Page 163 of Deceived Wrath

As I step out into the cold night, Kieran’s voice follows me down the steps, already speaking into the phone with calm authority.

“Ronan, wake up. We’ve got a problem.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

FIONA

I joltawake to the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs. I don’t remember climbing into bed, let alone falling asleep, but one glance at the time on my phone tells me it’s well past midnight.

I quickly scramble out of bed and race into the hallway to find Cormac stalking up the stairs. I don’t know what makes me panic more, the blood staining his hands and shirt or the wild look in his eyes.

“Cormac, what?—”

He brushes past me and disappears into my bedroom without a word.

I hurry after him but stop short when I notice him yanking my suitcase out of my closet and tossing it on the bed.

Oh God, he knows.

He wants me out.

It’s all over.

“Cormac—”

“I need you to pack.”

He’s still refusing to look at me, but the expression on his face mixed with the blood on his hands tells me everything I need to know.

I stumble as the air gets knocked from my lungs.

I need to buy myself some time. We can’t end things here, not like this. Not when he can barely look me in the eye.

“Cormac, y-you’re bleeding?—”

He shakes his head as he unzips my suitcase. “It’s not mine.”

“Then whose is it?—”

“Fiona,please.”

I snap my mouth shut as I stare at Cormac.

His head hangs forward as he braces his bloodied hands on my suitcase. “I’m sorry, but there’s no time to explain everything now.”

No time to explain?

When a man like Cormac Sullivan says something like that, I can’t help but feel like we’re in real trouble. The kind that we might not walk away from.

I flatten myself against the wall as I hold a steadying hand to my chest. I can barely breathe, and from the looks of it, neither can Cormac.

“I need you to pack. For you and for Scout, but only the essentials. Don’t worry about the rest.”

“We’re leaving?”

His jaw flexes, but he still doesn’t meet my eyes. “Yes. We’re going to Kieran’s. We’ll be staying there a few nights.”

“Why? Cormac, what’s going on?”