AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grab a teakettle and set some water to boil, then hunt down the chocolate mix. The damn stuff is on the top shelf of the pantry. As I futilely stretch for the can, a warm body presses up against me. Angry or not, I close my eyes and melt into the man behind me, grateful for the comfort I thought I didn’t want. I assume it’s Rook. He’s the most touchy-feely. One hand grips my shoulder, and the other reaches around me to pluck the hot chocolate mix off the shelf for me. “Thanks,” I mumble.
“Of course, Mistress.”
That isnotRook. My anger fires up again. I spin around, pushing Illren away from me, and I glare at him like I could rip his head off with just a look. He barely backs up a step, refusing to give me any space, and he narrows his eyes. “You’re angry with me as well.”
I grind my teeth. “No shit! You’re as bad as Gorgeous—going around killing whoever you want and not caring.”
The other guys file into the kitchen at my shout, but I’m too angry to care about the audience. Illren frowns and folds his arms across his chest. “I don’t just kill freely, Nora. Henry came after you again. He needed to be stopped.”
“And if you’d cut his head off in that moment, I probably would have been grateful. But systematically killing off his vampires one by one in cold blood is way different. How am I supposed to live with that?”
Illren’s frown deepens. “Those deaths were the result of my actions and Henry’s. You didn’t kill them.”
“Didn’t I?” I pinch my eyes shut and pray for patience. “As Terrance loves to point out, I’m responsible for you, and you’ve spent the last couple weeks murdering people in my name. That’s on me, Illren. Eleven innocent vampires. Those deaths are onmyconscience.”
The teakettle whistles, startling me. Terrance moves it from the heat and leans against the counter. Illren grips my arms to gain my attention again. “None of those vampires were innocent. All of them had blood on their hands. Henry’s vampires are not good people.”
I jerk out of his grasp and lean back against the counter. “You don’t know that. Parker is a great man, and he was Henry’s right hand for centuries.”
Illren scoffs. “Parker Reed has plenty of blood on his hands. The only reason he was able to defy his sire bond in your case was because he was under your spell. Good man or not, he followed Henry’s orders. As does anyone Henry has sired.”
“That’s why you went after only his sired vampires,” Rook murmurs. He, like all the others, has taken a seat and is listening intently. I think each of them wants the same answers I do.
Illren nods to Rook. “They are the most dangerous. And because of Henry’s obsession, they are a threat to us.” He gives me another sharp look. There’s wariness in his expression, but no remorse. “I am not a heartless monster. I do not mindlessly kill. I did what I did to protect you.”
I shake my head. “Those men did nothing wrong.”
Illren clenches his fist. “Henry threatened you. He told you you made an enemy of him and that you would regret using your power on him like you did. Henry Stadther does not make idle threats or empty promises. I kept an eye on the clan and did not make a move until Henry forced my hand. The first two vamps I killed I did so because I caught them about to burn down Underworld on Henry’s orders to get back at you for the casino incident.”
I suck in a breath. I’m not the only one shocked. All of the guys go stiff, and Terrance lets out a very scary growl. His eyes turn black, so I move over beside him and slip my arm around his waist. Illren meets his angry stare with a steady look. “I sent their heads to him in a box.”
Terrance grinds his jaw and sucks in a sharp breath through his nose. He quickly regains control of his temper and nods to Illren. “I thank you.”
For a faerie to officially thank someone is a huge deal. It puts them in the person’s debt. In all the time I’ve known Terrance, those words have only left his lips once—the time I helped him find a missing troll. Everyone in the room recognizes the weight of the situation. Illren nods respectfully back and says, “You have welcomed me into your home and taken me into your clan. Please consider us even.”
Terrance nods again and the room falls silent, all of us lost in our own thoughts. Henry was going to burn down Underworld. Aside from our clan, that’s Terrance’s entire life—his pride and joy. “I can’t believe he would hurt Terrance like that just to get back at me.”
“He knows you, Nora,” Oliver murmurs. “He knows how much you care about us. He knows the best way to hurt you would be to hurt us.”
Bile climbs up my throat. “That’s despicable.”
Illren sighs. “He’s a thug, Nora. A gangster. He rules this city through blood and fear. There is only one language a man like him speaks: violence. I couldn’t let him get away with his actions. I had to show him our strength. Sending him the two men who acted out against us wasn’t enough. Henry needed to see that he is not the only dangerous man in this town that does not make idle threats. If he does not fear us, he will never stop.”
I swallow hard. As much as I don’t want to condone Illren’s killing spree, he makes a solid point. Henry wouldn’t stop if he didn’t have to. And there’s no question in my mind that Henry was rocked hard by Illren’s retaliation. He was a wreck. He promised a ceasefire, and I believed him.
“Okay.” My body sags in defeat, and I meet Illren’s piercing stare. “Okay, I understand.”
Illren steps close again and lifts my chin. “I am sorry that I upset you, but I promise you, I only did what I must to protect you and this clan.”
He’s so close I can no longer think. His presence is overpowering, and his scent is making my head spin. My heart speeds up, and I start to tremble. “Do not be angry with me anymore, Mistress,” he whispers.
My eyes follow his words as they fall from his lips. I know I’m staring at his mouth, and I know what kind of a signal that is, but I can’t tear my eyes away.
Illren sees my gaze drop and decides to act on it. He leans down slowly. I tell myself I should push him away, but my body betrays me. When his mouth covers mine, I lift up onto my toes and lean into the kiss. He pulls me flush against him and pushes his tongue into my mouth. The kiss is rough and commanding. Domineering, just like him. It’s a shock, but it lights me on fire, and I find myself submitting. I’m at his mercy for as long as he feels like holding the kiss. Which he does, until someone clears their throat.
The moment is broken, leaving me feeling lightheaded. I can’t move. My entire body is Jell-O. Illren keeps me plastered against him as I catch my breath, and he smirks at me, loving how much his kiss affected me. Smug bastard. I glare at him—which does absolutely nothing to lessen his arrogance—then tear myself out of his arms and scowl at Charlie. He lifts his eyebrows in surprise. “What’dIdo?”
I’m not buying his innocent act. “Why is it that every time I’m in a room with you, someone kisses me?”
