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But I can’t help it. I’m curious.
Aiden smirks faintly when I approach. “Hey, buddy.”
“I hear congratulations are in order.”
“Same to you.” His gaze drifts to my stomach before moving back to my face. “Double congratulations, in fact. Are you gonna name him after me?”
I roll my eyes. “Oh yeah. Definitely.”
He shrugs. “I think it would be appropriate. I’m the one who introduced his mom and dad, after all.”
“I think when we tell the story of how we met, we’ll leave the botched sacrifice out of it.”
“Botched. Okay,” he says, smirking faintly. “Little virgin standing here pregnant by and engaged to the man who was supposed to marry my fiancée, and you think you weren’t sacrificed.” His eyes glint with amusement. “What? Because you weren’t gangbanged in the woods? There’s more than one way to sacrifice your pawn, Brynn.” He nods in Killian’s direction without looking at him. “If your future husband didn’t look so tempted to kill me just for talking to you, maybe I’d show you how to play a little better. Unfortunately, I don’t think friendship’s in the cards for us.”
I frown at him. His words are malicious, but his tone isn’t. The way he looks at me does seem almost… friendly.
“I don’t think I want to play games the way you do,” I say warily.
“No, probably not,” he allows. “Too tender-hearted. That’s why you’d never have the life you wanted if I hadn’t hand-delivered it to you. It’s all right. It all worked out. Lucky for you, our paths crossed at just the right time. I’m sure you’ll be very happy with Killian, and even if he comes to regret all he let go to have you, I’m sure he’ll be much happier alive than he would have been dead.”
My wary frown deepens to a scowl. That queasy feeling is back in my stomach, but I don’t think it’s morning sickness this time. “What are you talking about? Why would Killian be dead?”
He shakes his head, watching me the way Hex does sometimes. “Come on, Brynn.”
My eyebrows rise and I shake my head.
“The trap was never for you,” he says softly, leaning in just a little. “You were the bait. I didn’t know you’d be such tasty bait, of course. Could have never predicted you’d be Killian’s kryptonite, but I guess at least Kyle did one thing right in his life. He picked the perfect virgin to sacrifice.”
“You wanted Killian to come there that night?” I ask skeptically.
“Why else would I have tipped Sloane off that it was happening? Killian likes to handle things himself, so I figured he’d come alone. I planned for him to die an unlikely hero, but Kyle couldn’t fucking aim his weapon. He was a nearly useless pawn. I liked you much more.”
I stare at him.
“It worked out, though. I only needed to take Killian out because he was engaged to Sloane and who would ever give up a loot like that? But then you caught his interest, and a better plan emerged. I didn’t have to risk killing a Blue Blood. I only needed to let you work your magic and help clear the way, so I did. Now you have what you wanted, and I have what I wanted. I think we made a pretty good team—even if you didn’t know the game we were playing.”
I shake my head. “Kyle… it was Kyle’s idea to… copy the Blue Bloods.”
“Was it? You really think Kyle Roarke did his research into the Blue Bloods’ founding ritual?”
That’s what Killian said…
But I guess Killian only knew what his “source” told him.
And if his source was Sloane, and her source was Aiden…
And if Kyle was a known copycat, and Aiden made the suggestion…
“You planned it and let Kyle… do what Kyle did and pretend it was his idea.”
“Now you’re getting it,” he says with a nod.
My gaze snaps to his. “I texted Kyle for help picking my costume for that night, but then when I got there, he didn’t know who I was.”
He nods once. “You texted me about the costume.”
My stomach drops because not for the first time, I’m reminded every interaction I had with Kyle where I actually liked him…
