4. CHAPTER 4
CILLIAN
Fuck. He bit me. Fucking delightful. I grinned into my whiskey, thumb still throbbing. Firelight caught the glass. The room smelled of smoke and old leather. I wanted him to do it again. Harder. Draw blood next time.
A normal man would’ve seen a threat. I’d rather be bitten than ignored.
Moon stayed locked behind optics and that soul-crushing legacy bullshit. Made me want to burn the whole cage down with us inside it. Fine. If he won’t leave the cage, I’ll climb in, lock the door, and melt the fucking key. Just him and me.
I’d never felt this kind of thrill before. Not with anyone. Felt like the second before a fight, every instinct screaming something stupid was coming. Only sharper. A fight I had no intention of losing.
I should call Lorcan. He always had useful advice. I hit his number. It rang once. Twice.
“Baby brother.”
“What would make you say yes to going out with someone?”
Lorcan snorted. “Keira. It’s for you.”
Keira came on the line.
“Cil, how’s Evermourne treating you?”
“Good. Important question. What’s the one thing you’d want from a guy that you couldn’t turn him down for?”
Keira laughed, surprised. “You’re serious? You’ve never asked for dating advice.”
“He’s pretentious. Always going on about optics and legacy bullshit. But fuck… makes me want to mess him up.”
“Flowers. Match his colors. Make it thoughtful.” Lorcan growled nonsense in the background. She shut him down fast. “Don’t listen to him. Bring him home when it’s serious. We take care of our own.”
“Yeah. Just need to convince him those optics don’t matter.”
“Send flowers to the dorm. Start there. Text me how it goes.”
I hung up.
Flowers.
Right.
Time to start unlocking that cage. I stretched my boots toward the fire, thumb still throbbing. Let the memory of Moon’s teeth play on loop.
Again. And again.
Phone out. Flower delivery.
Misha kicked my boot. Whiskey sloshed.
Fucker.
“You still thinking about the prince?” Misha dropped into the armchair, legs already bouncing. Leather creaked beneath him.
I turned the glass once, firelight bleeding through the whiskey.
“No.”
Misha snorted. “You’re smiling into your fucking whiskey.”
“Leave me alone. I’m busy.”
“Busy chasing the prince out of the initiation like you couldn’t decide between fucking him or breaking him.”
“Depends who you ask.”
Aleksei flipped a page, voice even. “Nobody is seducing or stabbing anyone. Strategy.”
I kept scrolling. Found the shop. These had better fucking work.
“Thorn is losing Favor.”
“Temporary.”
I flicked through bouquets. I stayed quiet, boots toward the hearth. Misha noticed. Of course he fucking did.
“Oh, he’s gone. Jesus Christ—you like him.”
I enjoy irritating him. Fuck.
“I enjoy provoking him.”
“No, no. I know that face.” Misha pointed with his glass. “That’s your I’m-about-to-ruin-my-life face.”
Aleksei looked up. Not ideal.
Misha leaned in, grinning like a shit. “Our boy followed Moon Hyun-seo into the courtyard and grabbed him—”
I kicked him hard before he could finish. I considered murder briefly.
“I was handling the Writ.”
“You looked ready to bend him over the railing.”
Glass clicked against my ring.
“Misha,” Aleksei warned.
Misha only grinned wider. Fucking Lovchy. Aleksei finally set the papers down, stare cutting straight through me.
“If you think with your dick, I’ll revoke the Blood Writ and give it to Declan.”
Smirk gone.
The name hit first. Just the name. Declan didn’t destabilize people. Declan broke them until the lesson stuck.
The thought of Declan’s hands on my Moon turned my blood to ice.
No. Absolutely fucking not. Declan wasn’t stealing my hunt.
Misha barked a laugh.
Aleksei ignored him. “Moon Hyun-seo is useful because he’s controlled. Aster built half their Seat strategy on it. We crack it publicly, they bleed Favor.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Because this is sabotage, not foreplay.”
“Counterpoint.” Misha lifted a finger. “Historically? Fantastic way to destroy someone.”
Aleksei closed his eyes.
Misha plowed on. “Make the pretty prince obsessed, ruin his focus, make him crack in public, yank the rug. Efficient. Mean. Romantic.”
“Nothing about that was romantic.”
“You’re Irish. Everything sounds romantic in your accent.”
“Misha.”
“I’m just saying, if Cillian wants to climb the prince like a tree for the good of Thorn, who are we to stand in the way of patriotism?”
A laugh escaped me.
Aleksei looked two seconds from actual homicide.
“Can you do the job,” he asked me carefully, “without embarrassing the Court?”
“Always.”
Misha nearly choked on his whiskey.
I stood before either of those pricks could piss me off any worse.
Brute force was stupid. They expected Thorn to swing first. Moon would be braced for it. Keira had said flowers. No fists. Flowers. Ivory roses. One black rose dead center.
I wanted to deliver them myself. Couldn’t. Thorn wasn’t allowed in Aster Court, and Moon would already be spiraling about optics.
Shop delivery it was.
I pulled out my phone and started typing the note for the electronic card.
Saint Lucia couldn’t keep you from me. Neither will Evermourne. You’re already mine. —C
My mouth betrayed me with a smile. I could already see it. Moon taking the flowers, reading the note, that little concerned frown creasing his perfect fucking face.
He'd roll those pretty eyes first. Then he'd keep them anyway.
Misha leaned over my shoulder as I typed.
Then went still.
“Lesha. Brother. Come witness this sickness.”
I shoved him off. “Move.”
Misha laughed. “Saint Lucia. Cillian, you romantic fucking menace.”
Aleksei looked up from his untouched whiskey. “If this turns into courtship instead of strategy, I’ll make sure every Patron remembers exactly what the Ashbourne name costs.”
My mouth flattened. Fuck. Never sent flowers before. Extorted politicians, bought judges, broken bones, never flowers. Never dated. Just fucked. Mostly guys. Women never did it for me.
But Moon… I’d never had to chase. They always came to me. My cock twitched at the idea of fucking Moon.
Was that why he made me this delusional? Or would I get bored the second I fucked him and went back to normal?
Didn’t matter. Moon didn’t want things. He wanted optics.
These screamed untouchable nepo billionaire with Manhattan windows. No way he could turn them down.
Couldn’t let Aleksei down. Thorn needed the Favor. The Blood Writ. Failure wasn’t an option.
I hit purchase. Delivery tonight, straight to his room. Perfect. Well, fuck. Now I had to wait. I hated waiting. I headed back to my room before Misha or Aleksei could call me stupid.
Flowers weren’t stupid. They were what you did when you were… whatever the fuck this was. Dammit. I wished I’d delivered them myself. Maybe he’d open the door.
What did his room even look like? Would the ivory roses look right on his nightstand? I wanted to know what coffee he drank. Who sat across from him at breakfast. Whether I’d have to remove that person. Because if anyone was sharing breakfast with Moon, it was going to be me.
I should find out his classes. Walk him there. Sit across from him while he ate… who was I kidding? Snobby avocado toast. Black coffee. Learn his schedule. Learn everything. I should ask Misha to dig around for me. For the Blood Writ.
Bang. Bang. Bang. “Ashbourne! Boy at the door for you!”
A boy? Moon? I tore the door open, heart pounding. The senior Thorn kid just pointed downstairs, annoyed. “Front door. And maybe say thank you next time.”
I was already halfway down the stairs. Front door flew open.
A small, shivering kid stood there clutching a bouquet. Not Moon.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“I—I’m Oswald. These are for you.” He shoved the bouquet at my chest and stumbled backward off the steps.
An Aster kid. Ballsy as hell coming onto Thorn property with flowers.
I tore the paper off. Ivory roses. One black rose dead center. My flowers.
A card slipped out. I caught it.
If this was meant to charm me, I’m embarrassed for both of us. —Moon
A laugh tore out of me. Then it settled into a feral smile. He kept the flowers. He sent them back. Even if it was just to be a little shit about it.
Yeah. It was official. Moon Hyun-seo was thinking about me. Now the real fun started. What should I send him next… and how far could I push him before he stopped pretending he didn’t want it?