Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 368

He stayed at his post until eleven o'clock, and the two women were still sleeping like logs.

He was even more baffled now. Being chewed on by that many mosquitoes—shouldn't they have woken up from the itching alone?

Didn't it itch?

How could they sleep so deeply?

Checking his watch, he saw it was finally the eleven o'clock mark Mr. Blackwood had specified. Since they were still out cold, he walked over, unscrewed a bottle of water, and splashed it over them for an instant, freezing shock.

Yvonne and Rhoda gasped as the icy water jolted them awake.

Following his boss's script, the bodyguard said, "Ladies, did you have too much to drink? The party's over, you should head home.

If I hadn't been on patrol and found you here, you probably would have slept in the grass all night. You'll catch a cold. Hurry on home."

Wiping the water from their faces, Yvonne and Rhoda exchanged disoriented glances. The first thing that registered was an intense, overwhelming itch.

What on earth was going on?

Yvonne frantically scratched at her arms and face, but the itching was relentless.

It wasn't just her skin—even her scalp was itching and throbbing with pain.

Struggling to her feet, she asked the bodyguard, "What time is it?"

"It's eleven o'clock," he replied helpfully. "You really need to head home. Is anyone coming to pick you up? If not, let the security gate know, and the Blackwoods can arrange a car for you."

Covered in swollen, red welts, the two battered soldiers leaned on each other as they stumbled away from the moon archway and back into the garden.

The garden was entirely empty now, save for the Blackwood staff cleaning up.

Yvonne and Rhoda went to the coat check to grab their purses.

When she finally walked through the door, they recoiled in sheer horror.

Catherine rushed over, heart aching as she helped Yvonne sit. "Yvonne, what happened to you? Why do you look like this?"

Yvonne threw herself into her mother's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Mom, it hurts, and it's so itchy! I feel awful. Please do something!"

"Okay, okay, Mom will go get some anti-itch cream right now."

While Catherine went to fetch the ointment, Byron demanded, "How did you end up like this? Weren't you supposed to be at the Blackwoods' mending fences with Julius?"

How did she end up looking like a swollen, unrecognizable monster?

"Dad, I really don't know what happened. I just had a little to drink, and then I ended up like this."

She didn't dare confess her scheme with Rhoda to ruin Stella, terrified of the scolding she'd get.