Page 38 of Scarlet Mark

He was a formidable adversary.

But no longer mine.

He wanted to be allies.

“What will you do if I tell you about Malcom?” I wondered out loud.

“To you? Or to him?” he asked.

“I’m not worried about me.” If Killian wanted to take down my former betrothed, then he needed me alive. “I want to know what you plan to do to Malcom.”

“Dismantle his little kingdom and smoke him out. Then kill him.” He tilted his head. “That includes removing the Roses, as I imagine they’re tied to him in some way.”

“You want to destroy all his allies.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because he made the mistake of trying to kill a Cavalieri. That’s not something I can allow to go unpunished. And I’m certain Arthur will feel the same way.”

“So you all will go after them?” How many did he say there were? Twelve? If they all were as skilled and trained as Killian, they might actually stand a chance.

“No. I’m taking this on. If I need help, I’ll call them.”

I choked on the coffee I’d just inhaled as a result of his proclamation. He watched while I sputtered, coughing the liquid up from my lungs, and caught my mug before I could spill any of the hot drink onto my lap.

Right.

He clearly had no idea how deep and far Malcom had rooted himself into this world if he thought he could take him out on his own.

Amir alone would require an army.

“That’s impossible,” I breathed.

He set both of our mugs down, then gave me his full attention. “I’ll be the judge of that after you tell me what you know.”

I almost laughed, my head shaking from side to side. “You have no idea what you’re asking of me.”

“Whatever he has against you, we can work through.”

Ah, that again. He had assumed the reason I didn’t want to talk was to protect Malcom. Then he jumped to this ridiculous notion that my ex-fiancé had something against me. “It’s not like that. I’m not worried about me.” At least not in the way he thought.

His brow furrowed. “Then what are you worried about?”

You, I almost said. Then frowned.Why am I keeping this to myself?

For months, I’d sworn myself to secrecy, too afraid to breathe a word of my knowledge to anyone. Not for Malcom’s sake, but for my own. Yet here I sat in a hotel suite with an assassin dispatched to retrieve me or kill me. This was precisely the situation I wanted to avoid. Apart from the scenario where he actually helped me.

Such a convoluted mess.

I’d never predicted this, never even considered this an option. My entire existence was based on my own will to survive. No one helped me. Ever.

Until Killian.

Technically, he took out those men to save himself. But he’d saved me in the process. And now he wanted revenge on Malcom.

“You want to kill him.”