Chapter 416

The palace is quiet as Daphne slips out, stifling a yawn as she trots down the front steps, her bag slung over her shoulder and a portfolio clutched in her arms. She shivers a bit in the cold as she hails a cab from the busy street in front of her, sending one last wistful look at the sleeping palace before she climbs into the car. Because she left too early to say a proper goodbye - everyone's still asleep after the late night last night. But Daphne has an early train to catch home for the holiday, and an errand to run first.

Daphne smirks as she settles into the back of the cab, thinking about how Ariel didn't come to bed last night - didn't even make an appearance before sneaking out to Jackson's room. It's a shame, really, that Daphne didn't get to say goodbye to her but...well, she understands. Plus, the allure of your mate sleeping all alone a few hallways down?

A temptation that Daphne, herself, wouldn't have even bothered to try to resist.

She takes a deep breath, resting her head back as she watches the city flash by, heading off to the wealthy semi-suburban area where the other branch of the Sinclair family lives. As she travels, Daphne wonders, passively, if she should have had her own midnight adventure, sneaking off down the hall to rap quietly at Rafe's room, steal a few hours for herself...

But her little wolf turns once in her soul, discontented at the idea, so Daphne just brushes a warm mental hand over her wolf's fur and turns away from the thought. Her wolf is right, after all - it's not really worth wondering about. Not when there's so much to do.

The cab pulls up in front of a large, beautiful house, pulling through the open gates into the driveway. Daphne and the cabby both peer up at the house, which looks quite quiet.

"Are you...expected, miss?" the cabby asks, clearly wondering if everyone inside is asleep.

Daphne grimaces a little. "Sort of," she murmurs. "Um, do you mind waiting?" she asks, knowing she'll need a ride to the train station after her errand. "Not a problem," he murmurs, “as long as you know this is running." He taps the top of the meter with a cheerful finger.

Daphne agrees, thanking him and climbs out of the cab, leaving her bag and taking the portfolio with her. She starts eagerly for the house, thinking that if everyone is still asleep - which makes sense, after such a long night of strategizing – she can just leave the portfolio. She walks eagerly to the door and lifts a hand to knock on it but...

Well...

The door's open, just a crack. And cheerful yellow light is streaming through the thin aperture, along with some light laughter. Daphen drops her hand, leaning closer, and then bursts into a smile when she hears the sound of children inside - yelling and laughing. Not hesitating anymore, she pushes the door open a bit and peeks inside.

"Hello?" Daphne calls, curious.noveldrama

"Daphne!" a voice calls, instant. And then there's a series of shrieks, and three little kids come dashing for her - Jesse's three youngest - with their hands outstretched.

"Come in!" sings Bella, delighted, grabbing Daphne by the hand and tugging her inside. "Oh, please come in! Come play!"

"Hi! Hi Daphne!" Chase calls out, desperate for her attention, jumping up and down and shooting his hands up in the air. Daphne grins, a little delighted by the reception. She's not used to little ones and is quite pleased to find that she's already so popular a guest after only knowing them for a few days.

The littlest one - a little girl only four years old - just grins and wraps herself eagerly around Daphne's leg, holding on for dear life. Daphne bursts into laughter, looking between the three kids, not knowing what to do next.

"Good god, they've got you now."

Daphne's head snaps up and her face breaks into a grin when she sees Jesse standing in the doorway to the living room, leaning casually against the door jamb. "You're their captive - you're never getting out."

"Yessss!" Chase hisses, victorious. "We've got her! Captive! Prisoner! Yes!"

"Bring her in, then," Jesse calls, still beaming at Daphne as he turns into the living room and waves for them all to follow. Bella and Chase dash after him, but the little one just grins up at Daphne, not moving.

“Well?" Daphne asks, playfully raising an eyebrow at her. "How do we do this?"

"Up!" the littlest Sinclair commands, releasing her arms and holding them up to Daphne. Daphne laughs and obeys, leaning down to scoop the little girl up into her free arm, balancing her on her hip as she, too, follows Jesse into the living room.

Daphne eyes go wide when she sees the chaos inside. Just - toys, and candy, and children all over the place.