“I would give my life to protect you,” he said casually, as if dying for another person were perfectly normal. I was shocked into silence. Turning my head, I looked down, not really seeing anything as I let those words, and the weight of them, roll around in my mind.
“Let’s move,” he said so suddenly, I tripped after him as he stalked down the hall, heading toward the stairs that led down. He stopped just as suddenly, causing me to crash into him with a humph.
“What are you doing?” I complained, rubbing my forehead where it had collided with his bicep. It was like hitting a wall. “And for god sakes, take a night off from the gym once in a while, would ya?”
He smirked, shaking his head. “You’re ridiculous,” he muttered. He stepped closer, wrapping an arm low on my waist, pulling me tight against him.
“What are you doing?” I asked, inwardly cringing at the breathless sound of my voice.
“Making sure everyone knows you’re here with me, and to watch what they do and say.”
I couldn’t think while being plastered against him like this.
“Just act like you like me while we go talk to someone, so he doesn’t get suspicious.”
“Suspicious of what?” His hand was too warm, too strong and territorial where it lay on my hip, not that he seemed to even notice. Why did he have to affect me, and yet he was cool as a cucumber? It wasn’t fair. He was looking around as though he wasn’t aware I was even there beside him, in his arms.
“If he doesn’t know anything about the attacks, then he’ll wonder why you’re here. I’d rather him think we’re out together just for a good time. If he does know about the attacks, he’ll suspect right away why you’re with me, which will tell me that he knows about the attacks. I need him to play his card without revealing any of ours. The less people who know about the attacks, the better. If he knows nothing, I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Okay,” I said, anything to move this along. My hands were floundering at my side, not know what to do or where to go.
“Hope?”
“Yes?” I said, looking up from staring at his bare chest as though it might bite me. I met his eyes, now staring at me, those black orbs somehow twinkling with amusement.
“Try to act like you like me.”
“What? I am,” I insisted, laying a hand tentatively on his shoulder, which felt like the safest place. The other I planted on my hip, above his, as I sort of leaned against him in the most awkward way. I felt like such an idiot. “See?”
He rolled his eyes. “I should have left you at home.”
“What? No! I’m doing it,” I said, shifting to place my other hand on his chest now, and then instantly taking it back off to go back on my own hip. I was totally failing at this.
Shaking his head, he abruptly tugged me around so our chests mashed together, his wings flaring out and then around us, creating our own little private space. Before I knew what was happening, his head was leaning toward mine, those eyes watching me as mine widened at the raw intensity I read in them. In the next breath, his lips were on mine in a light, teasing touch. My hands flew up to grip his shoulders as he gave another light peck against my mouth. I stepped closer to him, pressing my lips back against his the third time.
A soft growl rumbled up his chest as he tightened his arm around me, sliding his tongue along the seam of my lips. I gasped, and he used that moment to glide his tongue against mine, sealing his lips over mine in a searing kiss. My toes curled as I moved my mouth against him, a frenzied need exploding in the pit of my stomach. I groaned against his lips.
And then they were gone.
I was left panting, my eyes shut as my breath came out in gasps. My fingers dug into his skin, and if I had been a braver person, I would have pulled him back for more. So much more.
Except, I wasn’t brave. And I knew, once again, he had just done this to get me to relax and play the role he needed me to play.
Mission accomplished, I thought, as I opened my eyes to look at him, every muscle in my body now relaxed and attuned to his.
I hated him.
Ten
Heaven Sent
Glassy eyes looked up and it took every last ounce of his strength not to pull her back to him. This entire evening was testing Cillian more than anything had in all the centuries he’d been alive. It was nearly killing him to stop. If she had begged right then not to, he knew he wouldn’t have had it in him to deny her. Christ, he was close to begging himself. The need to have her, bury himself in her body right here where anyone could see, was so overwhelming, he was having a hard time concentrating on what he was supposed to be doing.
Space. He needed it.
Except, he wasn’t going to get it, since he had to play his own part. All he could do was create whatever emotional space he could conjure by making her believe he didn’t want her just as much as her body was telling her she wanted him. No, she would be needing him, like he was her, as it was with...these things.
She’s Caleb’s daughter, he reminded himself, for the billionth time. It had been constantly running through his head on a loop the entire flight here. Just her scent alone was driving him mad. He watched as the lust faded from her eyes, a coldness forming in its place as she pulled herself together.
“Ready?” He asked, folding his wings behind him.
She nodded, stepping back and smoothing down that damn dress that was so tight, the movement was pointless. Her red lipstick was slightly smudged now, and he liked it. “Yup, let’s do this.”
Cillian nodded, his teeth grinding as he started down the stairs with her tucked up against him. From the corner of his eye, he could see her pulling herself back together with each step. He didn’t like it, already missing the lust filled eyes that had stared up at him. But as they descended, her back straightened and she was fully composed. If things were different, if they were different people, he’d make sure that composure melted away again, and have her looking up at him the way she had not five minutes before.
His fingers gripped her waist as they reached the main floor.
“Fuck it,” he said.
She opened her mouth to say something, but he swallowed whatever it would have been, taking her mouth in a bruising kiss. This time she reacted instantly, her hands sliding up his neck to hold his face to hers. He tasted every inch of her mouth, branding her whether she realized it or not. The scent of her need was all around him, driving the animal inside him to rattle at the cage he’d pushed it into when it came to her. His fangs ached to bite her, taste her in other places. Growling, he pulled back, her chest rising and falling quickly, rubbing against his. She blinked up at him, licking her lips. The sight of her tiny, pink tongue almost had him taking her mouth again, but they had to get information. Her safety was more important than the burning desire he knew was mirrored in both their eyes.
“That’s better,” he said, leading her toward the person he’d been hoping to find when they got here. She didn’t speak again, her cheeks still flushed when they stopped at one of the seating areas along the wall, dark curtains sectioning it off from the rest of the club, offering the patrons in there some privacy. White sofas and deep chairs sat around a low table, filled with crystal decanters and glasses with red liquid. He knew exactly what was in them, and prayed Hope didn’t put it together, although he knew the second the man sprawled along the couch smiled at her, she’d figure it out.
A pair of red eyes met his, pale eyebrows lifting in surprise as that ancient gaze moved to the beautiful girl in Cillian’s arms.
“Well, well, well,” he said, the half-naked females around him giggling at his obvious pleasure, even though not one would understand, or have the frame of mind to grasp what was going on. Cillian knew the decanter in the middle was more than likely laced with some sort of alcohol or hallucinogen. “What do we have here?”
“Niko,” Cillian greeted, relaxing his shoulders so he didn’t appear to be there on any sort o
f official business.
“You’ve brought me a prize,” the other man said, his eyes raking over Hope, wide lips pulling up into a smile to reveal the sharp fangs behind them. “I have only heard whispers of you, my darling,” he said, directly to her, as he leaned further back on the couch. Cillian wondered if the vampire was as drunk as he appeared, or if it was, as always, just a facade he put on. “And I must say, not one has done you justice.”
Cillian felt Hope stiffen in his arms.
“Can we join you?” Cillian asked, rubbing his thumb in slow circles against her skin until he felt her relax a fraction.
“I insist,” he replied, motioning to the chairs across from him. Cillian took one, and before Hope could sit in the other, he pulled her down onto his lap.
Niko looked between them, amusement dancing in those red eyes. “Well, isn’t this interesting?”
He was a vampire.
I tried not to look at the cups on the table between us, my stomaching rolling. Cillian shifted, bringing my attention back to him. Every inch of him, in that precise moment, was clearly as aware of me as I was of him. I knew, because I could feel it. It was hard to miss, no pun intended. I swallowed, trying my best not to let my face go red and betray me as the inexperienced child that I was. Especially since the vampire was watching me like a hawk.
Or perhaps, like a vampire. I could only imagine their hunting techniques would be pretty similar.
“Does Caleb know you have her here?” Niko asked, keeping his eyes on me.
Cillian chuckled. “You know how over-protective he can be. Would you like to be the one to tell him?”
The other man laughed, eyeing us even as one of the females with him practically crawled up his body, licking at his neck. He didn’t even seem to notice. But I did, and it was starting to make me uncomfortable. They clearly weren’t human, their skin the colours of the girls dancing in cages. One was purple, one green and one a pale red, almost pink. Their eyes were all dark, black like Cillian’s, but somehow more vacant. I didn’t find Cillian’s gaze to be cold or empty when I looked into them.
I turned now to look at him, his profile so perfect my fingers itched to trace it. He had such a fine, straight nose, and sharp cheekbones and a full, wide mouth. Such human like features, and yet no one would mistake him for one, even without the wings.
“I have no desire to be anywhere near him when he finds out,” Niko was saying.
It was those black eyes more than anything that gave him away, the same ones that now turned to me, his lips pulling up at the corner as he smiled at me in a playful way that had me wishing he’d just kiss me again. Which was stupid, because I did not like Cillian Black. Not only was he a demon and super old, but he was...
I had my reasons for not liking him. I just couldn’t think of them right then. I knew that look was all for show, but I soaked up the smile sent in my direction anyway. But, again, I didn’t like him. I just - appreciated his good looks.
“Then let’s hope he doesn’t find out,” Cillian said.
I smiled back, knowing he needed me to act like this was all for fun, and leaned into him a bit as I assumed a girl would who was out with a man she was attracted to.
Niko whistled low, leaning forward to grab one of the crystal wine glasses from the table. “Dangerous game you’re playing, my friend. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you take these risks. I find it rather - refreshing, after all your years of blind obedience to the Dark Lord.”
Cillian looked away from me, squeezing my hip as he leaned back, looking as though he hadn’t a care in the world. “Some things are just worth the risk.”
I felt Niko’s attention on me again, turning my head to meet his gaze boldly.
“In that we can agree. Such a pretty thing to have on your arm.”
I stiffened. Was he accusing me of being nothing more than arm candy? How rude! I wasn’t some bimbo, like these demon women who were practically pawing at him to get his attention.
“Pretty seems inadequate of a word,” Cillian said, surprising me. My head snapped to him, eyebrows raised before I caught myself. Did he actually think I was pretty?
Niko hummed. “I’m surprised you’d bring her here. Are you not concerned for her safety?”
“Should I be?” Cillian asked smoothly.
A slow smile spread across the vampire’s face. He swirled the red liquid in his cup languidly. “One should always be concerned, even the Lord’s Blade.” He paused. “She is new to this world of ours.”
“Le Chateau is neutral grounds,” Cillian replied, his fingers flexing against my skin. The only tell that made me aware he wasn’t nearly as calm as he appeared.
Niko inclined his head. “Just so. Some people don’t always follow the rules, however.”
“Some people are idiots.”
“Most certainly.”
“Anyone who would dare to do anything toward her, here or outside, would be asking for trouble.”
He nodded, taking a sip from the glass, absently handing it to the girl with the green skin, who greedily gulped it down. I almost threw up. The vampire steepled his fingers, one corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly. “A very clear message. Politics is such a sensitive subject, is it not? Even the humans seem to struggle when it comes down to who should and should not lead.”
“Is that so?”
Niko raised his brows. “Do you still insist on not being informed of what the humans do?”
Cillian shrugged. “They kill each other, they kill themselves; they cry for peace, they cry for war. Either way, I’m still here.”
They both laughed, and those white fangs were now tinged with blood.
“So true, my friend. So very true. We have seen it all, have we not?”
Cillian grunted, and I couldn’t help but feel seriously out of my league right then. I couldn’t fathom how much these two had cumulatively seen when it came to historical events I’d only ever read about in books. Just the thought of it had me squirming, wanting to get out of there already. Cillian’s hands squeezed my hip and thigh, stilling me.
The curtain to the little sitting area was suddenly pulled back and another demon female walked in, her skin the colour of the setting sun, silver glitter painted on almost every inch of her. Only two thin scraps of material covered ample breasts, the back of the dress open, with sections on the bottom to cover the front and back of her while leaving her legs free. It was a gauzy material, leaving little to the imagination of even the parts that were covered. Silver hair was pulled up into a neat bun on her head, and bright green eyes, lined heavily with kohl, instantly skipped over me to land on Cillian.
“Ah, Lilith,” Niko said, sitting up. “You remember Cillian Black, yes?”
“Of course,” she all but purred.
Niko chuckled, and it sounded so put on that I narrowed my eyes at him as he looked between the man whose lap I sat on, and this Lilith with obvious interest. “I forgot, you two have - somewhat of a history.”
My head snapped to look at the new woman again, and those eyes finally left Cillian to look at me. I sat up straighter, wondering just how I must compare to this - woman. I probably looked about twelve next to her. She seemed to also see me as no threat, dismissing me with a smirk as she walked further in, her hips swaying as she passed by us to take a seat beside Niko, practically knocking the purple one out of the way.
“I heard you were serving nothing but the best in here, and I thought I would join you for a drink,” she said, holding out a cup.
At least the other three looked about as happy as I was to have her here. I got the sense Cillian wasn’t pleased either. I turned slightly to look at him, wondering just what kind of history they had. Well, I could obviously guess what kind, but had they actually been an item? In love?
It doesn’t matter, I reminded myself. Cillian was just some - guy, that worked for my father...
His head turned, his gaze meeting mine as
I observed him. I didn’t know what he read on my face, but he leaned in and kissed me slowly, just a tease of a kiss, before slipping his tongue in for a brief touch, setting the blood in my veins on fire, before pulling back. Our eyes never left each other, our faces close.
Mine did not say, I don’t like her.
And his didn’t reply, neither do I.
And I certainly didn’t say, good.
When we turned back to the others, they were all staring at us, Niko with amusement, the other three with some kind of longing, and Lilith with undisguised disgust.
The Dark Princess (The Balance Series Book 3) Page 12