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I turn. When I see who it is, my jaw clenches tighter.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
8
ILARION
The man is tall, blonde, passably handsome. But the look in his eyes when he glances down at Taylor makes my blood boil.
So does the way she looks back at him.
“Callan!” she exclaims with forced cheer. “You’re here early.”
He ventures down the mouth of the alley, skirting the dumpster wide, before coming up to Taylor’s shoulder. I don’t like how close he stands to her. How he keeps trying to catch her eye, like they’ve got some nonverbal shorthand for him to ask,Is this guy bothering you?
“I figured I’d just hang out at the counter and wait for you.” He peeks at me. “Is something going on?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Taylor throws me a glare when I interrupt over her. I return fire. “Whatever plans you had with Taylor have just been canceled,” I inform him. “Her evening has been spoken for.”
His chest puffs up instantly, and honestly, if I weren’t so pissed, I’d be laughing. This fuckingmudakreally might consider going to war with me.
It’d be the last mistake he ever makes.
“Taylor?” he says, glancing at her.
She’s nervous, but she forces a smile onto her face. “This is Ilarion, an old…acquaintance.”Fucking ouch.“He ended up in town unexpectedly and decided to, y’know, stop by.”
“An old acquaintance, huh?” I ask, unable to let that one go. “I’d say our relationship runs much deeper than that, wouldn’t you?”
Blondie doesn’t like that anymore than I like him. But he’s insulted on her behalf, not on his own. He must look in the mirror every morning and see a knight in shining armor.
“Listen, pal, I don’t think Taylor wants to spend the evening with you.”
“Have you asked her that?”
He stops short, his gaze veering to Taylor’s for a moment. “Uh…”
“Don’t bother.” I adjust my watch. “Taylor, get rid of your preppy little friend so that we can talk.”
She flinches, but her boy toy puffs himself up again like a parakeet on show. “I am herboyfriend,” the man proclaims in a wobbly voice that says neither he nor she are quite sure the shoe fits. “And you need to leave.”
“Boyfriend, hm?” I repeat, looking at Taylor with an expression that suggests I don’t give a fuck.
But just like he’s convincing himself that she belongs to him, I’m working hard to convince myself that I don’t care what he thinks.
Given how fucking furious I feel, though, it seems to be a losing effort.
The best I can hope for is to feign indifference. Which would be way easier to do if I weren’t feeling so goddamned possessive.
“I’m surprised,” I comment with a shrug. “I expected you to pick someone with a little more…” I wave a hand over him. “I don’t know.More.”
Her unfortunate little Ken doll takes a half-hearted step towards me. “Okay, man, you need to go. Now.”
I meet him halfway. “You are way out of your depth here,” I snarl. “Friendly advice: walk away.”
