Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 265: DNA Sample

Killian's

POV

"Are you done with task I gave you?" My voice came out steady and cold, unable to ask for the results directly.

Ryder shifted, his silence stretching a second too long. "Not yet," he admitted, his words clipped, like he hated saying them.

My eyes shot up at him in surprise. I had assumed the DNA test results were already in, mistaking Ryder's gloomy expression for confirmation.

But as it turned out, Ryder's expression had nothing to do with the test - he hadn't even done it yet. "It's been... difficult," Ryder scratched the back of his neck, unable to look at me directly to my eyes.

I fixed him with a hard stare. Difficult? This was supposed to be a simple task.

"Difficult?" My tone was sharp. "I gave you simple instructions, Ryder. Do it quietly, without anyone knowing. What seems to be the problem about that?"

He clenched his jaw, frustration clear in his eyes. "It's Giselle, she never walks around without her attendants. She's always guarded and every time I get close enough to her to try, she picks up on it - senses something's wrong. I can't get anything from her without raising suspicion."

I tapped my fingers against the task, my mind working through the situation. I should have expected this. Ryder and Giselle were never close, and it would make sense for her to be suspicious if he approached her out of nowhere.

Even so, I expected more from Ryder. I gave him this task because I believed that he could handle it. "You're telling me you can't collect one simple trace of DNA? A hair? A glass she's touched?" My patience was wearing thin.

I could hear the weariness in it. "But you told me to do this alone. No backup. I can't involve anyone else, and she's wary of me. I can't just take something from her without raising suspicion. His words echoed in my head - "alone". Yes, I'd told him that for a reason. The fewer people involved, the cleaner this would be. That's why I don't want him

no one I could trust with this except for him. But now, his lack of results

as possible. I want to

I could plan ahead and find out if Astrid and I still really stood a

all

for mistakes, and I'm not interested in excuses. If you

weighing on him, and I wanted him to feel it. This wasn't just a task;

he spoke with a low voice. "He spends more time with his nanny than with Giselle, so

satisfied at least with that much. "And

for Giselle... I can't think of

stilled at his

only who could

as if he feared pushing too far. If you took her out, spent time with

the air between us could see the logic in it, but the very thought of taking Giselle out on a date of pretending to show her

QUMS

suspect me, not if I played

let

A brush of my hand,

it

Ryder's suggestion. I could feel his eyes on me, waiting