Chapter 29
KIERAN
Four months before Eden went missing…
“ I think it was a little unnecessary.” Lochlan rolls his eyes as he steps out of the car behind me. “We all would have fit.”
“You are lucky he even came with us.” I lean in closer to him. “You know how deep that stick is lodged in his arse. Probably made for an uncomfortable ride anyway.”
Lochlan laughs as Jude steps out of the driver’s seat, raising a brow at us. “When Rohan comes at you two for talking about him, I’m not intervening.”
Lochlan holds up his gloved hands. Neither of us have taken them off due to the cold. “It was all Kieran.”
I elbow him in the ribs, and he grunts as I stalk past. “Traitor.”
Pushing open the door to my home, I find Rohan and Till standing in the entryway. Silently. I’m not even surprised given the intensity that radiates off both of them. They’re similar in far too many ways—which is why I think Rohan respects Till more than any other guard besides Jude.
I nod to Till. “Thanks for driving him.”
He inclines his head. “I preferred him over Lochlan.”
My lips twitch, but I hold in the laugh. “I thought I’d give you an easier task knowing you’ll be on rotation with Ash tonight.” A frown curves down his lips, and I try to smother my amusement. “Good luck with her.”
“Even luck can’t help me,” he mutters.
“Probably not. Try not to kill each other.”
His jaw ticks. Normally, I’d expect him to shrug off the response, but he just shakes his head. “I can’t promise that when it comes to her.”
This time I do chuckle. But his expression remains serious as I dismiss him, and he stalks down the hall. I shift to look at Rohan, who hasn’t said a word the entire time.
His gaze flashes behind me. “Where are they?”
“Coming.” I slide a hand into my pocket, checking that the box is still tucked away there. “You could try to be pleasant without whiskey in your system.”
He shoots me a glare. “I’d rather not.”
I chuckle as the door opens behind me, Lochlan and Jude joining us. I don’t catch the end of what Lochlan is saying before Jude huffs a laugh.
Rohan doesn’t even greet them before starting down the hallway. He wasn’t this tense in the city, so I’m not sure what his problem is. Besides the fact that his plan to attack the rebels failed a few days ago—he’s been even more of an arsehole after we lost some of our guards during that.
At least he pushed that aside while we were gone.
It took some convincing to get him to agree to join Lochlan and me today, and he insisted on taking a separate car, but I didn’t want to go without all three of them.
I guess Eden has been making me feel slightly sentimental—enough that I dragged the whole group to buy her ring.
It was worth it. Rohan’s quiet support, Jude’s insight, and Lochlan’s ridiculous comments were what I needed. I’m still no good at being vulnerable—neither is Eden—but we are trying in our own ways.
Asking her to marry me is one of them.
I just hope that Rohan is right. That she’ll want this.
I’ve never been uncertain in my life, and Lochlan has been enjoying every second of this. Bastard.
Lochlan keeps Jude in conversation, getting him to fall in step with us easily. Since he left Mika here with Eden, he has no reason to leave anyway.
I increase my pace until I’m beside Rohan. Pitching my voice low, I ask him, “Everything alright?”
“Ask me again after a few drinks.”
It’s not unusual for him to want a drink after—or during—a social interaction, but he seems to have forgotten how well I know him.
“Rohan,” I push. “What’s wrong?”
His eyes cut toward me. “I’m not soft like you’ve become, Kieran. I have no interest in sharing. ”
I don’t let his sneer deter me. “I don’t give a fuck. Quit being a prick, and tell me what’s going on or you’ll ruin the evening.”
He huffs, knowing I’m right. We’re almost to the patio, so he has limited options. “We drove past the site of one of the fires. It just reminded me how our control is slipping.”
I know how difficult that is for him. He is a man who loves control. I’m not too different, though I care less when it doesn’t really affect me.
“We’ll sort it all out.” I spot Eden through the glass doors, head thrown back as she laughs with Mika. “But there are more important things in life than control, Ro.”
He snorts but doesn’t answer. I let him drop it for now, choosing to push open the doors instead.
Despite the snow clinging to the mountain’s peaks, the patio is completely clear thanks to my heated floors. The wall heaters keep the bite out of the cold air, though there’s only so much they can do now that we are entering the winter season.
Eden turns as we step outside, eyes lighting up. Her olive skin has reddened from the cold, but she’s wearing her leather gear and gloves to keep warm.
I cross to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and stealing a kiss. I know Jude will be here any second, but I can’t stop myself. “Did you have fun?”
She nods, grinning. “I’ve never really cared about Wintervale before.”
“But I’m changing that!” Mika calls from where she is setting out drinks.
Mika and Jude love Wintervale—though I’m sure Jude only does because of his wife.
Lochlan is a fan, too, considering the festivities are all his favorite things.
On the longest night of the year, friends and family gather to feast at sunset.
Then, everyone—even those of us up here at the compound—drinks and parties until sunrise.
At first light, gifts are exchanged to celebrate the changing seasons since it is the mark of the days getting longer again.
I’ve never felt strongly about the holiday, though I’ve always let Mika force us to join her and Jude. Knowing that Jude’s birthday is only two days before gives us a reason to stretch the holiday out a bit.
A tradition Eden is now learning about.
“What are you doing?” Jude snaps behind me, and I chuckle, turning to see Lochlan covering his eyes. Jude is trying to shove him off—he could do it easily, but he’s letting Lochlan have his fun.
“Waiting for the signal!” Lochlan looks over at Mika, who is giggling as she watches them.
Her long, dark hair is down for once, snow sticking to the strands as she crosses to the two of them. She replaces Lochlan’s hands with her own, and Jude grips her hips, pulling her in. He already knows it’s her.
While I did want to get Eden’s ring, my trip down the mountain had a second reason. I needed to keep Jude distracted and away from the compound for Mika. I think I might have even succeeded in keeping him from getting suspicious.
“Trouble.” His voice is low as he dips down to kiss her neck, the nickname nearly inaudible to the rest of us. “What did you do?”
“Surprise!” She drops her hands, tucking into his side so Jude can take in the patio.
The girls transformed it, having wrapped greenery around the railing and chairs.
Two small trees are in either corner, decorated with twinkling lights, and candles dot the surfaces.
Warm spiced drinks are set on the table along with winter treats.
Flannel blankets are laid out across the chairs, and a fire is roaring in front of the seating area.
It is rather festive, and a perfect start to Wintervale.
He looks down at his wife with such adoration that I almost forget this is the same Jude that terrifies most people in the city. “You did this for me?”
Mika’s smile is so bright as she leans up on her toes to kiss him. “Happy birthday!”
“Thank you.” He cups her face, capturing her mouth again. Except his kiss is deeper, claiming.
So much so that Rohan clears his throat. “Yes, thank you, Mika.” And then he grabs one of the drinks and downs nearly the entire thing.
Eden presses her face to my chest to hide her laughter, and Jude finally lets Mika go. She’s flushed, eyes a little glazed over. But then she realizes everyone is staring at her, and her cheeks darken. “Let’s eat!”
* * *
Two days later…
I slide my hands around Eden’s waist as she finishes pinning her curls up. I told myself that I wouldn’t interfere with her getting dressed—not when today relies on such a delicate timeline—but I didn’t expect her to look like this .
She has on a deep red dress that clings to her perfect curves, stopping just below her arse. The color looks perfect with her olive skin tone and dark hair, and she’s painted her lips the matching shade.
But what’s really about to undo me are the boots. She is wearing thigh high black boots that are making it hard to focus on anything else. That tempting exposed skin between the top of her boots and bottom of the short dress should be illegal.
All I want to do is fuck her in it, skirt around her waist and boots wrapped around mine.
“Kieran,” she warns as I press a kiss right above her collar.
“You look…” I scrape my teeth over the skin, and she leans back against me. “So fucking good .”
“And you better not mess it up.” She catches my hand before it can dip too low, pinning it against the soft dress. “It’s my first Wintervale with your friends. Don’t make us late.”
“They’d understand once they saw you,” I murmur, undeterred. “You are going to kill me in this dress.”
“You said dress warm.” She goes back to adjusting her hair while I wonder how I’m going to get through this night. I’m already so fucking hard.
“Only you could make a long sleeve dress look this sinful.”
To her credit, I’m sure on anyone else it would be appropriate for the winter activity. It does feel really warm and will protect her from the wind. But Eden could make a trash bag look tempting, so this outfit is far more appealing.
She pushes me away from her, shooting me a glare. “We are going to be late.”
Inwardly, I curse. I took too much care planning this for that to be the case. “You’re right.” I let my eyes rake over her one more time before tucking my hands away. “We should go.”
I follow after Eden as she leaves our room, surprised to find myself feeling nervous. My heart rate kicks up as we approach the back patio, and I slow my steps, letting her step out first.