18. Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Killian
R hett immediately reins in his powers. “I’m so distracted by her beauty, I didn’t realize Agent Cooper could somehow bypass my magic. It’s never happened before.” Rhett’s voice is so low that only I can hear. “As soon as I realized it was her, I instantly stopped using my powers. It was half a second, but judging by the look on her face, it terrified her. I don’t want her first impression of me to be fearful.”
I nod in understanding. We only want to protect her, but our methods have the opposite effect. She gets closer to the agent, and I want to growl, especially when I look down at her barely-there outfit. My heart skips a beat as I drink her in, and my gaze lingers on every alluring curve of her body draped in black silk and sequins that glitter in the light. The shimmer in her coppery hair radiates around her luminous face, and my longing for her grows stronger. Her purple lips are slightly parted, tempting me to walk across the room and kiss them with an intensity that will leave us both breathless.
The way he’s dressed, it looks like they just came back from a party in Faerie. The fine clothing they’re both wearing speaks volumes of his status with the Faerie Court. It takes all my willpower not to stride over and take her away from the agent. Her scent draws me in, and now that she’s here, I want to grab her and never let her go. I want to look at Rhett to see if he’s having the same reaction, but my eyes are glued to hers.
Her eyes widen in surprise. Does she feel the same way we do? She flicks her eyes to Rhett and takes in his burly muscles. I know he’s flexing for her benefit, and it makes me want to chuckle. My eyes slide over to the faerie. Fuck, I hate this guy already.
“Who are you two? And what are you doing in my home?”
I stand up from the chair and walk over to my brother. “My name is Killian, and this is Rhett.” I point with my head. “We work for the Arcana Society.”
I don’t know if this guy is trigger-happy, so it’s best to keep my hands inside my pockets. My eyes flick to hers, her body stills for a moment. I wonder if she knows who we are and who we work for.
“What does the Arcana Society want with me?” he demands. Agent Cooper doesn’t relax his hold on the Glock. If anything, he grips it harder, ready to pull the trigger.
“Does she know?” Rhett asks, being very ominous, his eyes flitting to hers. He doesn’t want to frighten her any further. I don’t know if we’ve scared her to the point where she won’t talk to us.
“Does she know what?” Agent Cooper asks in a very bored and annoyed tone.
“About the people we work for?” Rhett questions.
“She’s a shifter who was cast away because she couldn’t shift.” Hearing those words again makes my blood boil. I want to go and hold her, but Agent Cooper is making it difficult for me to get to her. “She’s supernatural, of course she knows about the Arcana Society,” he mocks, and I know he doesn’t like them just as the people we work for don’t like the FBI Unit.
We couldn’t give two shits about their beef. We just do as we’re told and get paid.
“What is she doing here?” I ask the question that’s been burning me to seek an answer. If they’re not dating and he isn’t holding her hostage, why is she with him?
“It’s none of your fucking business.” Agent Cooper clenches his jaw. It seems he hates answering questions about her. “This is the last time I’m asking.” He adjusts his aim, pointing his gun at me now, and I want to tell him that this will be the second time he’s asked, but I keep my mouth shut instead. “What are you two doing in my home?”
I stand up a little straighter, gaining more confidence and walking toward him. I know Rhett has my back. I grin widely, showing them my white teeth. Cooper watches me carefully, but she . . . watches me with hunger in her eyes. The feeling is mutual, gorgeous. I wink at her, and she gasps and bites her lip, watching me carefully as I approach.
“I’m not here for you, I’m here for her.” Again, I’m drawn to and want to be close to her.
“What does the Arcana Society want with her?” he demands, and she gets closer to the agent, which infuriates me. I can protect her better than that pretty fucker can. He notices the shift and smirks.
“The Arcana Society doesn’t want her.” Rhett’s tone is harsh with a hint of jealousy. I guess he noticed how she moved closer to Agent Cooper, too.
“Then why are you here?” he spits as his index finger twitches on the gun, and I know he’s losing his patience. We better be clear, or this time he’ll shoot first and ask questions later.
“We’re hunting—” I pause for a moment choosing my words, “someone, and when we caught Zelyah’s scent, we followed it here.”
I don’t dare mention any more than that. He doesn’t need to know that we used our resources to track her down.
“Don’t the Arcana Society frown upon you when you deviate from your orders?” He puts the gun back in the holster on his hip and crosses his arms.
“They will never know,” I say immediately. “And they will never find out.”
He can’t miss the threat in my voice, but he smirks like it didn’t bother him at all.
“Are you taking me to them?” her voice quivers. This is the first time I’ve heard her speak, and her voice is like honey to my ears. I want to hear the sound of her voice for the rest of my life. I hate that this is the first impression she’s getting from us.
“Oh goddess no. This is outside of Arcana business.” Her shoulders relax, and I feel like an asshole for not explaining everything clearly.
Rhett eyes her, taking in every curve and contour of her body. He steps forward with intent, but Agent Cooper growls, a low, threatening sound that rattles the room. Suddenly there’s a loud laugh that startles Rhett and me. With blinding speed, he retrieves his weapon from the holster on his hip.
“There’s no way in hell I’m letting you take Zel!” She stares at Rhett and me, her eyes wide with fear. “You’re not taking her anywhere. She’s staying here.” The agent’s voice booms.
A savage possessiveness takes hold as I stare down the man in front of me. She will be ours, no matter the cost. I don’t care if I have to kill the agent and it brings the FBI and the fae down on us. I’ll make all their nightmares come to life. We’re not leaving this place without her. Zelyah’s scream shatters the silence. My blood turns to ice in my veins as I whip around to face her, but before I can move a muscle, a deafening gunshot echoes through the agent’s office.