Sarang paused, considering. It’d been a day since he’d locked her brother up and refused her an audience, since his talk with Tull, and he was still confused. Before he saw Shiloh, he wanted to work through his own feelings. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them if he didn’t.
Knowing the omega lusted for him on his own, that it wasn’t driven from the life-bond, made a huge difference, and if this discovery had come before Sarang had learned that Shiloh was a heartless killer, he wouldn’t have held back. But now thathe knew…Now that the person he’d believed to have loved all this time wasn’t real…
“I’ll spare you a moment.” It wouldn’t do him any good to make an enemy out of the princess, no matter what his final decision might be.
And he did have options.
Even if they weren’t very good ones.
Sarang’s reliance on Shiloh to keep his qi flowing and balanced meant he could never be permanently parted from the omega’s side. He’d have to return to it, whether he liked it or not. There’d been nothing to do but think of his choices when he’d been trapped in the hotel, slave to Shiloh’s whims and fantasies.
Nothing to do but plot.
For four years, Sarang had done everything in his power to protect and shelter Shiloh. Had gone out of his way, had reduced himself to little more than a servant on more than one occasion. The coin he made helped support his family back home, yes, but the second he’d inadvertently snapped that life-bond in place, he’d known he was going to have to leave them or suffer the consequences.
In the beginning, he’d been unstable and inexperienced with his Gray abilities. Aside from plants, he hadn’t practiced filtering qi through any other living beings, let alone sentient ones, so working with Shiloh, being connected to him, had been a learning process.
When the prince had woken and offered him a position as his bodyguard, he’d taken the chance, despite the risks joining the mafia would bring. Back then, he’d needed almost constant connection. Just being in the same room hadn’t been enough. Sarang couldn’t even count how many excuses he’d made those first few months to get a chance to touch him.
Things were different now. He was older and had control of himself. Had used his power on at least a dozen people overthe years when they’d been severely injured in a fight. Mostly, he kept it for himself and Shiloh, but with the life-bond already in place, there was never a fear of him accidentally forming it with another, which was a comfort.
If he chose to, he could stay away from Shiloh for six months, maybe even longer. When he did need to be in the same vicinity as him to restrengthen the bond, he wouldn’t need to get physical to do it. Spotting him from across a room for a few minutes would be more than enough.
Technically, Sarang could choose to walk away now, appearing only when he had to, and all without Shiloh ever knowing.
But that option wasn’t appealing.
He was trying to figure out why, but he also understood he was done taking the high road if he was going to be the only one who bothered. Shiloh had made him the underboss. Had placed him in a high enough position that Sarang could easily subdue him with red tape and Eumia politics.
No matter what, Sarang couldn’t let Shiloh go. He’d grown too accustomed to this lifestyle. To the rush of being in charge, to having people who relied on and respected him. To not having to worry about his family’s debts or how he’d afford to put his sister through college.
Why should he be the one to walk away when the prince was the one who was in the wrong?
He shouldn’t.
So he wouldn’t.
He’d keep Shiloh.
How and in what capacity was the question.
Sloane took a single, clearly threatening step closer, her expression enigmatic in a way that only added to the tense atmosphere.
It was in the early hours of the day, just before dawn, so pretty much everyone else had already finished working and gone off to bed. The two of them were alone in the hallway on the second level, and though he’d never witnessed her fight before, his newfound knowledge of Shiloh made Sarang wary.
“I don’t know what he has on you,” she said steadily, “but this is the only warning I’ll give. Harm my brother, and nothing will save you.”
He tipped his head. “You didn’t seem bothered by his being confined the other day.”
“Because I know how my brother feels about you, and I assumed this was another one of his games. I’ve since started to wonder.” She eyed him from head to toe. “I’ve been watching and you’re…different.”
“Oh?”
“You’ve always been stoic and imposing,” she explained. “That’s what made you such a good candidate for your position. But there was a softness in your expression whenever Shiloh was brought up.” Her gaze hardened almost imperceptibly. “There. As I suspected. It’s gone now.”
“How much did your brother tell you?” Sarang slipped his hands into the front pockets of his black jeans, but she gave no reaction to his false display of ease. The twins were close.
Close enough for Shiloh to entrust her with his secret? It was bad enough that Bishop knew. Dangerous. The second it got out, Sarang ran the risk of having his Gray side used, both against himself and against others.
