“You’re being a mother hen,” I cut in, arms crossing over my chest.
Nolan whirled to face me, an icy glare that I was sure scared most people, directed at me.
I smiled sweetly, setting the bait I practically begged him to take. “They didn’t touch a hair on her head.”
“Her, on the other hand…” Astoria cringed as her eyes swept over me. “But she is kind of a badass the way she spoke to Dom.”
“Dominic was there?” Nolan’s voice dropped into a growl. Rage surged behind his eyes as he realized what could have happened if I hadn’t been there tonight. He ran a hand down his face, then turned back toward the truck. “Let’s go before your brother finds out and throws my ass in the basement for the night.”
A flicker of something dark caught my eye, a rust color, maybe blood, on the collar of his white T-shirt. My stomach turned, and I suddenly had no doubt what going down into the basement entailed. The Knights had their own ways of torture, and they had to have a place to enact those horrors without alerting the entire town.
“Acelynn is coming with us,” Astoria called after Nolan.
He halted mid-step, whirling around to point one finger at her. “He said no more strays, Astoria.”
“She doesn’t count as a stray,” she countered his point. “One, she saved my life tonight, so I think you at least owe her a drink. And two, Dominic gave her a message for the Knights, which is probably somethinghewould like to be informed of.”
“This is your funeral, Tor.” Nolan threw his hands up in the air at her before mumbling, “Kaius is going to murder her, and then I am going to have to murder my best friend since I was six.”
The drive wasn’t long, and before I knew it, a bar came into view like a relic of a forgotten world. A sign that read “The Queen’s Table” was barely visible in the dark. All its marquee lights were shut off for the night.
Nolan was the first out of the truck. He slammed his door, rattling the entire truck before rounding the front of the vehicle and stalking into the bar’s entrance.
“Excuse his lack of charm and hospitality,” Astoria muttered, climbing out after him.
I followed close behind and barely made it to the door as she swung it open. Nolan positioned himself in the doorway, blocking the way in.
Astoria tried to push past him. “Move. Before I start screaming, and you know how much everyone in the club enjoys hearing my tantrums.”
“He wants to speak to her. They are at the roundtable.” Nolan held his ground.
She cursed under her breath but didn’t argue any further. Nolan motioned to me, placing a firm hand on my back and leading me in. He guided us toward a pair of deep wood doors. Golden handles adorned each of them, and I watched Nolan slowly push them open, forcing us both inside.
Heat hit me like a punch to the chest. A massive, gleaming white round table dominated the room. The crimson insignia of the Knights of Lovelen bled across its center like a wound. Men sat on either side of the table in large, upholstered chairs, but only one mattered.
Images of fire and carnage piled up flashed across my mind as the devil himself, the man who burned my life to ash, sat inches from me.
Kaius Mordred.
His impossibly green eyes tacked me with lazy intent. It took every bit of self-control not to lunge across the table and choke the life out of the King of Lovelen. Not that I would get anywhere near him with Nolan standing behind me, but the attempt would soothe some of the burning anger crawling through my veins at the moment.
“It appears my sister may have brought home a useful stray for once in her life.” His voice was like smoke and aged whiskey. It filled me with a dangerous warmth in the pit of my stomach that I shouldn’t be feeling.
“I am not a plaything for the lot of you to toy with,” I growled out, taking a step forward until my hips stood even with the table.
His gaze dragged down my body like a brand. I leaned forward, placing both hands on the smooth wooden surface, spade necklace swinging between us like a threat. His eyes darkened at the symbol.
A playful smirk crossed my lips. “Like what you see, pretty boy?”
Kaius dragged his gaze back up to my face, eyes unblinking. “You’re no different from any of the other strays that my darling sister drags through those doors daily.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, studying his appearance for the first time since the massacre. His blond hair hung just past his sharp cheekbones, strands pushed back haphazardly. Even with half of his face being covered by the shadows of the room, I could see the light scruff that covered his jaw. His green eyes were sharp and piercing, a glint of mischief shining through them as he stared me down. His skin was weathered, kissed by theArizona sun and the wind, giving him a natural tan. The charm was almost worse than the cruelty that he wielded. A deadly combination that I wanted to explore more. Maybe I would have let myself if it weren’t for the fact that he found a sick delight in torturing the ones I loved.
A low cough of warning sounded from beside me, but I kept my gaze locked on Kaius. Settling back in his chair, he brought his left hand up to run over his bottom lip. His ring gleamed in a taunting motion that begged me to continue this game.
“But, kitten, don’t you know that whatever information you gained tonight will determine your fate?” Kaius said, voice dark as silk. “And then you’ll be whatever I decide you are.”
CHAPTER SIX
