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Instead, she looked right at me.
I was covering ground quickly, but I refused to run for five steps. My hand reached down, knowing just the right weapon to make my point. Another step, and I lifted my arm. I could see Nari's chest heave as she panted for breath. One more step put me at the back of Zayr's chair, and my desire's lips curled in pleasure. She wasn't scared at all, and that was the only thing that kept me from snapping.
Calmly, I aimed the end of the pistol right between this asshole's eyes.
No one heard the click as I flipped the safety off, but sound was fading fast around us. For the space of two heartbeats, we were at a complete standoff, and the club quickly became so quiet that the sound of a pin falling would now be loud.
"Remove your hand, sir, or I will remove your head," I told him, feeling as if the words belonged to someone else.
"I paid for this cunt," the man snapped.
"Mr. Bolan," Zayr said, his voice calm, quiet, and only barely trembling, "you clearly have the wrong cunt. This priestess is mine for the night."
"I paid fifty thousand gold for her!" Mr. Bolan screamed so hard that his face started to flush. "One night, I was told. From dusk to dawn, and I could have my way with her!"
"Then your problem is with High Priest Kinen," I replied, still feeling disconnected from my words. "If you don't take your fingers off of her, your problem will be with me. After that, it will be with the gods, and she's spoken for."
With a snarl, Mr. Bolan shoved Nari's head forward hard enough to make her crash into Zayr's chest, but I didn't lower the pistol. From the edge of my awareness, I saw Zayr wrap his arms around her shoulders, shielding her as best as he could in his position. I watched Mr. Bolan's face contort with irrational fury. My finger tightened slightly, tensed to pull if this fool so much as leaned towards her.
Then something banged at the front of the club. A moment later, one of the heavy wooden doors slammed closed. A man began running along the length of the room, but he wasn't heading towards me. I cared about none of it. I wasn't even sure I blinked as I waited for Nari's latest assailant to step the fuck back from the woman I loved.
Then shock rushed through my body. Nari's head twitched, which meant she felt it too. Something was happening at the side of the room, but I couldn't look. I didn't dare take my focus off this man. I refused to risk Nari in any way.
"Step back," I told the man. "Nari, I need you to put Lord Horvat's pants back together if they are open, get up, and bring him around this chair, please."
She slid back, which meant Zayr's pants were still together. Her hand found her patron's, and she eased him up. I lifted the gun, making sure it never pointed at them, and then lowered it right back to Mr. Bolan's face. The man huffed in annoyance, but with Nari out of reach, it seemed he was defeated. Without warning, he turned, storming away to the bar in the opposite direction of where Nari had gone, unaware that his movement had almost been too much - but he was gone.
Flipping the safety lock back on, I casually holstered the pistol and turned to check my wards. Nari was around the chairs, five feet from me, and helping Zayr button his shirt together. Thiemo, Ela, and Wraythe were gone, though. I made my way to my desire, scanning the room for them with each step, but couldn't see them, and yet the commotion at the front was only growing louder.
Then, "Talin!" Thiemo cried out.
"Now!" Wraythe bellowed right after.
Fuck! This night had clearly just gone from bad to worse, but the swell of conversation was timidly coming back. Without stopping, I wrapped my arm around Nari and turned her to come with me. I was pretty sure I mumbled something like an apology, which must have worked because Zayr followed, jogging two steps to keep up. My hand found Nari's far shoulder, holding her against my side, and I checked the room again for the people I loved.
Everyone was watching. All of them were talking. Clearly, I'd made an impression, but what else did they think a fucking guardian was for? Yet before we even reached my brother, Wraythe pushed his way towards us. Without asking, he guided Nari from me, tucked her in at his side, and shifted around to check on Zayr.
"Talk to Thiemo," he said, waving me on.
So I kept going, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on! Clearly, Wraythe now had Nari, which meant I needed to watch Ela. Behind me, the club had returned to normal, even if the laughter was a little more tense than before. My eyes jumped from person to person, waiting for the one who'd demand that we leave now - but it didn't happen.
Instead, I found Thiemo talking to Danis, of all people. The boy was breathing hard and his eyes were wide. My brother's face was pale, and Ela was standing too close, his arms around Thiemo the same way mine had just been with Nari, and I couldn't keep up. I felt like none of these pieces fit together, as if I'd missed some vital piece of information.
Then Thiemo shoved a letter at me. "They don't know you're here," he explained.
"We sent one to the temple as well," Danis said. "I don't know what's in 'em, Priest Talin. I just know that Kanten shoved this at me and told me to get here fast, but they wouldn't let me in the door. I'm not a gentleman, sir."
"He knows," Thiemo assured the young man.
But my eyes were scanning the note.Thiemo, come home. There's been a family emergency. Do not ignore this. I don't care what you're doing or with who. I don't know what to do! Kanten.
I shoved the letter back at my brother. "Go," I told him.
Thiemo just looked at Danis. "How did you get here?"
"I rode the gelding, sir. Branstan took the park cart. I also told your driver, and he's ready to run the horses hard," Danis rambled.
Thiemo just clasped the guy's shoulder. "Then you need to get back too." But he looked at Ela. "Or I can leave you the carriage, and - "
