Chapter 269: The Feast - III
One bonus Chapter to show my appreciation to all my supportive readers! Enjoy!
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As Vance hurried out of the dining hall, followed by several cult members, the room’s focus naturally drifted toward the commotion at the door.
It was all the opportunity Gavriel and Aliana needed.
Without breaking their blank expressions, both casually lowered their forks beneath the edge of the table. In one quick motion, they let the meat drop silently onto the carpeted floor before bringing their empty cutlery back to their plates.
When Gwen finally turned her attention back to them a moment later, she caught the rhythmic motion of their jaws as they pretended to chew.
A victorious smirk spread across her features as she took it as absolute proof that they had swallowed the food and fallen under the spell.
"So..." she purred, leaning her elbow on the white tablecloth and resting her chin in her hand. "How is the food... Gavriel?"
Gavriel met her gaze with the same vacant, lifeless stare as the mind-controlled guests around them. "Fine."
Gwen glanced around the table and found everyone else equally silent. Aliana, Cillian, Jade, and Andrew sat frozen in their seats, looking completely blank.
No one protested. No one uttered a sound.
A low, triumphant laugh escaped her lips. "It worked. I knew it would."
Her eyes locked back onto Gavriel, fixing on his face as though everyone else in the room had suddenly vanished.
"Once tonight is over..." she declared with smug confidence, "...you are going to be mine."
Around the table, several cult members burst into dark laughter.
One of them raised his glass in a mock toast. "Take him if you want," he snickered. "Once the ritual is complete, they will all belong to us anyway."
"Cheers to that!" another chimed in, grinning like a predator. "Once the ritual seals their minds, our control over them will be permanent. Their companies, their immense wealth, their very bodies... every piece of them will exist solely to serve our desires."
"And just like that, the world becomes our playground," a third declared, his voice thick with sickening triumph.
A chorus of cruel, mocking laughter echoed through the hall.
"I want the young ones," a man hissed, scanning two teenage girls across the table like livestock.
"I’m taking the redhead," another added, his filthy gaze crawling over Jade. "Her body is far too tempting to waste."
Across the table, Cillian and Andrew clenched their jaws so hard their teeth threatened to crack, while Jade fought a desperate battle to keep her murderous rage under control.
"I’ll take his beautiful wife," Mr. Kaden sneered, his dark eyes greedily drinking in Aliana. "I’ll break her until she completely forgets her husband ever existed. She has a sharp mouth, too. I’m going to enjoy putting her mouth to better use."
As soon as Kaden finished spewing his filth, the cultists burst into loud snickers.
Right on cue, a blinding bolt of lightning tore through the sky, striking terrifyingly close to the mansion.
The thunderclap hit like a bomb, vibrating through the stone floor and rattling the glass windows until they shrieked against their frames. The sheer violence of the storm startled the cult members so badly that none of them noticed Jade, Aliana, and Andrew involuntarily flinching at the deafening noise.
Moments later, the temperature in the room plummeted so fast that ice seemed to seep through the air, making the cultists shiver where they sat.
To the five listening in silence, however, the chill meant nothing. Unbridled rage burned hot in their chests, hardening their resolve a hundred times over.
Sitting motionless in his chair, Gavriel stared straight ahead, his quiet decision already etched into his heart... every single person in this room was going to die in the most brutal way.
"The storm is getting worse, isn’t it?" one of the cult members muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he eyed the blackened windows. The violent proximity of the lightning had shaken his confidence.
Gwen casually dismissed his worry with a flick of her hand, her lips curling into a wicked smile. "It is, but a little thunder won’t stop what is about to happen."
She turned her full focus back to Kaden. "Anyway, as I was saying, you can have this little slut once I make her watch me have my ways with her husband. Just thinking about it makes my blood rush."
She licked her lips slowly, her eyes devouring Gavriel as if she could already taste him.
Beside Gwen, Gavriel’s and Aliana’s hands clamped tightly around their silver cutlery so hard that the steel groaned silently, crushing like wax beneath the supernatural pressure of their grip.
Before either of them reached their breaking point, the sharp, hurried slap of leather soles echoed down the stone corridor.
Vance strode back into the dining hall. The calm, refined mask he had worn all evening was completely shattered, replaced by a dark, frantic urgency.
"There has been a change of plans," Vance announced, his voice slicing through the heavy room. "We need to begin the ritual right now."
The dark humour at the table vanished instantly. The atmosphere turned heavy as several cult members rose from their chairs without a word.
"What happened?" Gwen asked, her brow furrowing as her pleasant daydream was cut short.
"Someone burned the grimoire outside," Vance hissed, his eyes gleaming with rage. "And they left a warning written in blood on the gates. People are coming for us."
"What?" Cora gasped, her hands flying to her throat as a wave of terror washed over her face. "Who could have done such a thing?" Her panicked eyes swept across the long dining table, only to find the guests sitting completely trapped under the spell.
"I don’t know. Whoever it was either ran away or is already under mind control," Vance replied irritably.
"If that’s the case, why don’t we just ask them to find out?" Cora insisted.
At his wife’s words, Vance swept his cold gaze around the silent table. "Who stepped into my study and took the grimoire?"
Every single guest trapped under the spell silently turned their heads toward Vance. When no one answered, Vance let out a heavy sigh.
"See? It wasn’t any of them. If it had been one of our guests, they wouldn’t be able to lie right now. Let’s not waste any more time. Whoever did this must have already escaped. We need to finish the ritual before anyone else comes snooping around."
Vance motioned sharply toward the exit. "Every member, come with me."
Just as expected, every cult member fell into line and followed Vance out of the room.
The remaining guests stayed exactly where they were, sitting motionless in their chairs with empty, lifeless eyes.
Gwen lingered behind.
The second the last of the cultists disappeared into the corridor, she slowly turned back toward Gavriel.
Her gaze swept over his sharp features, practically dripping with sickening lust.
"Such a handsome man... soon, you will belong to me. I’ll make you my personal sex slave, force you to divorce your wife, and live lavishly as the new Mrs. Valentine while enjoying all that money from the Archon Group. Ah, I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it," Gwen boasted out loud, rubbing her arms in sheer excitement.
A seductive smile curved across her lips as she sauntered over to where Gavriel sat motionless.
Leaning down close enough for her breath to brush his skin, she murmured softly, "One kiss before I leave... then I’ll come back for much more."
She reached out, her fingers moving towards his jaw.
The instant her hand was about to touch him...
Smash!
A cold voice shattered the silence. "Take that, you bitch!"
A porcelain plate exploded across Gwen’s face. Human meat, gravy, and shattered ceramic splattered over her hair, clothes, and the floor, sending her stumbling backwards as spices flew into her eyes.
She clutched at her face in shock, gasping for air.
Just as she opened her mouth to let out a terrified scream...