Seeing that Rowena was happily continuing her tour of the Imperial Zoo with the Head Zookeeper, Daimon and General Zhan returned to Daimon's study to discuss what he'd found so far.
"Nothing!" Daimon yelled and slammed his fist on the table. Although he was Daimon's friend, General Zhan couldn't help but flinch slightly at the outburst.
"There was no information to be gained from the corpse." Zhan informed him. He knew Daimon's anger and frustration was due to that undisputable fact and that he was not angry at Zhan personally. However, Zhan's inability to gather any information was just as frustrating to him too.
"Well, there's nothing more that can be done about that right now. Make sure Samson picks her guard as quickly and efficiently as possible. Since Killian has yet to return, I will meet with Valder to get Shadow Guards for Rowena as well."
General Zhan nodded and left to meet with his old friend and mentor. Samson had practically raised him and taught him a great deal. He trusted his judgment and knew he would pick the right guards for the Lady Rowena. Although recent events had shown him that Rowena wasn't as delicate and helpless as she first appeared, she was in for a lifetime of assassination attempts and possibly becoming collateral damage in attempts on Daimon's life. As a result, there could be no such thing as too much protection.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
While her husband and his best friend arranged for her protection, Rowena contentedly continued the tour and lecture through the Imperial Zoo. If the aviary was a marvel, it was surpassed by the largest building in the zoo complex. The aquarium was a miracle of engineering and construction.
The building housed tanks of various sizes and shapes containing multiple species of aquatic creatures. Rowena had never seen such amazing creatures before including sharks, piranhas, and even sea snakes. She couldn't even imagine how such creatures had been captured. She found them endlessly fascinating and listened eagerly to the Head Zookeeper's lectures about each captured species.
Rowena spent many happy hours exploring the aquarium and zoo, marveling at each wonder revealed to her eager eyes. Each spectacle was more remarkable than the last. She lost count of the number of exotic species she viewed. She made a mental note to visit this place at least once a week, if possible. She couldn't truly appreciate everything in just one visit.
It was late, almost 8 pm when the Imperial Zookeeper was finally exhausted from providing a tour and lectures to the Lady Empress. She was insatiably curious about the animals living there and he blossomed under her rapt attention. It was so rare for anyone to pay him any mind. They only wanted to see the power of the animals as they hunted and killed.
As they were both so enthralled in the event, neither realized how late it was until it was already dark. But Rowena was reluctant to leave as the darkness brought out the nocturnal predators. The staff of the zoo lit candles and oil lamps throughout the park illuminating the darkness. Rowena was enthralled as the zoo came to life again with another set of predators now on display.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Meanwhile, in the secret prison a unique predator was waking up to hunt. The female creature imprisoned by order of the Seelie Court was feeling even stronger than usual after drinking the blood of the handsome human stranger who had already escaped. She slowly opened her eyes and stared in the direction the tasty man had gone.
He intrigued her and he had helped her even though he had no idea who or what she was. She truly had been in dire straits before he aided her. Once the fog of drugs had cleared her mind, she could recognize him for what he was…an ambush predator – her favorite type as they used cunning and stealth.
Once the Warden and the Interrogator realized he was missing, they would send soldiers after him. She couldn't necessarily prevent that, but at the very least she wanted to delay it as long as possible.
What he didn't know was that it would be two weeks before the Warden and Interrogator returned from an emergency meeting. She had overheard them discussing that they had been summoned by their bosses whose identity they did not reveal.
For now, she'd be left alone and that would give her time to plan her revenge. Only the Interrogator dared to interact with her, so she had no fear of being messed with by the guards they left behind. Besides, the rest of the guards were mere humans and utterly terrified of her even though they thought she was currently helpless.
This unexpected, yet fortuitous delay in their interrogations would give that Tasty Man time to escape. She didn't know what role he had to play in the upcoming drama, but she wanted to ensure he had a chance to play it to his satisfaction.