

I glanced towards the ballroom. "Not here."

We moved to a quieter corner, away from the guests. Alaric lowered his voice. "The two creatures weren’t ordinary."

"I know."

"I’ve dealt with shapeshifters before," he said, "but those two were stronger than most." I turned to look towards the ballroom as he continued. "Strong enough to fight humans. Strong enough to cause problems."

I nodded. "But not strong enough to fight us."

A small smile appeared on his face. "That’s what I thought."

I fell silent for a moment. The attack had not been random. The actress had followed Emerald, and the second shapeshifter had appeared only after I sensed him in the ballroom.

They had not stumbled into that restroom by coincidence. Someone had sent them, and that was what bothered me.

"Did you find anything else?" I asked.

Alaric shook his head. "Nothing useful yet."

I looked at him. "Then we keep looking."

He nodded.

My gaze swept across the ballroom. Emerald was back with Claire and Laura, speaking to them normally. Laughing. Completely unaware of what had happened.

I watched her for a moment before looking towards Kelvin Mercer and Maya Fox.

They were still enjoying themselves, completely oblivious to everything that had happened.

My expression hardened. Those two had already caused enough trouble in Emerald’s life. I had not forgotten my plans of teaching them a little lesson, but now was not the time to deal with them.

There were too many people around, and I had more important matters to handle first.

Alaric followed my gaze. "You’re thinking about them."

"Yes."

"Are you going to do something?"

"Eventually."

He smiled. "That’s what I thought."

I turned away from the couple, and my attention returned to Emerald. The shapeshifters had changed something.

Before today, I had already decided to help her reclaim Mercer Technologies. Now there was another problem to solve.

Someone had targeted Emerald. Until I knew why, I was not going to let her walk around unprotected.