Chapter 22 #2
The breath snagged in my throat. Given the reason I attended at his side, I hadn’t expected Cillian to publicly claim me like this, but I didn’t mind the display in the slightest. Cillian’s gaze met mine, the flash there the slightest bit feral.
“Are you going to be this insufferable with everyone we talk to tonight?” I asked, the words slipping from my lips.
A loud laugh escaped Frederick, and heat rushed to my cheeks. Shit, we had an audience. I’d gotten so used to our back and forth that I’d slipped into it naturally.
Cillian smiled, his fangs on clear display. “Absolutely. How else will people know not to flirt with you?”
I snorted, and thankfully Frederick seemed equally as amused.
Frederick glanced over at the door. “Looks like Mal and Ursuline are here. I’ll give you two a moment to catch up.
” He strode away in the direction of the entrance, where I saw Ursuline’s familiar face.
The person beside them was unfamiliar, lanky and statuesque, with a long coat that swept the floor in an iridescent purple-and-green hue, and a black corset top that highlighted his slender frame.
His gray skin with slight pebbling in some areas and tapered black horns marked him as supernatural.
“Is that the same Mal whose Slumbering Gardens we visited?” I asked.
“Yes,” Cillian said. “I prefer to have my allies close in situations like this.”
For as much as Cillian proclaimed to be a loner, I’d witnessed the depth of his relationships, how he had more than allies in these people—they were friends. Family, even. And after being included in that community, I realized how shallow my own relationships had been.
Cillian leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear. “You look delectable.”
Fuck. My whole body immolated at his words.
“I’m tempted to just leave this whole soiree and find somewhere to take you—over and over again, until you’re screaming.”
I bit down on my lower lip to keep my moan back. “That’s not playing fair, Cillian.”
His wicked grin made me swoon. “Who ever said I played fair?”
A bit of extra noise came from the doorway, and Cillian glanced up. His hand stiffened on my back. I followed his gaze.
A man I hadn’t seen since I’d run into him in the alley had arrived.
However, I wasn’t likely to soon forget his face.
His tall stature was accentuated by his suit, his beard tamed and oiled today, but he wore the same ugly sneer as before.
His gaze chilled me as he scanned through the room, clearly looking for one person.
When Thorin stared at Cillian, for the first time I didn’t feel the sense of safety that always enveloped me when by his side.
Something violent and terrifying existed there.
I almost didn’t register who his date was for tonight—Olivia. She wore a sweeping black gown that shimmered with her movements, and her crimson lips created a stark contrast even from here. She looked every inch the perfect arm candy, and given she was Cillian’s ex, this had been a pointed choice.
“Looks like the trouble has arrived,” Cillian said.
“Can we just petulantly ignore them all night?” I asked.
A sharp laugh escaped him. “Fuck, I’m glad you’re here.”
My heart squeezed tight. His honesty was a treasure he didn’t offer everyone.
“Unfortunately, as the host I have to make a minimal effort,” he said. “And I’d rather set the rules straight with him on this rare instance where he’s in my territory.”
“Are you concerned he’ll try something?” My pulse sped a little at the thought of the danger we might face. I’d learned how unpredictable Thorin and his men could be.
“Not here,” Cillian said. “He’s dangerous, not stupid, and this conference is too public. We should get those introductions out of the way, though.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, and Cillian leaned in again.
He pressed a kiss to my temple, and the public PDA, the tender affection, sent a thrill through me.
I still couldn’t process the way he treated me in front of this many of his colleagues.
It filled me with a helium-like buoyancy, and I craved this attention.
“I won’t let him touch you,” Cillian promised. “With me, you’ll always be safe.”
The deepness of his voice, the gravity there, cemented the promise deep in my soul. I’d always been wary before, cautious, but somehow I believed him. “Okay. I trust you.”
Together, we strode across the ballroom in the direction of Thorin and Olivia.
While we walked by the throngs of people, many stopped Cillian to offer a quick greeting, but he was an expert at staying on task.
And his hand never left my lower back as he guided us forward.
Tension crackled in the air the closer we got.
This was the man who’d orchestrated deaths in Cillian’s family, yet he still had to face him here. The reality made my gut sizzle.
Thorin’s gaze traveled from Cillian to me, and a bone-chilling fear swept through me, yet I continued forward. I wouldn’t abandon Cillian in this now.
We arrived in front of Thorin and Olivia, and the thickness of the tension couldn’t be cleaved through with an ax.
“Well, you arrived,” Cillian said, not bothering to mince words. “Keep your distance and respect this space, and we won’t have a problem.”
He stepped back, as if we were going to escape, but then Thorin spoke.
“Wait, Cillian. We’ve got something to discuss.”