Aaron entered the room, and Brenna shut the door for some privacy.
Her dragon chimed in. Strange you want privacy now, when you were all but grinding against Killian in the great hall.
Not wanting to deal with an opinionated dragon on top of two alpha males, she quickly constructed a mental prison and tossed her beast inside.
With silence inside her head, she turned toward Aaron and Killian and cursed. Aaron gripped Killian's hair with one hand and pressed a talon at his throat with another. Aaron growled, "I should challenge you right now for disrespecting Brenna. She deserves better."
Closing the distance, she gripped the wrist of his talon-wielding hand and yanked it back. "I can take care of myself."
Aaron never moved his gaze from Killian. "He's unpredictable, Brenna. And given how you were kissing him back out there, I'm not sure you can."
She quickly twisted Aaron's arm behind his back and tugged. Hard.
"What the fuck, Brenna?" Aaron yelled.
Increasing the pressure on his arm, she replied, "Release him." After two beats, Aaron complied, and she continued. "If I need help, I'll ask. But if you think I'm going to allow you to start telling me what I can or can't do, then you've clearly gone mad."
"We don't know who he is, Brenna. And w
hether you want to admit it or not, that's dangerous."
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Killian's jaw tighten and a desire to protect him surged through her body.
Releasing Aaron's arm, she stepped between the two males. "Do you not trust me enough to judge what's dangerous or not? Kissing isn't going to hurt anyone. Or, are you hurting Teagan every time you do it?"
"That's different and you know it. I love Teagan and she feels the same about me." Aaron motioned toward Killian. "He clearly doesn't love you."
Killian's voice boomed inside the small room. "I may not love her, but she at least treats me as a fucking person and not a child. If you think I'm going to hurt the one person who doesn't make me question everything, then you're clearly not as intelligent as I thought you were."
Aaron took a step, but Brenna kept herself between the males. "Unless you have something related to the clan to tell me, you should probably go, Aaron."
She tried to read her cousin's expression, but Aaron was as good as any dragon-shifter male Protector when it came to keeping their faces neutral. "Teagan wants you two to at least have one dance with the clan, to keep up appearances. And tomorrow, she wants an audience with you, Brenna. Since there is no real post-mating bliss to account for, there are plenty of jobs she wants done by those she trusts." She nodded, and Aaron added softly, "Reach out to me if you need it, Brenna. No matter what it is."
Some of her irritation faded at his tone. "Of course I will."
Aaron looked at Killian one more time before he left the room.
Killian spoke behind her. "Thank you for standing up for me."
Taking a deep breath, she glanced over her shoulder. The usual anger and frustration in Killian's eyes were nowhere to be seen. "You're welcome. But piss me off again, and I may reconsider."
The corner of his mouth kicked up. "I would say I won't, but it's too much fun."
She battled a smile. "Well, if you're looking for fun, then our dance awaits us."
"Dancing is not fun."
While she should bite back her remark, the words escaped before she could stop them. "It means you get to hold me close and touch me freely. I thought you liked that."
Heat flashed in Killian's eyes.
If she didn't leave, she might do something stupid, such as close the distance between them and kiss the bastard.
Not wanting to tempt herself, she opened the door and stepped into the hall. "Follow me when you're ready. I'll let them know you need a moment to recharge yourself after our interlude."
He grunted. "My cock and balls still hurt."
"Good."