TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 146

One hundred and forty six

Evangeline POV

The Veiled Meridian gathered at the regional building. A large hotel stood in front, serving as a shield for the underground structure that an ordinary eye would never catch.

The hall stayed quiet in a contained way. I walked in with my group. We followed the same greeting pattern we had always followed. I pressed my fingers to my wrist, gave a nod, and moved to my place.

The space was arranged in circles. Low stools marked each ring to indicate rank and function. The outer rings héld the new recruits. The inner circles belonged to those who had completed their assignments and were waiting to be recognized or reassigned.

At the center, on a slightly elevated platform, sat the seven who ran everything. It had been decades since the apex circle was entirely female. This was a victory for our structure. Everyone wore neutral tones of gray and black. No one stood out. The celebration here was not noisy. It was a matter of record.

Before we sat, we cleansed. Bowls of water passed from hand to hand. I dipped my fingers in and pressed the moisture against my wrist, then my neck.

My mother sat in a different circle, positioned closer to the center. The people around me knew my predicament with Cameron.

In this sect, the best heads in class were clear, and the struggling students were obvious. Progress was not hidden. You either moved forward or you stalled.

Across from me, one of the newer placements sat upright. She had already completed a dominion stage. It had taken her two years to achieve what I had not managed with Cameron in six. She was about to be called forward. She was about to move closer to the center. I kept my gaze forward, refusing to look at her.

The silver trays were passed around the room. On them were boiled eggs. I looked down at the plate they placed in front of me. Twelve hard eggs. There was no garnish and no side dish.

Around me, the distribution was different. Some of the women received two. Some received three. A few had none at all because they had finished their tasks. I picked up the first egg and peeled it. The white was smooth. I took a bite and forced myself to swallow the dry yolk. I reached for the small dish of salt at the edge of the tray and shook a heavy layer onto the next one. It did not help the taste. I kept eating.

A quiet chuckle came from my left. I did not acknowledge the sound.

Across the room, my mother watched me. I picked up another egg. The rule was simple. You finished what you were given without complaint.

By the fourth egg, my stomach tightened. By the sixth, I had to slow my pace. I swallowed and reached for the next.

Around me, names began to be called for recognition. Those who had completed their assignments stood and moved toward the center. Each of them stopped at the edge of the raised platform.

One of the seven leaders spoke.

“You were given access. You maintained it. You completed your sequence without disruption.”

The woman in front of her bowed.

“Congratulations. You will be reassigned.”

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The shift was immediate. The woman received a new title and moved to a different circle.

Another name was called. I picked up an egg and peeled it more slowly this time. The shell cracked in jagged pieces. A piece of the white tore off, but I ate it as it was.

My mother had told me once that it was better never to taste victory than to have it and be thrown back to defeat.

She was right.

I had once been close to that center. When I initiated the bond with Cameron and moved him from contact to

attachment, I had moved forward without resistance. I was seen as the next major success.

I picked up another egg. The plate was almost empty. I swallowed and reached for the water. The glass was small and the water did not wash away the taste in my throat.

Then the tone of the room changed. There was a pause. This was the counting of losses.

Names were called again. This time, no one moved toward the center. They stood in their places.

The same voice spoke.

“You were given access. You failed to maintain it. You will be punished.”

I picked up the last egg. Eating it nearly made me sick. I forced it down.

“Evangeline.”

I stood. No one turned to look at me.

“You were given access,” the leader said. “You established attachment. You have not completed dominion.”

“I am progressing, Council,” I said.

“You are delayed,” she replied. “You have exceeded your initial window.”

“I have. But the interference from the surrogate was not anticipated.” 1/

“You were trained to account for interference,” she said, cutting me off. “Your report does not match your stage. Your control is inconsistent. Your target deviates from the path. You are approaching reassignment.”

That was the final warning.

I bowed. “Understood.”

“This is your last chance. Do not let me finish your job myself. Your life might not stand my wrath,” she said.

That was all. There was no further instruction. I sat back down. Across the room, another name was called.

“Desmond.”

He stood without hesitation. He looked prepared for the scrutiny.

“You were given access to Nadia,” the leader said. “You failed to maintain structure, just as Evangeline failed to get Cameron to dominion.”

He did not respond.

“Is there something about this family that suddenly seems unconquerable?”

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Desmond inclined his head. “No, Council. I tried to close the trade routes as instructed.”

“Apparently, you did not try enough. You will correct it or pay dearly,” she said.

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He nodded and sat back down. Two of us had failed to complete the tasks given to our targets. Everyone in the room had seen the failure. I stared at the empty silver tray.

Break time began, and clusters formed across the hall. Those who had been called forward earlier stayed close to each other, speaking in tones that carried a new confidence.

The ones who had not moved kept their distance, occupying spaces near the walls.

I checked the clock mounted above the far wall. The red digital numbers showed 1:30 a.m.

The taste of boiled eggs remained at the back of my throat. I moved toward the long table set along the side of the hall. I gripped a bottle of water and gulped half of it in one go. I picked up a mint from a dish, unwrapped it, and placed it on my tongue. I waited for the sharpness to cut through the lingering yolk.

My mother stood a few feet away, engaged with one of the senior members. She turned her head. I recognized the question in her eyes regarding my state of mind. I gave a nod and walked past her.

“Eva,” she called out. I didn’t stop or acknowledge the summons.

I scanned the space until I found Desmond. He stood near a stone pillar, his attention fixed on his phone.

He noticed my approach before I reached his side and turned as if he intended to move away, but stayed rooted to the spot. He slid the phone into his pocket and waited.

His left eye still held a purple bruise that had turned yellow at the edges. Cameron knew how to throw a punch with full force.

“You remind me of an older version of yourself when you dared to defy the council and were flogged like a criminal,” I said.

He gave a short breath that passed for a laugh. “And you look exactly how I expected. Desperate and miserable. You are even taking meds to look sick just to stay relevant.”

I ignored the jab and kept my focus.

“Well, unlike me, who was given a role to capture an intelligent person, yours was a simple task. Everyone knows Nadia is an easy target. Yet, you made it easy for her to walk away.”

The ring in his eyebrow caught the overhead light.

“You came over here to repeat what the leaders already said?”

“I came to understand how someone placed that close to the target managed to lose control of the situation,” I said. “You got another woman pregnant and did not even bother to hide your tracks. That is not a mistake. That is pure carelessness.”

“And what did you do?” he asked.

I held his gaze.

“Do not even compare our records,” I said. “I progressed through every stage I was given. I made Nadia trust me. I secured access to their home and established the bond with Cameron. I held my position for six years without

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exposure.”

“And now?” he asked with a sneer. “Last I remember, nobody called your name when they were calling those who completed their tasks.”

“That is not your concern.”

He gave a smile that did not reach his eyes.

“No,” he said. “It is exactly my concern. You thought you could walk here and smear my failure while you are standing in the same group of rejects as me. You think I am the problem because I got exposed. You cannot even control a mere surrogate. Right in front of you, you let him build something outside your influence.”

I kept my voice level. “My target is still within reach.”

He laughed and reached back into his pocket to pull out his phone.

“You should see this,” he said.

“I am not interested in whatever excuse you are about to show me.”

“It is not an excuse,” he said. “This is current information from my contacts.”

He unlocked the screen and turned it toward me. It was a message thread containing a stream of short updates.

Desmond watched for a reaction.

“What is this?”

“Keep reading,” he said.

He’s at the safe house.

The mint on my tongue suddenly tasted bitter. I handed the phone back to him.

“That proves nothing,” I said. I decided to sound nonchalant.

“It proves enough,” he replied. “You left for a few hours, and he went straight to her. You are too smart to deny what that means. Stop relying on control that does not exist.”

I turned, looking past him at the rest of the room. The conversations continued. No one was paying attention to

our corner.

“Well, unlike you, whose engagement is broken, Cameron is still under my influence,” I said.

“For how long?” He shook his head. “You are already past your allowed window. They said it clearly. You do not have time left to negotiate.”

I faced him again.

“Focus on your own failure,” I snapped. “You lost your position. Nadia is cutting you off. You have nothing left to work with.”

“I have enough,” he said. “More than you think. I just wanted you to know that you need me now more than ever. Stop pretending as if you have it all figured out.”

“I do not need you. You are sloppy.”

“Well then, best of luck in reaching dominion,” he said. “At least my mistake was visible. Yours is happening quietly, and you are still trying to label it as progress. I am not the one about to lose everything at once.’

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I stepped back.

“This conversation is over.”

“It was over before you walked up to me,” he said.

I turned away from him and walked back toward the center of the room. His words and that text made the pressure in my head return.

Cameron went there. He didn’t wait. He didn’t hesitate.

I looked at the clock again. 1:37 a.m.

I decided I was not leaving this building without a plan. Lisa had been a variable in the equation. Now she was a problem. Problems were not left to grow. They were cut out.

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