Page 43 of Forced Mate Bride
In front of her, Cillian was still watching her, regarding her like she was a cornered animal, ready to lash out at any moment. Or maybe that was just guilt. He shuffled back and forth where he stood facing her on the sidewalk, the street still mercifully empty. She didn’t want anyone else around to see her, as betrayal and frustration washed over her, threatening to consume her entirely.
“He did what he thought was best,” Cillian said after a long moment when the only sound was dried leaves skittering across the concrete. “I know that much about Jasper.”
“Of course he did,” she muttered. “He always does.”
Whether I want him to or not, she thought, but didn’t say. She hadn’t realized her fingers had curled into fists until she looked down and saw her knuckles turning white. Biting her lip to stop herself from screaming, she started walking again, brushing past Cillian.
“I’m pretty tired,” she said. “I want to get home and take a nap.”
If Cillian knew she was lying to get out of this conversation and have some time alone, he didn’t remark on it. Instead, he nodded and followed her down the road. Neither of them said anything else on the entire walk home. Nikki kept hoping that the emotions swirling in her head like a tempest would ebb. She wanted a level head. But rage and disbelief continued building with every step.
Cillian trailed two steps behind her. She didn’t look back at him, but she could sense his discomfort.
After an agonizingly long and uncomfortable walk, they came to the house. Nikki stopped at the foot of the path leading to the front steps and faced a contrite-looking Cillian. He opened his mouth, then closed it.
“I’m staying home the rest of the day,” Nikki said.
Cillian nodded. He looked her up and down, searching her features, trying to discern something—though what, she wasn’t entirely certain. His jaw tightened. When he didn’t say anything else, she turned and walked toward the door. It wasn’t until she opened it and almost entered the house that she heardCillian’s footsteps pounding behind her. She twisted to look at him.
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked.
“You can do me one favor,” she said.
“What’s that?”
Her lips pursed, and her finger tapped against the doorframe. She took several moments.
“Don’t tell Jasper you told me.”
His eyes widened, and for a moment, she thought he might refuse. It wouldn’t have surprised her. He was going to be loyal to Jasper, not her. But he must have felt bad enough about dropping that bombshell on her that he gave a short, uncomfortable jerk of the head.
“Okay,” he said.
“Thanks.”
She closed the door in his face, turning the lock, but not moving away from the door until she heard Cillian’s shuffling footsteps fade away down the street. Once she was certain that he was gone, she took a deep breath and moved over to the couch. She barely felt herself collapsing onto the couch, her emotions refusing to settle.
Jasper had known. He had known that people in town were in league with Lucas, and he hadn’t told her.
That knowledge continued to swirl in her head, and it felt nearly impossible to keep her frustration back. He could have warned her. He could have told her. She would have thought twice about going into the woods alone with Vincent. Even if she had ultimately decided to still trust Vincent, she would haveturned around the second she sensed something was off, rather than keep going.
She stared up at the ceiling while those revelations continued swirling in her head, refusing to settle. Why? She couldn’t fathom what would have compelled Jasper to keep that secret. It wasn’t until several minutes had passed that it finally made sense.
Why had he done it? Because he had thought it would protect her.
Of course, he had.
She clenched her teeth, glaring up at the ceiling. It didn’t matter what he’d said about trusting her. It was clear he didn’t. And she didn’t care if he was doing it to protect her anymore. He was still controlling her life by withholding information.
She was done. She was done with all of it. She wasn’t going to let Jasper get away with this. Not this time, and not anymore.
Chapter 17 - Jasper
The sun felt unnaturally warm despite the chill. Jasper hurried along the path up to the house, a spring in his step that had been absent for quite some time. Everything seemed brighter. They had a lead. They had a plan. This nightmare would soon be over.
He wondered idly what would happen once this was all over. He and Nikki were still married, but it had been out of necessity. But things had changed between them over the last few months. Maybe they could keep going and see where things took them.
Easy,a voice in his head whispered.You still need to explain about Vincent.
