My heart constricts and I fight through the terror. “Traitor.”
“Although,” he muses, shrugging, and I hold my breath, “the only way she wouldn’t force you into this arrangement is if you were with someone else. Someone you cared about. Maybe even someoneshecared about.” His dark eyes peer down at me. “Anyone like that in your life, Colli?”
He winks, and my throat tightens again.What is he getting at?
I’m not withanyone. I can barely look at myself in the mirror and I have quickies in the library when I can’t handle the pressure to be perfect anymore. I certainly don’t have anyone in my life that my sister likes—cares about enough, that it would stop this kind of merging.
Who would want to be saddled with a woman who can’t produce a family—who likes dark things and isweird?
“No.”
Killian’s eyes narrow, annoyed. “Maybe you didn’t hear me.” He taps his chin. “Maybe engaged?”
“Engaged.” I test the word out, lips pouting. It tastes like bitter dreams and hurtful promises. “Like as in gettingmarried.”
I don’t want to be married. I’m here to stop that. How is this helpful?
Killian pinches his brow. “Engaged to someone that might be terribly hurt from you leaving.” He jerks his chin at Maeve. “Someone that maybe your sister might be fond of.”
The only person she’s fond of is Hayes?—
Everything clicks.Hayes. Maeve would never take me away from him. She loves him like a brother—he’s my shot out of this.
Sitting back, clasping her hands over her middle, Maeve looks at me, eyes cold. “Engaged? I would know if Collins is engaged.”
“You know a lot, Princess.” Killian smirks. “But not everything.”
She doesn’t like that. “Well? Are you?”
Licking my lips, I look to Killian for reassurance. Because this might actually kill me.
Hayes will just have to deal.
“I’m engaged.” I stumble over my words. “With Hayes. Hayes and I are engaged.”
We hold our breaths as she blinks slowly, face devoid of emotions. Not a flinch of recognition.
“Myfriend, Hayes?”
My shoulders hike closer to my ears as Killian snickers. The bastard is enjoying this.
“One in the same.”
She stands abruptly and Killian shakes with laughter. “Excuse me.” She stalks from the room and the man at my side whistles.
“Oh, this is going to begood.”
My stomach drops as nausea rises up my throat.
What did I just do?
9
HAYES
The black boxing bag swings in the abandoned gym, deep in the underground of the O’Brien manor. Ferguson had a thing for the old Irish fairytales and designed his home to reflect the ruins that littered the coast. Upstairs, the mansion is all dark floors and coats of armor, with various stuffed heads of deceased animals on the walls. But down here, in the basement, it’s full of torture rooms, a weapon’s locker and a high-tech gym.
Maeve opened the gym up to the men, allowing them to train. She said it was because they were growing sloppy, too fixated on their weapons. I had to agree.
