Page 78 of Betrothed in Fury
“Wait. Is this a joke?”
“Why would I joke about something like that?”
“I’m having a difficult time understanding why any of this is happening, but come on. Like you aren’t gonna have sex ever again?”
Again, I should keep my mouth shut, but I say, “I didn’t say that.”
Wrath is silent, which for him, says too much.
“Can you please get on so I can finish up here? I’ve got too much to do.”
Wrath leans down, like he’s trying to force me to look at him or get something close to eye contact. “I don’t understand, and I think you owe me an explanation. Dude, you like him? You’re attracted to guys? Where the fuck do I even begin?”
“We don’t begin anywhere because the conversation’s over.”
“Whoa, whoa. That’s not happening. This stuff is a big deal. You like Killian?”
“How I feel about Killian is irrelevant.”
But fuck, I do like the bastard.
Not just the parts he shows the rest of the world, but that part that, like mine, he reserves for those he must punish for inflicting pain on our families. I like him in a way I know he’sincapable of liking me, which pisses me off, but what can I do about that?
“What is going on?” Wrath asks. “What are you talking about?”
“Killian can protect this family, and he has certain ideas about how this is to be done, and I don’t have any reason to fight him on it.”
“But you have to be what? His concubine?”
“His husband. Now shut up. I said I’m not discussing this with you.”
“Are you gonna tell the others about how fucking serious this is?”
“I shouldn’t have even told you. It was a slipup. It’s just been weighing so heavily on me. Don’t repeat this to any of them.”
He angles his head, issuing a glare that suggests it’s an unfair demand of the guy we both know will blab the moment he leaves this room.
I huff out my frustration. “At least when you tell them, let them know nothing is changing my mind about this. It’s the right thing to do. It’s what Dad wanted.”
“You’re not thinking this through, Log. He wouldn’t have wanted you to be miserable.”
“You’re wrong. Dad wouldn’t have wantedyouto be miserable. He knew I have a certain place in this family, and it’s to ensure that everyone else is safe. Got it?”
He sighs. “I don’t know how I feel about this.”
“Good thing it’s not really subject to what you feel.”
He’s quiet, and I look at the document I’ve pulled up, but I’m unable to even pretend to work given what Wrath’s brought up.
“When you gonna tell Mom?”
Every muscle in my body tenses up. What does it matter what Mom thinks?
She’s dead.
To me, at least. Otherwise, she’s very much alive, though some days I wish she wasn’t.
My mind flashes to that violent day when we were kids. Her wide eyes, the feral expression on her face as she came at me.
