She froze half out of her seat, her butt hovering a few inches off the cushion as she struggled with whether to obey Ahrun or not.
“He’s right,” I said, saving her. “You’ll be safer here.”
Surrounded by powerful vampires and Liam’s enforcers.
For that matter, I would too. I was a fool to do this. At the very least, I should inform Liam of Arlan’s presence.
That thought made my brow furrow. Why wasn’t I telling Liam again?
As quickly as the question entered my head, it was gone again.
“Come on, Nathan. Let’s see what this place has to offer,” I muttered, feeling awful that I was about to break my promise to be careful.
“I’d stay away from gambling if I was you,” Ahrun advised as I passed him. “We don’t need you coming home with any more husbands than you already have.”
“Ha ha. So fucking funny,” I grumbled with a baleful stare in Ahrun’s direction before chancing a peek at Liam.
He was watching me with a dark expression.
“I’ll be okay,” I told him.
It was just a quick look-see. I’d do a round. Find out what I could without endangering myself. Maybe gather a bit of information.
That was it. Nothing stupid.
I wasn’t even going to confront Arlan. Just make sure it was really him.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Liam warned, turning away before I had a chance to respond.
He stared into the pit. His jaw tight and set from how hard he was clenching his teeth. Cold fury stemmed from every line of his body.
Seeing how unhappy he was made me hesitate. But only for a second.
Love him though I might, I wouldn’t let that love control me. If he could take risks for our future, so could I.
That’s what it meant to be in a partnership.
“See you in a bit,” I told him softly.
Liam pretended like he hadn’t heard. Shaking my head in regret and a little bit of anger at how he was acting, I turned my back on him and made my way to the stairs Nathan, Deborah and I had descended not too long ago.
Nathan padded beside me as he flicked an uncertain glance at my face. “You sure about this, A?”
“I’m an adult. I don’t need someone else’s permission to do anything.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I checked on Liam’s reaction only to be disappointed with the lack there of.
Nathan whistled under his breath. “You really go for the jugular sometimes.”
The words felt like a slap. I withdrew behind my walls, my features turning icy as I stalked up the steps.
“If this is how you’re going to be, you might as well remain here with them,” I snarled.
Nathan followed me at a more sedate pace that somehow managed to never let me get too far out of his reach. “Someone is in quite a snit. Why don’t you tell Uncle Nate what you’re really up to so I can help?”
I stopped on the stairs to face him. “I’m getting really tired of people always assuming I’m up to something.”
Nathan arched an unimpressed eyebrow in a show of skepticism. “So you’re not up to something that’s probably going to get me into trouble?”
