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Okay, well, shit. Maybe that was taking things too far, but fuck it. No one else would let him get away with this crap, and I was only expected to because I was female. That was all kinds of wrong, and I wasn't going to put up with it anymore. Everyone, including this prick, kept telling me about how strong I was supposed to be. If that was the truth then they shouldn't expect me to be weak when I found myself in wretched situations such as this one.
Adrian's eyebrows rose high on his forehead and his lips pursed unhappily. "I'm not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you."
Lies and utter bullshit. Not a word out of his mouth was to be believed.
I lowered my trembling hand to my heart and told my body to calm down. I willed the shakes to stop and they actually did. I was no stranger to fear, but my body was mine to control and I wouldn't allow fear to rule me. Never again. It’s part of how Vivian used to control me.
"I'm going to need you to take several steps back." This time my voice didn't so much as quiver. "I'm serious, Adrian, stepback."
If I wasn't careful, the lights in here would start to flicker with my emotions being so out of control. My magic could sometimes be like a live wire, and if sparked it could set things ablaze and do some real damage. We didn't want that.
Adrian raised his hands in a show of peace. He took several steps back, and I could finally breathe normally again.
My palms went to the glass, pressing flat against it. Immediately the window heated up and my back started to sweat. I dropped my hands to my sides and clenched them into tight fists. My nails dug into my palms painfully, likely cutting into the skin, and an immediate calm settled over me.
"Everything okay in here?" Trenton, bless his soul, had gone against Adrian's orders to check on me. Hell, maybe he could even feel my distress. I didn't exactly know how their tattoos worked or what all they did, but I knew they had a magical connection to me and their tattoos were a part of that. Whatever the reason he'd chosen to disobey Adrian's orders, I was eternally grateful.
Adrian whirled around, his ridiculous cape flying around him, wrapping around his legs, and he snarled, "I told you to wait around in the hallway until you were told otherwise. Who do you think you are to disobey me, boy? Don't you know who I am?"
Adrian practically foamed at the mouth, and I had never seen the man so angry before. Usually, he held his composure much better. The mask was slipping and the real Adrian had started to show.
Trenton straightened his shoulders, spread his feet apart as if he was getting ready to fight, and stood his ground. "I know who you are, I have not forgotten. But, with all due respect, sir, I no longer take orders from you. The only person who has any claims on my brother or myself is the female standing behind you at the moment, and right now I would like for you to step away from her like she asked you to."
Simon appeared behind his brother's shoulder with a menacing look on his face. He stood beside his older brother and crossed his arms over his chest. The muscles in his arms bulged at the movement, and the silver tattoos on his forearms and throat flared brightly to life just for a second.
I suddenly felt too warm as his magic reached for me, wrapping itself around me protectively. Claiming me as its own.
"We only allowed you to be in here alone with her out of respect for your position on the Council. It seems that now you've overstayed your welcome here, though, and it's time for you to leave. If Ariel wishes to meet with you again, she will be in contact with you."
Trenton nodded his head in agreement with his brother. "Andifthat happens, you should know now that you will never be alone with her again. My brother and I will be with her every single time you are within shouting distance. And don't get any ideas about using magic to harm either one of us, because we are defending our charge."
Both brothers placed their left palms over the right side of their chests. Something moved beneath their matching black t-shirts, just a slight shifting across their flesh. It was there and gone so fast that if I had blinked I would have missed it.
Trenton smirked at Adrian, smug and up to entirely no good. "It won't work, because we are protected against many things when we're protecting Ariel."
I absolutely did not like the threat in his voice. Or the fact he saidmanythings instead ofallthings. He'd just exposed a weakness while boasting about his strengths. If I caught it, I'm sure Adrian hadn't missed it. He was far too clever to miss something so important he could use against his newest opponent.
"I believe it's time for you to go," Simon said as he attempted to stare down Adrian.
This was dangerous territory we'd stepped into here, and my guardians had happily walked right on into it. For me.
Adrian's hand held a slight tremble as he raised it to his forehead. He swept the back of his hand across his face, mopping up the sweat there. He looked like a freaking junkie in need of his next fix. He shook his head and his lips twitched like he didn't know if he wanted to snarl or smile at them. I knew neither would look friendly on his pudgy face.
"You're both going to regret this day. The Council will not stand for this type of disrespect. Mark my words, you'll live the rest of your lives regretting this day." Adrian shook his pointer finger in their direction and his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
I assumed he had more to say, but was simply too enraged to get it out.
Oh shitty, shitty, fuck.
This moment was definitely worthy of the F-word.
I sucked in a lungful of air and almost choked on it.
A threat had just been placed against my bodyguards. A very serious threat. I knew it was their job, their duty to protect me, but that didn't change the fact that they were mine too. Both of them were absolutely mine. Our relationships might have been strictly platonic, but they had become my family as much as the other members in my coven were.
And, let's face it, what was mine wasmine.I didn't take kindly to people trying to mess with my family.
I shook off my nerves, squared my shoulders, and then skirted around Adrian, heading straight for the chair I had originally evacuated in order to stand by the window. I sat in the chair with my back held ramrod straight and my legs crossed at the ankles. I placed my hands in my lap, bloody palms facing up, one atop the other.
