21. Hayden
A chill skittered down my spine at the man’s words. He was older, with gray peppering his hair and beard. But it was the eyes that scared me the most. They were so cold, cruelty swirling in them.
“Now, Dexter. It’s not nice to play the big, bad alpha and scare the poor girl,” Mona said, slipping her arm through mine.
Alpha. The alpha of the Corbett clan. The one who had called for more than one attack on me and my guys. Anger surged somewhere deep, and I had to fight to choke it down.
Dexter sent Mona a sharkish grin. “Can’t help who I am, darlin’.”
Mona made a tsking sound as she led me away.
Even as I got some distance from the hordes, nausea rolled through me. Hal was bad, but his father was even worse.
Nolan stepped into our path. “Now, we meet. Alone.”
My guys’ shifter hearing must’ve been fully activated because they were on us in a flash.
“You’re not taking her anywhere,” Cáel growled, his eyes bleeding completely silver.
Nolan seemed unmoved by the display. “How can we trust that Hayden is telling us the truth when you’re there intimidating her?”
Maddox’s eyes swirled with liquid gold. “We don’t intimidate innocents. Unlike other people we know.”
Nolan stiffened. “Are you making an accusation?”
“You’re the one who assumed that,” Maddox gritted out.
“Watch yourself, Kavanaugh. You’re treading on very thin ice. I’d hate to have to take formal action against you.”
Rage blasted out of Maddox. So intense that even I could feel it.
“It’s no problem,” I said quickly. I would’ve agreed to stab needles into my eyes if it would’ve defused the situation. “I’ll talk to them and be right back.”
“Hayden,” Knox said, pain lacing his voice.
I forced a smile. “I’ll be fine.”
Cillian stepped forward, his massive form menacing. “If you even consider taking Hayden anywhere without her consent, I’ll rain hellfire down on you.”
Nolan’s eyes flashed. “You dare to threaten a council member.”
“It’s not a threat. It’s a justified consequence. You’re being watched right now. This isn’t something you’ll be able to cover up as you have in the past.”
A muscle in Nolan’s jaw twitched, and I knew then that he’d been planning exactly that. I looked at my guys, knowing panic was in my gaze. Cillian squeezed my hand quickly.
“No one’s taking you anywhere you don’t want to go. There are too many eyes watching,” he assured me.
“Let’s get this over with already,” Arthur muttered from behind Nolan. “I have places to be.”
He seemed utterly bored by it all, but Fionn, who stood next to him, was riveted, an interested gleam in his eye.
Mona gave my arm a tug. “This way, Hayden.”
I couldn’t get a read on her. She didn’t seem as evil as Nolan, but if she’d taken money from the hordes to be here tonight, she wasn’t exactly noble either.
I glanced over my shoulder, my gaze colliding with Easton’s. His hands were clenched at his sides, his jaw tight. With his hair falling around his shoulders, he looked like a warrior from some long-ago world, just dressed in a modern-day suit.
“Good lord, you’ll be back with them in a few minutes,” Mona muttered. “Get ahold of yourself.”
“Going with you all, anything could happen,” I shot back.
She chuckled. “Smart girl.”
Nolan stormed ahead and down the hallway before ducking into a smaller room that appeared to be a parlor from times past. No one took a seat. The moment Fionn closed the door behind us, Nolan was peppering me with questions.
“Who did you feel a connection with?”
“No one,” I said honestly.
He scoffed. “Don’t lie to us, girl.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “I’m not lying. I know what touching a bond mate feels like. I don’t have a connection with any of them.”
“That’s not what Hal said,” Fionn murmured as he took another sip of scotch.
“Well, Hal is a psychopathic liar and an attempted murderer who should have a cactus shoved up his ass, so I’m not surprised,” I clipped.
Fionn choked on his drink, beginning to cough.
Nolan glared at me. “The Corbetts are a respected horde that has been around for generations. They are not to be insulted.”
“They almost killed me. Twice.”
A muscle began fluttering wildly in his jaw. “I’m sure Cillian and his horde started it.”
What was this? Kindergarten?
“Can we hurry this up?” Arthur asked, turning to me. “Many of the hordes in that room would offer you your heart’s desire. Would you like to entertain offers?”
“No,” I answered quickly. “I just want to go home with my bond.”
“I’m not sure that horde is a safe place for you,” Nolan said smugly. “Not if you’ve almost been killed twice.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.Of course, I’d backed myself into a corner. I swallowed hard. “The only reason I’m alive now is because of that horde. They make me feel safe and cared for. I’m not going to trade that for all the jewels and fancy cars and houses in the world.”
Fionn tapped a finger against his glass. “Interesting.”
Mona sighed. “I really wanted to see what she could get out of them. I do love that game of poker.”
Fionn crossed to her, sliding his arm through Mona’s. “Why don’t you and I head to Monaco after this? I can fuel up the jet, and we can hit the tables.”
Mona grinned at him. “I like the way you think.”
“Excuse me,” Nolan growled. “This is a serious matter.”
Mona waved him off. “Give it up, Nols. She wants to stay with her ragtag group. Let her. We got our payouts.”
Redness crept up Nolan’s throat. “For now.” And with that, he stalked out of the room.
Fionn sighed. “So dramatic.”
Arthur checked his expensive watch. “How much longer do we need to stay?”
Mona flicked her gaze to an antique grandfather clock. “An hour, tops.”
Arthur grumbled but headed out the door.
“Shall we return?” Mona asked me.
I swallowed hard. “I’m just going to run to the restroom.”
“Of course,” she said, tugging Fionn toward the door.
I followed them out, finding a bathroom across the hall. I slipped inside, locking the door behind me. Only then did I begin to tremble. I’d been holding back the fear all night long, but I finally let it flow.
Stumbling back to sit on a bench in the corner, I let my head fall into my hands. Images flashed through my mind of each of the hordes, of the council, but most of all, the Corbetts. The dead look in Hal’s eyes, the way Dexter’s voice had made my skin crawl.
Pressure built behind my eyes. I just wanted this over with. I wanted to go home.
Home.
The mountain mansion really was starting to feel that way. My safe space with people who made me protected.
Taking a deep breath, I stood. I’d keep fighting these battles. For them.
Smoothing the wrinkles out of my dress, I headed out of the restroom. I hadn’t made it two steps before someone shoved me into an alcove.
“Stop playing games, you little bitch.”