Anna met Suzy at the end of the corridor, and the two went off chatting excitedly about some dresses they had seen in magazines.
Anna took her time choosing. She bought dresses, jeans, shoes and pyjamas. In fact, she let Suzy choose for her. She hadn't been able to think about anything since she bought the black dress to wear to All's wake. It was as if she had made that situation concrete inside her, and she ended up prostrating herself.
When she came back from shopping, Sarah, who had stayed by All's side in the bedroom while she painted her nails, got up and left them alone. Anna approached and, seeing Allister asleep, realized how dead he was. She ran her hand lovingly through his black and slightly gray hair and took a deep breath.
"You're having dinner with me tonight."
Anna dropped the shopping bag in her hand, startled by the steel-cut voice that sounded like merciless thunder in the silent room, and turned to him with her hand on his chest.
"Dinner?"
He glanced at the sleeping man and then turned his gaze back to Anna.
"Do you know what dinner is? God! I hope so. I've been dealing with stupid humans all day, don't tell me I'm going to spend the night with another stupid human."
"I..."
"I don't understand what you saw in her, All. I don't even think she's fit for the green house, despite her beauty and voluptuous body, as you like it... I'm suspicious to judge. I prefer brains."
"Don't you dare insult my intelligence, you... Insect!" Anna said angrily. At that moment, she was no longer afraid of dying.
He ignored her and Allister smiled.
"Adam... You need to give the girl a chance. She hasn't shown you her potential yet."
"I'll see about that potential tonight..."
"No! You won't! I'm not going to lie down with you."
Adam looked at her as if he were facing a disgusting worm.
"Do you think I want this? Do you think I need this?"
Anna turned red.
"You said that..."
"Oh, stop talking! Hearing your voice makes me sick! I'm just going to introduce you to a friend."
Anna could feel her forehead forming lines.
"Why? I don't understand..."
"You don't need to understand. You don't even have to think. You just need to put on the clothes that one of the maids will bring for you, and walk with her to the car."
"I'm not going."
He stared at her and then looked away.
"You have two hours to rest." He said arrogantly and turned to his father. "What potential! I'm impressed!" He said wryly and walked away.
Anna wondered. This was unheard of. She couldn't understand why he would introduce her to anyone, since he hated her. What about Sarah? Would she go with them? She turned her eyes to All, determined not to go, even if it killed her, and met Allister's appraising eyes.
"Did you hear that nonsense from your son?"
"I want you to go."
"Are you crazy? Let him kill me, but I'm not going to live to satisfy the whims of a man so..."
"I need you to go to this meeting. I want you to tell me in detail what's going to be said and who's going to be there."
"Do you want me to be your spy?"
"Will you?"
Anna smiled.
"Only because you're asking."
Allister relaxed visibly and Anna sat down next to him. They chatted happily, but she noticed that he was speaking with more difficulty, and that he would lose consciousness from one hour to the next, and wake up as if nothing had happened, picking up the conversation where they had left off.
The maid arrived with the dress, and Anna showered and changed, with the woman always following her and waiting patiently. Anna looked at herself in the mirror. The red dress, with a generous neckline at the front and completely bare at the back, was not to her liking. She was feeling like someone she wasn't, like that dress was an expensive bow tie, and this feeling accompanied her as she followed the maid to the elevator.
A car was waiting for her at the door and the man she had hit with the lamp was waiting for her too. He and Anna stared at each other for a few seconds, and Anna could have sworn there was a tremulous smile about to break out on his very serious face, and in his gaze there was also a new respect, as he opened the door for her to get into the vehicle.
Anna was dropped off in front of a Victorian house in an upscale neighborhood. She thought dinner would be in a restaurant, but Adam, it was now obvious, wanted something more private. She overheard parts of a strange conversation between the men in black suits, both over the radio and inside the car.
"She's too young, Alfa can't allow them to take her to that house!"
"The boss knows what he's doing. Did you get a good look at her? Man, she's so beautiful and shapely that for the first time I wished I was an heir to the Lens mafia, just to squeeze her perfect breasts!"
"You won't be squeezing for long if he dreams you have that kind of thought for her!"
"I agree that she really is a woman of rare beauty, but she's only a fragile, human girl! For four werewolves? She won't last a week!"
"And why do you care? She's not even our kind!"
"She might turn out to be..."
The conversation ended when they got out of the cars and Anna looked away, pretending she hadn't heard a word they were saying. What were they talking about? Who were they talking about? Werewolves? Was it a code?
Two men came up to her to guide her inside the house and she was ushered into a large living room, full of individual sofas and three people. Adam, a man as handsome as himself, and a woman. They all looked at her with disdain when they realized she was there.