Chapter 2
KEIRA
Imake it halfway down the hall before I hear him.
"Keira, wait."
"Go away, Declan," I say as I continue walking.
I hear his footsteps get faster.
"Keira."
His hand catches my elbow, and I spin on him, yanking my arm free.
"Don't touch me."
He holds up both hands, palms out. "Just listen."
"No." I take a step back. "You don't get to follow me out here and play peacekeeper. Not after you sat in there and agreed with him."
Declan's jaw tightens. "I agreed because he's right."
"Oh, fuck off." I turn away, heading toward the staircase.
"Keira, stop being like this and listen."
I turn and start walking again.
"You know I'll just follow you, so…"
I roll my eyes.
"You know he doesn't mean it the way it sounds," Declan says. "Callum. He's just, you know."
"Still, Dec."
"Look, he's scared." Declan's voice is softer than I expect. "We all are." He says and I stop and turn to him. "This shit is real. You know that. And when is having someone watch your back a bad thing?"
"You know it's not about that."
"Isn't it though?"
I rub my forehead. "You sat in there and let Callum make decisions about my life like I'm some goddamn liability. Like I can't handle myself. Like I haven't been handling myself just fine."
"You have." Declan's voice drops, quieter now. "But that doesn't mean you should have to keep doing it alone."
"I'm not alone. I have you two breathing down my neck, clearly."
"What I'm saying, me and Callum, is that you're strong, strong enough that you think you don't need help. And that's what's going to get you killed. If you're going to be going into the storm, I mean, shit, no one runs in alone."
The words hit harder than I expect, and for a moment, I just stare at him. My twin. The one person who's supposed to understand me.
"I'm not weak," I say, and I hate how my voice wavers.
"I know." Declan steps closer. "But you're also stubborn as hell, and you'd rather burn yourself out than ask for help."
"Because every time I ask for help, it turns into this." I gesture back toward the study. "Into you and Callum making decisions for me. Treating me like I'm something that needs to be managed instead of trusted."
"That's not what this is."
I cross my arms. "Tell me, Declan. When was the last time Callum assigned you a bodyguard? When was the last time he told you that you couldn't go somewhere or do something because it was too dangerous?"
"It's different."
"Why? Because I'm just the sister and not a brother?"
"No." His voice sharpens, cutting through my anger. "Because whoever's behind this knows us, where we go, what we care about. They're watching, Keira. And if they get close enough, I can't protect you."
He sighs and rubs his neck again, and for a second his hands are clumsy, like a boxer who's been hit too many times. It pulls something tight in my chest I can't un-clench.
"This isn't about anything against you, Keira."
I look up at him, and there's something in his eyes I don't see often. Fear. Real, raw fear.
He puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Do it for me, sis," he says. "So I don't have to worry about you while I'm out there. Please."
The words hang between us, heavy and suffocating. I want to argue. I want to tell him he's wrong, that I don't need some stranger shadowing my every move. But the truth is, I know he's not entirely wrong. The feathers have been escalating. The threats are getting closer.
Ugh, I hate that I'm hesitating. I hate that his words make me want to give in, to agree, to let Callum bring in this Romanian bodyguard and wrap me in a layer of protection I don't think I need.
But I also hate the thought of Declan out there, distracted, worrying about me instead of watching his own back.
"Fuck, Declan," I say, looking around.
"Think of it like he's just someone who doesn't care who you are. Someone who's not going to treat you like the princess or the sister or the liability. Just someone who's going to keep you alive."
I let out a laugh. "What do you mean by that?"
Declan's mouth shifts into a half-smile. "Enzo said he doesn't give a fuck who you are. That's exactly what you need. Someone who won't coddle you or treat you like you're fragile. Just do the job, and maybe not put up with your shit."
I shoot him a glare, but there's no heat in it. "I don't have shit to put up with."
"Right." Declan smiles, and for a moment, he looks like the twin I grew up with, the one who used to sneak me extra dessert and teach me how to throw a punch. "And I'm not running an underground boxing club while also pushing drugs up and down the East Coast."
I roll my eyes, but I can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips. "You're an asshole, you know that?"
"Yeah, well, you're a pain in my ass, so we're even."
"Fine," I say, and the word tastes like defeat. "For you. But if this guy so much as tries to tell me what to do, I'm burning his passport and sending him back to Romania in pieces."
Declan grins. "There's the Keira I know," he says and he gently shakes my shoulder.
"Plus, I think this is a good sign."
"A good sign? How the hell is me getting a babysitter a good sign?"
"Not that." He shakes his head. "Where he’s from, the whole Ionescu thing."
I frown, not following. "What about them?"
Declan hesitates. "Well, Lyra's dream was to move to Romania before me."
"Really?" I ask.
He nods. "Yeah. She said the Romanians always treated her nice when she interacted with them. That if she could get out, that's where she'd go. Some small village, far away from all this."
I nod.
"Maybe it means something. I don't know. I just…" He stops, shaking his head. "Forget it. It's stupid."
"It's not stupid." I reach out, my hand resting on his arm. "We need all the luck we can get, so I'll take it."
Declan smiles. "Yeah, so much for the luck of the Irish shit."
I laugh.
We stand there for a moment longer, the silence stretching between us. Then Declan turns back toward the study.
"Where are you going?" I ask.
"To tell Callum you're on board." He glances back at me, his smile widening. "Before you change your mind."
"Ridiculous. You couldn't wait?" I say, but I'm smiling as he disappears down the hall.
I stand there alone, thinking everything over. I don't want this, but I can't have my brothers more worried about me than what's in front of them. I'll be damned if I'm the reason they get distracted, the reason they get hurt.
So, okay. I'll do this. I'll let Callum bring in this Octavian guy, and I'll play along. But that doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy for him.
If he thinks he's going to waltz into my life and start calling the shots, he's got another thing coming. I'll cooperate. I'll let him do his job. But I'll do it on my terms.
When he shows up, he's going to learn real fast that I'm not some damsel in distress.
I make my way to the library for a quiet place to sit. The conversation with Declan plays on a loop in my head; his words made me a little scared.
Yes, the threats are real. The danger is real. And if I keep fighting against the people trying to protect me, I'm only making it worse.
But that doesn't make it any easier to accept.
I hate the fact that somewhere out there, The Morrígans are watching.
Waiting. Planning their next move, but I've been planning, too.
I'm going to find out who they are, where they came from, and why they're trying to take down our family.
And then I'm going to level their entire operation to the ground.
But first, I have to deal with this bodyguard.
I pull out my phone and open my text messages to Calli. She's the only one who'll understand how I'm feeling right now. The only one who won't judge me for being pissed about this.
Did you hear the news?
Her response comes almost immediately.
No?! WHAT?!
I'm getting a bodyguard.
LOL. Who's the poor bastard?
Some ex-special forces guy.
I follow up.
Names Octavian. Enzo vouched for him.
Enzo doesn't vouch for just anyone. If he trusts him, he's probably good.
I don't care if he's good. I don't want him.
I get it. But maybe give him a chance? You never know, he might surprise you.
Doubt it.
Just promise me you won't kill him in the first week.
I snort and smile.
No promises.
That's my girl. I need to put the baby to sleep, but call me if you need to vent. I'll make Niko do it. Love you, bestie.
No worries. Love you, too.
I set my phone down and walk back to the window, my mind racing. I don't know what to expect from this Octavian guy. I don't know if he's going to be the stoic, by-the-book type, or the arrogant ass who thinks he knows better than me.
But one thing's for sure: I'm calling the shots, and if he's not prepared for that, he's not going to last long.