Damon stared at the maid kneeling on the floor, her hands clasped together, her eyes darting around the room they had brought her to. He wasn't sure why he was looking at her so intently—she just seemed… familiar. Strangely familiar.
Familiar like Knight's little wife?
The resemblance was faint, but it was there. They shared the same face shape, the same almond-shaped eyes. But their eye color was different, and so were their bodies. The maid had curves, while Genesis was slimmer and more delicate-looking.
Damon had noticed the differences clearly—he remembered holding Genesis in his arms the day she was nearly kidnapped. He'd seen the star-shaped birthmark on her neck. He wasn't expecting this maid to have that too, but still… something about her—
"What are you thinking about?" Leo nudged Damon, snapping him out of his thoughts. Damon blinked and looked away from the girl—Revelation—and toward his friend.
He ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "I don't know. There's just something fishy about her." He nodded slightly in the maid's direction, and Leo followed his gaze.
"Well, that's why Knight had us bring her here, isn't it?" Leo said. "I mean, blowing up a balloon filled with flour and talcum powder? If that's not suspicious, I don't know what is."
Damon shook his head and looked back at Revelation. Her big doe eyes were locked on him, wide and innocent. Her soft pink lips were slightly pouted.
Leo frowned and nudged him again. "You're staring. Though I get it—she's ridiculously pretty. Almost as pretty as knight's wife. Though I wouldn't say that out loud. Knight's wife is too pretty for her own good," he added with a dry laugh. There was a bitter edge to it, the kind that came from living in a world where beauty like that attracted the wrong kind of attention—and danger.
"Would you shut up?" Damon muttered. "It's not that. Yeah, she's pretty, but that's not what's bothering me. Don't you see it? There's a slight resemblance to Genesis. If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were related."
Leo raised a brow, studying the maid more closely. "Yeah… I kinda see it. But that happens. Some people just happen to look alike. It doesn't mean anything. Remember how people sometimes mistake us for twins?" He grinned, clearly amused, and Damon shot him a side-eye.
But he held back whatever sharp retort was on the tip of his tongue.
He turned back to Revelation—just in time to hear her speak.
"I'm thirsty," she said softly, licking her lips.
Damon didn't realize his eyes had followed the motion until he caught himself and shook his head, pulling away from the wall.
As he walked toward her, her eyes tracked his every movement with sharp, focused precision—another thing he hadn't missed. She didn't watch like a scared girl. She watched like someone trained… like someone dangerous.
And those same sharp eyes had been on him earlier too. When they had first found her gathering the balloon and other stuffs , she had cried and begged when Knight ordered them to take her away. But the moment they removed her from Knight's presence, her tears had stopped cold. Now, kneeling here, she didn't look scared at all. Not like someone who thought her life might be in danger.
He stopped a few feet away, and she looked pointedly at his hands.
"You didn't bring any water," she said, her voice still soft.
Damon gave a small smile. "If you want water, start talking. Who do you work for? And why did you try to hurt Genesis?"
She stared at him like he was stupid, then let out an exasperated sigh. "I just want water. But if you really must know, I work for Kieran Blackwood—as a maid. And yeah, maybe what I did was wrong, but I did wake her up, didn't I? That should count for something. I think I deserve thanks, not to be treated like a criminal."
Damon's fists clenched. She was going to make this difficult—he could already tell.
She kept going. "If I hadn't used that balloon, she'd still be stuck in that trance. I didn't want to hurt her. If I did want to hurt her, I could've just stabbed her in the chest and ran."
As much as he hated to admit it… she wasn't wrong about that.
"But you knew the rules," he said, eyes narrowing. "No sharp noises. What if that didn't wake her? What if it made everything worse?"
She rolled her eyes. "What part of 'I did my research' the last time you asked this same question don't you understand?"
She crossed her arms. "Just get me water. Clearly, you can't comprehend anything I'm saying. I'll just wait for your boss—maybe he'll actually listen, since his goons can't seem to grasp a simple explanation."
Damon's jaw tightened at the insult, and she smiled, clearly enjoying the flicker of irritation on his face.
That smug smile was all the confirmation he needed—she was nothing like Genesis. Even if Genesis could talk, she'd never respond with that kind of sass or arrogance.
He nodded slowly. "You want water, right?"
The look she gave him said: Are you actually this dumb?
"I'll get you water, kitten."
Her eyes darkened. "Don't call me that."
Damon chuckled, low and amused, then turned to a nearby bowl where a sponge lay soaking. He dipped the sponge back into the water, letting it soak up more until it was dripping. Then he turned toward her again, his steps deliberate.
As he reached her, he grabbed her jaw. She tried to twist away, but his grip was firm.
"Open up, Cara," he said smoothly.
Her eyes widened in horror and disgust as she realized what he was about to do.
Then, without hesitation, he raised the soaked sponge above her mouth.