Page 95 of Seduce & Destroy

“I am not.” She said as she stood, “Come back to me when you are done lying to yourself.”

Chapter 31

LANEY

Somehow, I never expected to be the one to fight for love. Somewhere between the pages, my stories of romantic tragedy, I’d lost my agency. This love was mine, we didn’t have to end up drinking poison or stabbing ourselves in the heart. Neither of us need to go up in flames.

Neenan returned to the estate two days after I did. As soon as he was in eyesight, I ran to him, apologised and confessed the sins of my father. We sat at breakfast in the mess hall, weary eyes stuck on our backs.

“When are they going to see us as harmless?”

“We’re still the enemy, that mindset doesn’t change overnight.”

“But what are they waiting for?”

“Revenge, maybe. They’d know a thing or two about it to be cautious about it.”

“Well, I’m choosing to be here, not under any deception.”

“It’s not that easy. You’re going to need to prove that you’re loyal to the Karsteins, not just disloyal to your family name.”

I groaned.

“Not just loyalty to their daughter, either.”

“Love is hard.” To desire and be desired was a dream I’d only known in books and films, now I was in the thick of it.

“Wow, what awful problems to have.”

“Yeah, because losing my family to the girl I like is easy.”

“Oh.” He shuffled toward me. “Shit. That’s not what I meant, I’m sorry.”

A shadow cast over the table. There was someone behind me.

“You can’t be in here.”

“I surrendered, I can.” I told one of Kilina’s brothers, I can't remember which. He had long hair that stuck out in numerous directions and piercing brown eyes identical to his sister’s. His posture was relaxed, though his arms were folded and his shoulders rigidly still.

Neenan stood in a similar stance, but he was across the long dining room table from me. If he wanted to reach me quickly, he’d have to climb over it.

“We don’t like your kind here.”

I scoffed. “My kind? I’m not infectious.”

“You’re a poison that is being rejected by the body, i.e. me.”

“Excuse me, you deal in narcotics, not me.”

I stood, facing him, our chests almost touching, though he didn’t seem fazed by the proximity. This man was in extreme control of his body. The tough edges of his shoulder blades, and hard pointiness of his elbow could be lethal when wielded, I knew because an elbow from his folded arms dug into my stomach. It hurt, but I wasn’t going to let him know that, no, instead I returned his stare.

“There’s a target on your back, Laney-Painey.”

Placing my foot on the chair I had just vacated, I reached for the knives stuffed in my sock.

“Laney…” A seductively thick voice drawled from behind me, firm but sweet, and completely out of nowhere, but I recognised the voice in an instant. “No.”

I didn’t move. I didn’t trust a singular movement on this man, he could overpower me in a second through brute force alone, I needed a precaution and I’ll be damned if Kilina prevented me from using them. Though I wasn’t great at offence, I was a master in defence. I was tired of people thinking otherwise. Just try me.