I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head while I studied them. "Well?" I asked with a small purr in my voice. "May I help you?" I leaned on my bike and cleared my throat before I looked at Mindy. "And did that answer your question, Love?" I asked, raising the eyebrow higher. "Do you now believe that I am not her?"

"No," Mindy said, and I was mildly impressed that she didn't but glad because it meant that I could play with her and toy with her emotions so that she questioned everything and everyone. "You are her. I know that you are her."

"But then why is Alexandra at the house while I am over here?" I asked and cocked my head and raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't make any sense, doesn't it?"

"It doesn't," she agreed. "How did you do it?" She narrowed her eyes and scowled, and I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Do what?" I asked innocently while I cocked my head further and pouted. "What did I do?"

"How did you appear in two places at once?" Mindy asked and narrowed her eyes while she scowled. "I know you are her."

I raised an eyebrow before I looked at the Puppetmaster. "Well?" I asked and cocked my head.

The Puppetmaster studied both of us before he looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Well?" he asked. "Well, what?"

"Do you agree with her statement?" I asked and gestured to Mindy, and he looked at her before he looked at me again. "Am I Alexandra, or was that enough proof for you to know that I am not her and never was."

The Puppetmaster moved a hand across his chin and studied me with a critical gaze, and I made sure to keep my face blank while I stared at him, making sure not to look as unnerved as I was starting to feel because I did not need him to know that he made me nervous.

"Please, say that you don't trust her and kill her," Mindy said and placed her hand on the Puppetmaster's arm, much to Bryant's annoyance. "She's lying. She's Alexandra. She's a DeLamont."

"Now, now," I said and leaned further on my bike while I looked at her. "There is no need to ask him to kill me. Why would you do that when you don't have any proof that I am her? You called that handsome Alpha and talked to her yourself. "Now, didn't you?" I raised an eyebrow in question while I smirked. "That should be enough proof. Don't you agree?" I looked at the Puppetmaster when I said that.

"She's safe," he said and shrugged off her before he smirked and looked at me. "For now." He walked over to me and held out his hand while he smiled a creepy smile that I wanted to knock off his face. "However, that doesn't mean you are out of the woods, yet."

"Oh, you have wounded me," I said and gently placed my hand on his. I bit back a shudder and an eye roll when he kissed my hand and let him help me get off my bike. "How am I Alexandra and there when I am here with you?"

"Magic," the Puppermaster replied. "I am sure you are aware of those who use it?" He raised an eyebrow and led me to the group before he released my hand.

"I am," I confirmed and nodded. "I am aware that there are people that use magic, but that doesn't mean that she knows anyone," I added.

The Puppetmaaster chuckled and shook his head. "I am sure that she does, Dear," he said, and it took all of my self-control not to shudder or scowl.

Who the fuck does he think he is to call me Dear and get away with it without any repercussions?

"Patience, Lex, you can kill him later," Anthony said, and I had to make sure that I didn't grit my teeth together or growl while I kept my face blank and emotionless in front of the group. "You need him. Remember?"

"Fight me," I replied darkly because he was right, I did need him until my Levi was free.

"Can't," Corey said with a small chirp in her voice. "It would mean showing ourselves to them, and it could cause you some issues."

"Issues that I will be able to handle," I replied. "And why would you say that she does?" I asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Because of her bloodline," the Puppetmaster replied with such disgust that it piqued my interest.

"Oh?" I inquired and raised an eyebrow. "And what about her bloodline makes it so that she knows about other species? How is it so special that it makes you want to hurl?"

"What do you know about her?" the Puppetmaster asked instead of answering my questions, and I held back an eye roll and a scowl, annoyed. "Have you heard anything about her in your travels?"

I held back an eye roll and a scowl while I stayed silent and cleared my throat.

I had no idea why he wanted to know what I knew and silently wondered if this was a trick for me to "confirm" that I was Alexandra and not some other person that was an assassin and had multiple ties with different people.

"Well?" the Puppetmaster asked and raised an eyebrow, and I followed suit and raised mine. "What says you?"

Mindy scoffed and rolled her eyes when I still kept silent. "Oh, please," she said, and we looked at her with identical scowls on our faces. "Like she is going to be honest with you, Sir. She is Alexandra."

"She can't lie to me," the Puppetmaster said, and I raised an eyebrow in question while I looked at him.

"I can't," I inquired and cocked my head while I studied him. "Please, do tell, why can I not lie to you?"

"Because I'll know," the Puppetmaster replied and looked at me. He sneered, and I raised my eyebrow higher. "I will kill you if you lie to me. Is that understood?"

I bit back a small smirk and dipped my head closer to my chest. "Unfortunately, I am afraid that you cannot kill me, even if I lie to you, Love," I said, and he raised an eyebrow in question. "You need me," I replied.

"I do?"

I nodded in confirmation and stayed silent.

"And why do you say that?"

"You wouldn't have sent him to my watering hole," I replied and gestured to Bryant, "in which I haven't been in for the past few years."

The Puppetmaster glanced at Bryant before he looked at me. "And why have you not been there?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that you are her?" he asked, implying that I was Alexandra.

I held back an eye roll and snorted. "Oh, please," I said with a small scoff. "Why would I be here if I was her?" I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head while I studied the Puppetmaster.

"To throw us off, of course," he replied. He gestured to Mindy, and I looked at her before I looked at him. "I am leaning towards believing her that you are in fact Alexandra."

Shit...

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head. "And what is your reasoning for saying that I am Alexandra?" I asked, making sure that I didn't show any signs of being guilty or hiding my "true" identity. "Please, pray tell me your reasoning."

The Puppetmaster took a threatening step toward me and narrowed his eyes, and I stayed in my spot and stood my ground. He scowled and gritted his teeth in annoyance, and I rolled my eyes and scowled because I could tell that he was trying to intimidate me into telling him who I was, and it was not going to work.

"You are her," he said, and there was something in his voice that wanted me to admit it, but I dismissed that feeling and the spell.

"Can you check on that?" I asked my group, and I had a feeling that they raised an eyebrow. "He wants me to admit to being Alexandra and tried to control me through something in his voice."

"We will," Corey promised, and I had to hide a sigh of relief. "We're making sure that everything is recorded. We'll try to talk to someone about it."

"You are manipulative," I commented and raised an eyebrow, pretending to be mildly impressed. "What was that?"

The Puppetmaster blinked and blinked again, and he looked a little shocked that it didn't work. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"You heard," I said and studied him while I narrowed my eyes and scowled. "What did you try to do to me?"

"Nothing," the Puppetmaster said, and I could tell that he was lying. He cleared his throat and shook his head.

I smirked and dipped my head closer to my chest. "Aww, you're sweating," I teased, even though I knew that he wasn't sweating. "Do I make you nervous?"

The Puppetmaster didn't respond and narrowed his eyes, trying but failing to act like I didn't bother him, and that left me more amused.

He didn't say a word while he studied me, and I had a feeling that he was trying to figure out why whatever spell that he tried to put on me didn't work.

"Hmph," I said and let it go, with a quick dismissal of my hand. "Now, since we have both established the fact that we are hiding something and not going to say anything, what is your name?"

"I wouldn't trust her with your name, Master," Mindy said. She narrowed her eyes and scowled while she looked at me. "She could tell Alexandra."

I bit back a snort and rolled my eyes. "Are you sure that I know Alexandra?" I asked and raised an eyebrow while I cocked my head and studied her.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Mindy replied tersely, and I held back an eye roll but scowled. "Who knows who you know or whatever." She looked at the Puppetmaster, "but please, don't tell her anything. She could be hiding something."

"Oh like you aren't," I said and finally rolled my eyes while my scowl deepened. "Don't start that bullshit with me, Sweetheart. It won't end well for you."

The Puppetmaster bristled but didn't say a word. He narrowed his eyes while he stared at me, and I bit back a small smirk while I looked at him. "Unfortunately, you are not allowed to know my name at the moment. I do apologize, Ms. Viper."

I couldn't help but let my smirk take control and dipped my head a little. I didn't say a word while I looked at him, not phased about knowing his name just yet.

"Good," Mindy said and bowed her head, relieved. "Thank you, Master."

I held back an eye roll while the Puppetmaster scowled and narrowed his eyes at her, annoyed.

"Hush," he warned, and I bit back a small smirk before he looked at me. "I hope you don't mind."

"I do not," I replied before I cleared my throat and grew serious. "Now, why am I here?" I asked before I raised an eyebrow. "Or is it time for me to go?"

"And where would you go?" he asked and raised an eyebrow as well. "Do you have anything else that you have to do?"

I bit back a laugh and shook my head, amused. "Oh, Love," I said, and he bristled slightly. I had to bite back a smirk while I looked at him. "You don't need to know where I have to go or anything. It doesn't have to deal with you or the business you want me to do for you."

The Puppetmaster scowled and narrowed his eyes further. He took a threatening step towards me, and Mindy grinned as if she knew what was going to happen. "Where are you going?" he asked again, this time with a trace of magic in his voice. "Tell me where you are going."

The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention, and I couldn't help but bite a small smirk. "Awwww," I teased while I dismissed it again. "Did you think you could control me again?" I asked and narrowed my eyes. "How sweet."

He raised an eyebrow and stayed silent while he studied me, making sure that his face was a mask, even though I could tell that he was annoyed that I wasn't under his control like I should be.

Both Mindy and Bryant looked at each other before they looked at me. They had the same blank look on their faces, but I could tell that they were surprised that I wasn't under his command.

"You should have been under my control as soon as I said that," he said and folded his arms across his chest. He scowled and narrowed his eyes, and I looked at him and met his gaze with a raised eyebrow but a blank look on my face. "Tell me, why aren't you under my control? What are you hiding?"

"Maybe because I have friends in dark places as I have told you before?" I asked and raised an eyebrow higher while I cocked my head. "Or maybe because you aren't as strong as you thought you were."

I knew that I was walking on thin ice, but I could care less because I knew that he needed me for some reason. I was going to use that to my advantage and piss him off until he showed me who he truly was or who he worked for, for the Puppetmaster was merely a puppet himself, and I knew that I had a bigger fish to fry.

"Come now, Love," I all but purred before I reached over and grabbed some of the fabric of his shirt. "Don't tell me you thought you could possibly control someone like me."

The Puppetmaster didn't respond and took my hand from his shirt. His grip was soft for some reason while he let go of my hand, and I bit back a small smirk because I knew that getting him under my charm would be easier than I thought.

"You are walking on thin ice, Love," he warned while he narrowed his eyes and scowled. "Your friends are not as powerful as mine."

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head while I smirked. "Are you sure?" I asked, not hiding the purr. "It seems to me that you don't know my friends. You don't know anything about me."

"I know that you strike when you are ready," he replied.

"Hmph," I replied and my smirk deepened, amused. "That could be me saying the same thing about you," I replied while I took another step toward him until we were barely an inch apart. "For, you are such a tall, strong man that knows how to make a woman scream and knows how to get the secrets from someone like me."

Again, I reached out to touch his chest, and I had to bite my lip when he shivered underneath my touch.

"Master," Bryant warned before I could seduce him further.

The Puppetmaster hissed and narrowed his eyes while he took a step back away from me, and I smiled sweetly. "Stop," he warned and bared his teeth in warning.

"Aww, is the poor Puppetmaster slowly realizing that wanting me to help is a mistake?" I asked sweetly while I pouted and blinked. "Or are you realizing that wanting me to help is a good thing because of the... prowess that I possess." I winked and blew him an air kiss, and Mindy growled possessively.

Who the fuck is your mate? I thought while I turned my gaze at her and grinned. "Aww, are you getting jealous that you aren't the favorite anymore, Love?" I asked in a sweet voice. "Poor baby, grow the fuck up."

Mindy growled again and took a threatening step toward me. "You bitch," she snarled and bared her teeth at me. "Do you want to say that to my face?" she asked, and I smirked.

"Certainly," I said but gestured to the male in front of me, who hadn't moved nor said a word, "but it seems to me that I have someone in front of me, so I am not able to at the moment."

"Then move around him, Bitch," Mindy said with another possessive growl, and I shook my head and tsked.

"Temper, temper," I said with a small tsk again. "That's not becoming of a lady."

"Shouldn't you be telling yourself the same thing?" the Puppetmaster asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Hmph," I said while I turned my attention back to him and smirked. "Funnily enough, I am not a lady, nor will I ever be a lady." I blew him another kiss and smiled. "I'm too much of... something else to be considered one anyway."

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head while I studied the Puppetmaster. "Now," I said and dipped my head closer to my chest. "Are we going to do this actual business, or are we going to just sit around and gossip while this lovely lady tries to kill me?" I gestured to Mindy, who had stopped trying to force her way toward me and settled on glaring at me with a look that could kill. "I'm getting paid by the hour, so either way, I don't care."