“Right, let me get dressed,” I said. When she didn’t move, I lifted an eyebrow. “Unless I’m supposed to go like this?”
“Your choice,” Amelia said, pushing off from leaning against the doorway. “I’ll see you later.”
“You’re not going to be there?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I’ve got to give the security team an extra debriefing, since somehow, a lone man managed to escape them yesterday.”
Embarrassment heated my cheeks. Right, that had been my fault. “I’ll see you later, then.”
She slipped away as fast as she’d arrived, and I shut the door behind her before I rummaged through the wardrobe. I pulled on a pair of charcoal slacks and a white button-down that fit my frame nicely, then I ran a brush through my curls, spraying them to tame them a bit. Even though my muscles ached from yesterday, no other signs remained that I’d bolted.
Yet a fundamental shift had occurred in me.
I was aware the situation was unethical—that my father and I shouldn’t be beholden to Cillian—yet I still wasn’t sure what my father had done. And if it was a matter of jail time or this, well, this might be the kinder solution.
I left the bathroom and slipped on some black loafers. Since I wasn’t sure if we’d head to a meeting right after breakfast, it was better to be prepared. At least, that was what I told myself.
My heart thumped a little harder as I stepped out of my room and made my way down the hall, and my feet dragged as though I waded through mud. Just last night we’d been here, after a hellish day. Today, it felt like a fever dream, even if my body carried the strain and fatigue from yesterday. Everything ached.
My footsteps echoed through the corridor, yet I didn’t have the same reservations as the last time I’d been summoned for a meal. After seeing Cillian at his most terrifying, I’d come to realize I didn’t fear him in the same way I had.
Because he could’ve aimed all his power and viciousness at me, but instead he’d come to my aid.
When I stepped through the door to the dining hall, I half expected Theo and Charles to be there as well. However, only Cillian sat at the table, waiting for me.
My pulse sped up.
He’d cleaned up from last night, and was now in the polished and professional attire I’d come to expect from him. His jaw was freshly shaved, his horns gleamed like obsidian, and his black suit fit snugly, highlighting the man’s bulk. He leaned back in his seat, facing away from me, and his casual sprawl ensnared me, the way his thick thighs spread and he dominated the space he was in. I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry.
Even though I approached, he didn’t budge or look back, yet I had the feeling he knew I was here the moment I stepped up to the door. Something about Cillian suggested a predator’s level of attention, and nothing I’d seen dissuaded me from that.
“I’ve been summoned?” I asked, needing to break through the quiet. I settled in the seat beside him on instinct, after doing so as his assistant so many times. I regretted the proximity at once. This close, I couldn’t ignore the power radiating from him, the intensity in his sharp, golden eyes. The scent of him, all brimstone and musk, threatened to overpower me, but I sucked in a shaky breath and focused on the food before us.
An array of breakfast fare had been left—eggs, bacon, and toast with a purplish spread that had a savory sort of taste. Apparently a demon delicacy, which I’d tried a few times. There was also a carafe of coffee and cups. I poured myself some at once, needing the hit of caffeine if I were to survive this breakfast.
“Sore today?” Cillian asked with a light lift of his brow.
Heat rushed through me in a fierce torrent. He referred to the great escape I’d made yesterday, I was aware of that, but the sensuality in his tone was hard to avoid. “Remind me to start working out on a regular basis. My body was not prepared for that level of exertion.”
“You’re aware we have a gym up here, correct?”
“I suppose you spend hours a day there,” I commented, not thinking.
Cillian’s grin widened, a few fangs poking out. “Noticing my muscles?” The wicked glint in his eyes was unmistakable.
I choked mid-swallow of coffee. Placing the mug down, I did my best to recover even as I spluttered on the hot liquid.
Cillian’s coolness had been manageable, easier.
Cillian’s full attention? I was underprepared. My whole body charged like I’d been plugged into an outlet.
“Look, I was a librarian,” I muttered. “The gym wasn’t high on my list of concerns.”
“Ah, so you can’t be well readandwork out?” he asked before taking a sip of his coffee.
I chewed on my lip. This was the chattiest he’d been since I’d met him, and I wasn’t sure whether he’d had a personality replacement in the span of time between my discovery of the West Wing and now. As though last night a lightning bolt had struck him andbam, he was suddenly sociable. “It’s possible, but I prefer to spend my spare time curled up with a book, not running laps like a madman.”
“Did you look at the library here?” he asked.
