Page 59 of Eternally Bound
He returned his attention to her as he tried to recall her question. “He’ll be fine,” he assured her.
“Are you sure?”
Declan nodded, but he couldn’t be completely sure until everything was settled between the two of them. If everything went well, within the next day or two, Ronanwouldbe fine. Hopefully, Ronan still had a day or two left in him before the impending meltdown occurred.
Kadence bit her lip as she twisted her hands in front of her. She was beautiful, yet there was an inner beauty and strength to her that outshone her looks. Enemy or not, he liked this little hunter and hoped she would make the right choice.
“He’ll be fine,” Declan assured her again.
“I may not know as much as I thought about vampires, but whatever this is doesn’t seem like him. Is it because of me?”
She was completely out of her depth in this whole mess and didn’t understand the greedy, unpredictable nature of the demon lurking within them. She had given herself to a man she cared for, and in doing so she’d escalated a chain of events she never could have known were already starting to unfold.
To be fair, even if she hadn’t given herself to Ronan, it would have only been a matter of time before Ronan recognized she was his mate.
“This isn’t like him,” he replied, uncertain of how to respond. “But it will all work out soon.”
Her mouth pursed as they stepped into the main foyer. He guided her toward the stairs, eager to get her to her room before Killean or Saxon arrived and caught the scent of Ronan all over her. Killean would not react well to such a thing.
Maybe he should tell her what Ronan was going through and how she could help. He shut the idea down as soon as he thought it. Even if he were stable, Ronan might kill him for interfering in such a way. He’d definitely kill him now for it.
This was not his place, and he knew better than to interfere in others’ lives.
“What’s going on?”
Kadence stopped short when Killean strolled into the foyer from the hall. He held a glass of scotch in his hand and his golden eyes surveyed them with curiosity.
“What are the two of you doing?” Killean inquired.
“I gave her a tour of the place,” Declan lied.
Killean took a sip of his drink as he walked closer to rest his elbow on the banister of the stairs. The tension in his body belied the casual gesture. “Why, she won’t be staying for much longer?”
“It was something to do,” Kadence replied flippantly.
Killean swirled the liquid in his glass as he inhaled deeply and his upper lip twisted into a sneer. Declan braced himself for whatever was about to unfold.
***
Kadence’s stomach twisted at the look on Killean’s face. She knew he didn’t like her, but when he looked at her like that, she realized that she also repulsed him.
“Where’s Ronan?” Killean demanded.
“In the gym,” Declan replied. “I would suggest leaving him be.”
“Leaving him be,” Killean snorted. “I can smell him all over her. What is he thinking screwing her?”
Color flooded her cheeks, but she managed to stop herself from gaping at Killean’s blunt words. She should have known the vamps would be able to tell what had transpired between her and Ronan tonight. She didn’t know if she wanted to melt through the floor or kick Killean in the nuts more. Driving his nuts into his throat would feel really,reallygood right now, she decided.
“Watch yourself, Killean,” Declan advised.
“It’s not you I smell on her, Declan. Why are you being so protective?” Killean demanded.
“It’s not her he’s protecting. It’syou.” The hair on Kadence’s arms rose as Ronan growled the words from the doorway behind her. “Because if you say another goddamn word, I’ll rip your throat out.”
***
Declan cringed inwardly as Ronan’s words filled the foyer. He released Kadence’s arm, surreptitiously pushing her a little away from Killean and himself. The last thing they needed was to provoke Ronan any more by having her so close to them.
