Page 10 of Anywhere

“Do you know how to get to Rhys’s room?”

Liam wrung his hands together and looked down at his feet. “I’ma sorry, Master, but I’ma no ta interfere wit Master Rhys or ya triad union. If Master Rhys wants ta be alone, I cannie show ya da way.”

“So you can’t show me the way because he doesn’t want you to?” Liam nodded. “So if I didn’t want him to find me, I could ask the same thing?” Liam nodded again. “Fine, I don’t want him coming to my room again.”

Liam held up his finger. “Dat’s no what I mean. Ya can search him out, I cannie help ya, but if he knows where ya be, I cannie stop him.”

“Well, that fucking sucks since I don’t know my way around this fucking place. Tomorrow, the first thing I want you to do is to take me on a really in-depth tour. And I mean, I want to see every single fucking room this place has. Do you understand?”

Liam swallowed hard but nodded his compliance. Looking around the hallway with creepy fucking armoured soldiers and weapons lining the walls, I realized I didn’t know how to get back to my room. Sighing, I rubbed at my face.

“Liam, can you show me to my room?”

“Aye, Master, of course.” Liam stood up straight and led the way like a prancing pony. Reaching my room, he lingered outside the door as I was closing it, his eyes once more suggesting we could be doing a lot more. Was this guy desperate, or did I look that desperate?

“Night, Liam.”

“Night, Master.”

Taking a moment, I stared around the room and smirked at the thought that I had taken this room from Rhys. No clue why they would make him move, and if I’d known ahead of time, I would’ve said I didn’t care what room I was in, but now… now it was fucking satisfying.

“At least I’m annoying you as much as having to be here is annoying me,” I said to the empty room.

The jeans never made it off this time as I lay back down on the bed and put my arm behind my head. Annoyingly, I couldn’t stop thinking about the man who had crashed through the door. The fact that he was getting to fuck four women really burned my ass, but I ground my teeth together as I realized the women weren’t the reason my dick was standing up straight. I swore a line of profanity at the ceiling, then quickly squashed the single spark of jealousy. I didn’t want the triad, and I didn’t want him.

I really hated this connection bullshit. The power of the chosen union was definitely coming to life, but as long as I didn’t agree to the ceremony, it wouldn’t happen, and we’d get back to our lives.

Waving my hand, the candles around the room snuffed out, and the room plunged into darkness.

“For the love of the dark fade, please don’t let me dream of him tonight,” I said, but I had a feeling the exact opposite was going to be the case.

* * *

Mari

I stared at the bonfire and watched with half-hearted interest as Crispin, Ronan, and Caleb took turns turning the fire into different animals. They were all hysterically laughing at the large fire pig running around. I took a sip of my drink, my mind wandering back to my cousin who’d just arrived… Rook.

I didn’t hate my cousin—I didn’t even know him—but he was here to take the one thing I loved most in this world. Even though I knew the day would come and had prepared myself, telling myself over and over to stop loving Rhys, nothing helped. You’d think that when you grew up in the same house, you’d get sick of someone or, at the very least, see them as a true brother, but nope. From the first look, with those silver eyes, I’d been lost.

“Well now, ya dinnie look too happy ta be ‘ere,” Riegan said as she flopped down into the chair beside me. “Lemme guess. Yer cousin Rook arrived and has finally dashed all yer hopes an dreams.” She snickered.

I glared at Riegan. “Why are ya such a twat? Yer supposed ta be me friend.”

Riegan snorted and shook her head. “Aye, I be yer friend. But, Mari, for fuck’s sake, ya knew dis day was gonna come. Besides, I dinnie know what ya see in me cousin, anyway. Go for Ronan. Ya know he’s been crushin’ on ya fir years.”

The wind picked up and blew the long strands of my hair around my face, making me shiver. I glanced up at Ronan, and as if his sister saying his name drew his attention, he locked eyes with me and smiled. No matter how hard I tried to envision being with Ronan, I couldn’t. We were friends, but there was just no spark, no common interests, nothing that made me want to spend time with him outside of gatherings like this. All I could wonder was, why wasn’t Rook paired with Ronan instead?

“You know I’m not allowed to choose my own fate, and besides, I don’t have feelings for your brother,” I said softly and turned my head to look at Riegan. “Besides he’s cruel and who knows what he’d want to do with me,” I said, keeping my voice low.

“Naw, ya prefer ta pine over my knob of a cousin.” She rolled her eyes, but the anger was instant.

“Don’t insult Rhys,” I said. “He is a good man and will make an excellent head of the McGregor family.”

“Great man, ha! What do ya gather he be doin’ right now?”

The comment stung because I knew exactly what he was doing. He was once more burying his feelings the same way I did. The only difference was that he did so by sleeping with multiple people while I was here, but at least here was not doing basalainn demon blood. My hands were trembling with the thought of a single drop on my tongue, and I quickly pulled my hands into my thick sweater and clenched them into fists.

“I know what he’s doing, Riegan. You don’t need to throw it in my face.” I pushed myself to my feet. “Forget it. I’m going home.”