Chapter 16
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Iris
E verything wavers and my chest crushes down on itself. “W-hat?”
“The Black Briar. The bar in the Lower Side.” He advances on me and I stumble back. Admittedly the room isn’t big, and I feel just how small it is as he crowds me, backing me into the wall.
“I didn’t realize you were sweet on Quinn?”
He frowns. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m seeing someone.”
“Who?”
“Her name is Ms. None of Your Fucking Business.”
Abruptly he turns from me and steps back, looks to the ceiling and then he faces me once again, rubbing his temple.
“You mean Stephan’s hot agent?”
Dark color streaks along his cheekbones and throat. “I know you were there. And I punched him.”
“Heath!”
“Ha! I knew you knew him.”
It’s my turn for heat to burn in my face. “You can’t go hitting people. And why were you in the Lower Side, in some despot drinking place?” I force myself to stop pushing it. “Anyway, it could have been anyone.”
“With hair that red?” He crosses his arms. “I know that little witch, almost as well as you and wherever she is you are. Guaranteed.”
“We’re not joined at the hip.”
“Are you sure?” Heath says. “You made me a promise to date some guys, to give them a chance, to not cause scandal.”
“The Season hasn’t really started.”
He raises a brow. “You have already caused some trouble. Not one mother has mentioned you being at the meet the Monarch thing.”
“Those gossipmongers?” I narrow my eyes. “I was late. Not my fault.”
“It better not be. She’s going to announce the Luxe, and Mom’s beside herself.
” He frowns at me. “You know I have better things to do than deal with this bullshit, right? I don’t care about this stuff, but Mom does, society does, and you girls being mated is our ticket out of scandal and the ruin hanging over our heads.
Do you know how much this place costs to run? ”
“Then let me get a job.”
“It’s not done, Iris. Besides, what can you do besides annoy the shit out of people?”
“Are you finished?” I let the ice drip in my voice. “Because I’ve got shoes to get for the next event. Maybe even a dress.”
He doesn’t answer for the longest time. Then he says, “Make it pretty. Penrith sent a message. It’s going to be Rivers of Light. Candles, water, the barges. What could go wrong.”
I nod tightly and push past him. I’m almost free when he catches my arm.
“And Iris? I mean it about the Black Briar. There are stories. They’re smugglers, and there are some very unsavory stories about Killian and his business partner from the mainland. Things like murder, beatings, extortion. A woman.”
I wait for him to expand on that. He doesn’t.
And I somehow don’t take the bait. “I’m grown up, I understand my duty in this life.”
“I mean it, Iris. The talk of a rebellion? I wouldn’t doubt they’re stirring up trouble. Nothing will come of it, but be careful and keep away.”
He lets me go. Mom pokes her head in. “What are the two of you doing?”
“Setting Iris on the right path,” Heath says.
“She doesn’t go to bars, and if the Hyde girl does, it doesn’t mean Iris does.” Mom’s eyes plead with me as she says this.
She loves Quinn, but if she thinks I’m being led astray…
“No one goes to bars.” I put on a bright smile. “I’m getting shoes with Mari.”
Before I wanted to escape Heath’s wrath, now I just want to escape.
“Oh, well…” Mom hovers, clearly torn. “I’d love to come but the garden needs work and if there are any official letters, I should be here.”
“Mari will keep me on the straight and narrow,” I say, not really meaning it. “And we have one of the servants as a chaperone.”
Mom’s face brightens. “A servant, oh, yes, that looks good.”
“There are too many damn people in this room,” Heath says, pushing through and storming off.
I kiss Mom’s cheek, shove my feet into my shoes, and hurry out to meet Mari.
“What do you think of these, Reece? Mari?” I spin and stomp down, the patent leather platform heel is ridiculous.
“If they had some wheels…” Reece pulls out his phone and pops out the stylus, making a note.
The phone’s fairly new, but I imagine that Penrith’s a generous boss.
He and his brother, along with some others, might work for us now, and for the foreseeable future, but I know who’s footing the bill and where they’ll end up returning to.
Mari grins, wearing outrageous glitter stilettos in a dark purple. “I’m not sure wheels are what the Monarch’s going to want.”
He frowns. “I was thinking more for kids, Ma—Miss Gardener.”
And I feel bad about pointing that out to him, even though following those rules will protect him.
He’s a servant, and a fall from any kind of grace would be catastrophic.
“Vi would love those shoes, Mari.” I look at them, my heart pulling and I grab my phone and shoot her a text.
While I’m looking and waiting, I can’t help noticing the only other person who’s texted is Quinn. She’s asking about the meeting and what it’s about, but I don’t know because Killian hasn’t called or texted.
When he tapped phones, I should have gotten his number, too, but he must have a block on his number.
So I can’t find out.
I shove the frustration down and change out of the hyper wanna be cool shoes and into my sneakers, and sweep up the bag of the nice shoes I bought.
“Violet hates shoes like this and she’s in her love nest with Stephan.” Marigold does the same, as Reece writes furiously on his phone.
I shudder. “Sounds revolting.”
“Don’t be jealous,” Mari says.
“I’m not. I don’t want to be mated to a society Alpha. Or mated at all.” Fat lot of good complaining will do. “Let’s go find a dress and then get a soda.”
We step out into the late afternoon, long shadows that tell of the coming night start to paint the pretty, cobbled street.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the loser sisters.”
Crap. I spin and put a hand to my hip and toss my hair. “Isn’t it early for the wicked witch of Sabine to make an appearance, and here I am without any cranberry juice. I’d ask how you are, Alicia, but from your smug face, I’m thinking you just fed on the blood of the young.”
The beautiful blonde, who I’m pretty sure spends hours in front of her mirror each morning putting on a face that appears only lightly touched by makeup, turns a mottled red.
She’s wearing her signature white and silver, only her shoes, bag and tiny black cardigan are an ode to the Season.
If she wasn’t such a horrible person, I’d be impressed that a girl a little older than me can pull off such a staid style and make it sweetly sensual.
If I was into such things.
Which I’m not, at all.
But Mari is. She tries to hide staring at the outfit. And I think Reece sees because he moves close to distract her by taking the small bag she’s carrying from the art store.
Alicia’s eyes light up. “More scandal?”
The blonde clicks her fingers and immediately two girls I vaguely recognize from school and last year’s Season hurry over, along with the Alpha who’d called on me. Who I insulted.
He takes the bags sitting at Alicia’s feet, including a dress box, and he avoids looking at me.
Which is good, because I’ve forgotten his name.
“You dating my rejects?” I ask. “That kind of scandal?”
“I think I decided you were too nasty to date or think about making my mate,” he says, voice a sneer.
The two girls whisper to each other and one takes out her phone, snapping photos.
But they’re not taking photos of me.
It’s Reece and Mari.
Fuck.
I step between my sister and Reece and hand him my bag.
“No,” Alicia says, “that scandal. Then again, why on earth would I think your freak sister could do better than a servant.”
The girls titter and the Alpha laughs, though he does keep his eyes averted, like a coward.
“I’m not the one out without a chaperone,” I state before Mari can say a word.
Alicia smirks as she comes up to me. “I can’t wait to hear what society has to say about this. I mean, I guess he’s cute. For a serving boy.” She tilts her head as the blood throbs hard in my temples and throat. “Couldn’t you get one? There must be someone, like maybe a garbage boy?”
I want to hit her. Drag her to the fountain in the square and dunk her face first in it.
But the back of my neck buzzes and I become aware of the reason why my sister’s silent, why Reece has taken on the stance of a good servant, standing behind us with the bags.
People are looking and whispers are going around.
Alicia wants me to break, to do something to humiliate not just myself but my family.
“You really hate it that Violet and Stephan fell in love, don’t you? Not only that,” I say, “But she was Luxe and you came out of the Season unmated. Is this your what? Third Season?”
“You ugly little bi?—”
“Alicia,” the nameless one says. He has a name, but I’ve forgotten it. “We should go.”
But then he looks at me.
Lust. Animosity. Those things burn in his eyes. Along with humiliation and his mouth twists up. “And you’re not all that. Your sister really needs to watch it, playing with the riffraff. You won’t make it this Season, but she’s got one, and she’s pretty…”
His words trail off as my skin prickles everywhere and I smell leather, spice and smoke.
A lot of smoke.
He’s silent when he moves, silent for a big man, and that olive skin, the long black jacket and big boots are all a breath stealing sight.
The shaven head and the stubble on his face add a menacing dash of excitement.
Xavier’s wildly exotic, insanely good looking, and utterly dangerous.
The scar, the tattoos, the fact he doesn’t say a word as he steps up in front of Reece and Mari, positioning himself in protector stance, is something that’ll have tongues falling out of heads.
The sleeves to his lightweight coat are pushed up, showing strong, tattooed forearms, and he’s smoking a cigarette.
Alicia swallows. The two girls disappear into the small crowd as he stares at Alicia a moment, waiting until she shrinks back, and then focuses on the Alpha.
Xavier pins him to the spot like he’s just shot an arrow into his prey and is watching its death throws.
“I…I…I didn’t mean it. She just…” Frantically he looks at me as Xavier shifts, but doesn’t move. “I’m sorry, Iris. I was out of line.”
“Pathetic,” Alicia hisses.
Xavier shifts his attention to her and releases a steady, controlled stream of smoke into her face until she coughs. Then he takes another drag and does the same to the Alpha.
“W-we’ll go,” the Alpha says, trampling the box as he hurries to get away.
Alicia snatches it up and stomps off after him.
And my heart flutters as Xavier turns to me. It’s like he’s asking if I’m okay, even though he doesn’t sign.
“I’m good,” I say as he drops the cigarette butt and grinds it out. “Where did you come from?”
“You know him?” My sister breathes.
Xavier signs but it’s fast and I don’t make it out. At all.
“I’m sorry,” I say, I don’t really know how to sign, other than a few words.
But suddenly Reece signs back, just as fast.
And Xavier smiles as they silently talk. It’s beautiful. The soundless conversation is both open and secret and it’s like a dance. I like his hands. I already know how they feel on me, but this is different. And I want to learn it. Desperately.
“You can sign?” I ask Reece.
“Yeah, I taught myself. I thought maybe I could come up with something so non-signers could understand the deaf…” He stops, as Xavier signs and then continues signing. “And the mute could talk. And no, not just with writing.”
Xavier signs something else and then he looks at me. He’s continuing on his way, doing whatever it was that brought him to the Upper Side, and it pulls at me, because I want him to stay. I want to go with him. I just…I want. Him. Killian.
I stop.
Want to spend time with? Or want?
Xavier looks around and then clearly deciding we’re fine, he keeps going, disappearing down the nearest narrow street.
“Who,” Mari says, “was that?”
Before I can answer, Reece says, “He offered to kill the guy for you. He was joking. I think.”
He doesn’t sound so sure, and I’m not that sure either, but…something swells big and bright in me. I should be disgusted, but I’m not. Even in jest, no one’s offered to kill for me. It’s…romantic?
Woah, girl, get it under control.
“But—”
“Mari,” I say, cutting her off, “this has to be our secret. Heath will lock me in my room if he thinks I know people like that.”
She thinks about it. “Do you?”
“Do you want me to answer that?”
“You don’t have to,” she says cheerfully. “How about we go dress shopping? And maybe something stronger than soda?”
“Deal.”
“I got just the place.”