I’m completely intimidated by Killian. The rumors about him are dark and the name, the Shadow, is perfect for a guy who’s been accused of being a stalker.
I enter the kitchen, to find Killian dressed in black, leaning on the kitchen island.
I stop, wondering if I should leave again because Ryker is nowhere in sight. “Hello, Sasha,” Killian says, turning to me with the kind of smile that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“I can come back,” I whisper, my hands clasping together.
He shakes his head. “No need. I’ve just got Ryker practicing how to be invisible.”
My brow furrows as my gaze sweeps over the room. That’s when I see Ryker in the dark corner by the stairwell door. I gasp.
His eyes lift, “Didn’t mean to frighten you, Princess. I’m just going to work on a few skills as we prepare.”
“Right,” I say weakly, my fingers skimming down the dress. Killian makes me nervous and I’m desperate to retreat back to the bedroom. “I can leave you?—”
“Nonsense,” Killian waves me forward. “Much of this you should learn too. And while I’m teaching you, I want you to tell me everything you know about Sver.”
Funny thing, just now, Killian didn’t sound scary at all. He sounds…practical. Protective even. “I’ve known him most of my life so, in theory, I know a lot.” My guess is that they can hear thebutthat I didn’t say.
His brow furrows even as he gives me another smile of encouragement. Is it my imagination or is he softer than I thought? His look now is almost comforting. “The more information I have the better.”
“Well,” I find myself inching toward Ryker. “He is like completely devoid of emotion.”
Killian’s head cocks to the side. “How so?”
“He never smiles. Never looks frightened. He hardly speaks.”
“Interesting,” Killian shifts to more fully face me. “Tell me more.”
“There’s the fact that the guards speak openly about how many people he’s killed.” Sver has been in my life as long as I can remember. And yet, I know so little about him. It’s strange when I consider it.
“What about you. What have you seen?”
“He’s never said a mean word to me, but he’s never said a nice one to me either. The only time I remember him even speaking to me was when…” I cringe at the memory.
“It’s all right,” Ryker steps out of the shadows, coming to my side. “You can tell us.”
I frown. I’m not sure I can. I barely even know my husband, let alone his brother. I draw in a fortifying gulp of air. This is important.
“One of the guards got handsy with me when I was fourteen. Sver beat him until…” I think he might have killed the man, but I can’t bring myself to say the words. “And then he yelled at me to be smarter, smacked the wall next to my face.”
But after that, the guards who’d played poker with me, and other games, some of the only fun I was allowed to have, stopped even speaking to me.
I’m not sure what happened, but I know that Sver was the reason everyone began avoiding me.
Ryker rumbles, a dark and dangerous sound as he pulls me closer.
“What else?” Killian asks, ignoring Ryker.
I lean into Ryker, his arms around me making it easier to talk. “Sver runs my father’s personal guard. But he’d also leave for a week at a time, taking care of specialty jobs for my father.”
“He’s the hitman.” Killian looks back at Ryker, who is staring at me.
“Yes,” I nod.
“How did the guard touch you?” Ryker asks, sounding…dangerous.
I shrug. “It doesn’t matter.” The conversation has moved on, and I’m honestly relieved. That memory feels like one of the turning points that leaves me hollow.
