All along, the warning indicators had been there, dispersed like hints that needed to be put together. But I didn't understand how close Elaine was to executing her lethal plot until I saw her sneak into the kitchen. As she looked around the room to make sure no one was looking, her movements were precise and her footfall were quiet. My pulse was pounding as I observed her every move while hiding in the darkness and scarcely daring to breathe.
The night before, Elaine's plan had become brutally obvious to me: she wanted to murder Lucien. The reality hit me like a blast of cold as I saw her take a little vial out of her coat and pour its contents into a silver glass.
poison.
She put the vial back inside her coat and walked out of the kitchen with a contented grin on her lips, and I felt a wave of terror. She wasn't only trying to take over; she was prepared to do whatever it needed to make sure Lucien was permanently gone. And I couldn't allow it to occur.
