“You’re going to be the death of me one day, wild rose,” I tell her. “And it’s not you I don’t trust. It’s all those men who’ll be in attendance.”
“They can’t touch me without my permission,” she bites out, and I have to agree. Because if they come anywhere near her with their filthy hands, I’ll kill them all.
I lift the mask I’d been holding and offer it to her. The intricate silver design looks like lace, which will curve and mold to her face perfectly. She smiles, moving slowly toward me. The choker I gave her fits snugly around the delicate column of her neck, and I can’t stop the grin that tilts my lips.
“You do look exquisite. Thankfully, you’re all mine,” I tell her, as I lean in to press my lips to hers. She’s got a darker shade of lip color on; it’s not shimmering or glossy, but the contrast of the deep red with her caramel skin looks like it was made just for her.
“Thank you. You scrub up well,” she informs me, with a naughty grin on her pretty face. No, she’s not just pretty. This woman is flawless.
“Tonight, you stay beside me. I don’t want you alone with Creed. At all.”
“What happened between the two of you?” she questions, and my heart stops for a short moment. My chest tightens, and I’m not sure how to answer her because, if I do, I’ll have to tell her the truth. The reason she’s here, the reason I chose her, and also, who she really is.
“Why don’t we enjoy this evening, and when we get home, we can talk,” I suggest, not wanting to spoil the ball for her. As much as I know she needs to learn what’s been hidden from her, I can’t bring myself to utter the words.
I pushed it to the back of my mind for weeks. And, before that, I knew the time would come when I would need to tell her everything, but not right now.
“Let’s go.”
We make our way to the car, and I open the door, allowing her to slip into the backseat. Our driver nods when I round the vehicle, giving him the gesture that we’re ready.
Since Cass and Finn are gone already, we can have some privacy on our drive into town and then back out toward the castle. The darkness swallows us as the Thorne driver, Hank, takes us to the party.
“What happens at this event?” Nesrin asks, but her voice is low, whispered along the air between us. Do I tell her?
“Tonight, we will drink, dance, and then we’ll watch the initiation into the town for newcomers.” I didn’t want to tell her about this part until we were at the castle, but I need her to be confident when she walks in there. If she knew what fear does to these assholes, she wouldn’t want to be by my side tonight taking them head-on.
“What kind of initiation?”
I don’t want to respond. I remain silent and pull out my cell phone. Scrolling through the names, I hit dial on Cassian’s number and press the device to my ear.
“What’s up, Brother?”
“Are you at the castle?” I ask quickly. I can feel Nesrin’s gaze burning a hole through the side of my face.
“Yeah. The Havens are here. With the rest of The Black Knights.” There’s a warning lacing his words, and my stomach turns. “She’s here, too.”
“Fuck.” The plan we’ve carefully constructed is slowly falling apart. The person I was hoping wouldn’t make an appearance is there. Instead of panicking, I nod to myself.
“Keep her company. We’ll be there in five,” I tell him. “When we arrive, I want her gone.” I hang up before Cassian can give me shit about the orders that I’ve just given him.
“What’s going on?” Nesrin’s curious nature is going to get her into trouble tonight. All I wanted was this godforsaken party to go off without a hitch. I got too close to Nesrin, when all I was meant to do is keep her in line. But now that I’m invested, I know I can’t walk away.
“I hope you’re ready for this,” I tell her, keeping my tone cool. “Because tonight may be difficult for everyone involved.” I can’t meet her gaze, as I say this, because I’m guilty.
The lie that’s been eating me up from inside is going to spill free and poison us both. I should’ve told her the truth when I first met her. But I couldn’t. I didn’t realize I’d feel like this about her, and now, I’m on the way to my own fucking reckoning.
“Are you okay?” Nesrin’s hand lands on my thigh, which causes me to turn my attention on her. I finally lock eyes with her and see all the questions that are dancing in those pretty eyes.