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“You’re going,” he insisted, puffing out his chest in a mistaken attempt to look intimidating as he stepped forward, but I pulled my own gun out. There was no way I was going to let him force me anywhere, fuck that.
“I’m your queen. I can veto any of the Boss’ decisions that I want to. So, you can get the fuck out of my shop on your own two legs and of your own volition, or you can leave in a body bag. Your choice,” I warned him, aiming at his head and glaring. With an unintelligible grumble, he pulled out his phone, turning and walking out to the sidewalk. He paced back and forth, hands flying as he explained, most likely to Keir. I had to give it to him; he looked pretty pissed off at me, but there wasn’t an ounce of fear in his eyes or his body language as he shared the news that was sure to send all of my Adrostos into a fit of anger.
“Damn, Sana, put those men in their place,” Dani cheered, hopping up on the counter. “Want to take a bet for how long it takes them to walk in your door?”
“Nope, that’d be a foolish bet to take, and we both know Eros never suffered fools in the Family. I give them five minutes,” I shot back, already wrapping things up and handing Dani my keys. “Lock up behind me if they get stupid?”
“Done,” she promised, completely losing it when the door slammed open and Keir stomped inside, eyes livid and nostrils flaring.
“Hello, love,” I joked, but he silently threw me over his shoulder before turning and walking right back out. “Put me the fuck down!” This time I wasn’t shocked; I was furious. I might submit to them in bed, but I was a fucking person, and I deserved for them to show me the same respect they demanded of everyone else.
“Dani, you coming?” he called out, completely ignoring me.
“Not a chance, big guy. I’ll be heading home and then looking for a new place,” she said, the jingle of keys following close behind us.
“You know, we have an apartment building a block away from ours. Look it up- Adrostos Property Management,” he offered casually while I screeched and fought to get down. When that didn’t work, I wiggled around enough to catch his arm, biting down hard. His grip tightened around me, but otherwise, there was no sign that I’d done anything at all. Pain loving son of a bitch.
“Are you two fucking serious right now?” I growled, but Dani just laughed. If she gets this on fucking camera, I swear...
“When you’re done acting like a child and being careless with your life, we can talk,” he said simply. “And when I do put you down, you’ll follow orders.”
“Doubtful,” I hissed, but when he let me go, I was hauled into the car by someone else. “Guys, this is ridiculous! I’m not some damsel in distress.”
“It’s a completely appropriate response to a credible threat, and if you were thinking about this as a queen, you’d know we’re making the right decision.. I have no intention of gambling with your life. None of us can afford a bet that high,” Killian bit out. Kyrell pulled away from the curb once Keir was back in the car, not saying a word. Killian kept his hold on me the entire way, only making my anger fester until I was ready for a fight, something in my mind switching from frustration to survival instinct.
A brief flash of being blindfolded and tied up, thrown in a car, and driven to an abandoned hospital overwhelmed me. Once I was dropped off and left behind, I had to untie myself. Of course, it couldn’t just end there… I was also stalked through the halls. I’d spent days evading assassins, gathering weapons, and waiting to make my move. Then they’d caught me as I slept, throwing me over one of their shoulders and carrying me out. The only reason I’d gotten away was the knife I always carried. I blinked away the memories and tried to remind myself that it was just Keir, that I was fine, but it wasn’t helping.
When we climbed out of the car, Kill gripped my arm and dragged me with him, making me lose my hold on the nerves that had been building. I bit down on his forearm hard enough that I tasted blood, even through his clothes, and his hold loosened just enough that I sprinted away. At this point, I was acting on primal instinct, the need to escape ingrained so deep within me that I couldn’t even fight it.
“Otsana!” My name echoed down the street, but I was already dodging into an alley, my mind blanking as I let go. All rational thought had deserted me. Flashes of fighting off hordes of men ran through my mind as the triplets ran after me. I knew I was being ridiculous, that these guys weren’t enemies, but something had switched in my brain, and I couldn’t turn it off. With so many changes and so many recent attacks, I’d been locked in a state of hyper-vigilance. Waiting for Eros to step up his game, to end this charade and come for me himself. It was a persistent thought I couldn’t shake.
With my scattered thoughts, I didn’t stand much of a chance, and the guys caught up to me all too quickly. A heavy body slammed into me as I reached the field at the other end of the alley, my body smashing into the grass. I immediately tried to scramble away, glancing back at him in terror as I used everything in me to escape, to reach for my knife. The odds weren’t in my favor, their body blocking me from grabbing my weapon, the weight of him on top of me limiting my movements to little more tha
n a futile wriggle.
“You won’t take me,” I growled, continuing to struggle.
“Breathe. You’re safe. We aren’t going to hurt you, Sana. Stop this!” Kyrell’s firm but soothing tone cut through the fog I was in, the fight draining out of me as he clutched me to his chest, not giving me an inch to move. His strength grounded me, the pressure of his body giving me something to focus on other than the panic in my mind. He didn’t speak again until my body finally relaxed. “We might need to talk about those eleven years and what you’ve been through, Kitten.”
“No,” I said, the word sounding so pitiful I could barely admit it to myself. “I’m fine. I’m a Priamos; we don’t break.”
“No one called you broken, but this was... unexpected,” he mused. “We can’t have any more unexpected if we’re going to keep you safe. Now, if I let go, will you come inside?”
“I guess,” I sighed in defeat. That was twice now I’d had a breakdown in front of them; there was no putting this off any longer, especially since this time was much worse than the first. “How can I be strong if I shut down when I’m in danger? Even I can’t predict when it’s going to happen!”
“You’re not shutting down; you’re fighting on instinct,” he countered, letting go so he could stand then holding out a hand for me. “Don’t make me run again. These shoes were two thousand dollars.” That was enough to pull a rough laugh from me, but I still didn’t meet Killian or Keir’s eyes as we approached them again. They had stopped a few feet away, giving Ky a moment with me, and they didn’t pry as we approached. Instead, we calmly and quietly headed back to their building, Keir entering the code to let us in.
As soon as the elevator doors closed us in, I was hyper-aware of them, peeking from under my lashes to take in the clenched fists and tense stances.
Would they realize how fucked up I was?
Will they still think I’m strong enough to stand by their side?
“Kitchen,” Kyrell ordered as we walked in, leading me toward the counter and turning to face me. Dropping my hand, he picked me up and set me on the granite countertops. I blinked down at him, my fight gone, letting him take care of me as he wished.
“Wha—” Killian started, his voice angry and hard, but Ky turned and muttered something that had him trailing off and taking a seat at the table with a huff. Keir followed after him, the two of them locking on me so pointedly that I felt the weight of their expectation and curiosity.
Ky moved through the kitchen, gathering, chopping, and sautéing things as he hummed to himself, the smell of fajitas quickly filling the air. My stomach let out a loud growl, and he grinned up at me, the smile genuine and adorable, and my heart melted. The guys were so many contrasting things it shouldn’t have made sense: bloody, sweet, sadistic, sexy, adorable. I’m in way over my head.
