Page 17

Cillian

“Keenan, what the fuck?”

“Cillian! Bia collapsed.”

“What?” I say.

“She fucking collapsed; fucking go to her you fucking idiot.”

I glare at him but ran out of the room and back into the reception hall to see a crowd around our table.

“MOVE!”

I yell as I push people aside. I see Bia laying on the ground with Kayleigh next to her holding a napkin to Bia’s forehead.

I kneel next to Kayleigh.

“What happened?”

“We were talking, and she seemed out of it. I asked her if she was okay, she said she had a headache, and I was standing up to get her something, but before I could take a few steps, she collapsed. When she fell out of her chair, she hit her head on the table. I keep trying to get her to wake up, but she isn’t responding.”

“Okay,”

I say as I gently lift her into my arms, then I look back at Kayleigh.

“Tell Daniel to meet us in my room. Can you have Mam and Daidí handle the party?”

“Go, I will handle this.”

Without looking back, I quickly walk out of the reception hall and to my room.

“Oh my. What happened?”

Molly asks when she sees me hurrying to my room.

“Not sure, she collapsed. Daniel is on his way, please send him to my room.”

Molly follows me the rest of the way to my room.

“Of course, let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Molly,”

I tell her when she holds the door open for me. I hear the door close behind me.

I walk into my bedroom and gently lay Bia down on my bed. I run my fingers over her forehead, her skin is clammy and sweaty. I go into the bathroom and get a washcloth wet before returning to the bedroom.

I wipe her face, but as I move the washcloth away expecting to see her tan skin. I see her jaw has a huge red mark.

Someone fucking punched Bia.

“MOLLY!”

I yell. I hear the door open, and Molly runs inside.

“Yes, Cillian.”

“Get me Kayleigh, now!”

“I will be right back,”

she says as she scurries out of the room. I turn my attention back to Bia and keep wiping her face and neck down.

Who the fuck is stupid enough to lay a hand on Bia? Especially today of all days.

“Cillian!”

I hear my sister call me as she enters the room with Daniel behind her.

“Who was with Bia today?”

“Uh, the make-up artist, hair stylist, Mother, the twins, her mother, and me. Oh, and her Grandfather. Why?”

I move away from Bia’s side. “When I was wiping her face, I discovered this,”

I say, pointing to the huge red mark on Bia’s cheek.

“Oh my god!”

she says as her hand comes up to her mouth. “That wasn’t there when we were getting ready. I was with her while she got her makeup done and until it was time for her Grandfather to walk her down the aisle.”

“Was he alone with her?”

“Yes, for a few minutes. You don’t think he did this to her? He seems like he loves her.”

“I’m positive it was fucking him.”

“How could he do that? She is so sweet,”

Kayleigh says as she wipes a tear running down her cheek. I go over and wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head.

“Some people are nasty assholes, who enjoy hurting the innocent.”

“Cillian.”

I turn away from Kayleigh to Daniel.

“I need to take some of her blood. If she passed out from exhaustion she would have woken up by now. I believe she was poisoned.”

“Poisoned?”

“I’m afraid so but I need to take her blood so I can know exactly what.”

“Do it!”

I tell him, and I pull my phone and text Brendan my IT tech.

Cillian: Bia was possibly poisoned I need footage of her and of all the staff from today. I want possible suspects by tomorrow morning.

Brendan: On it.

I put my phone away and watch Daniel slowly pull the syringe back as Bia’s blood fills the syringe. He takes two vials of blood.

“I would like to see if she was hurt anywhere else,”

Daniel says. I nod.

“Do you want to take her dress off her or...”

“I’ll do it.”

Kayleigh says.

“I’ll help you, Daniel, we will call you back in.”

Daniel shuts the door behind him. I sit Bia up; Kayleigh removes her veil before she starts to untie the corset on the back of her dress. I have to admit, up close the dress is beautiful, but Bia makes the dress stunning.

“Oh, Bia.”

“What?”

I ask, looking over Bia’s shoulder and seeing the indents on her skin.

“Who tied the corset?”

“Her mother.”

“Fucking bitch.” I mutter.

“Cillian! You can’t say that about your mother-in-law.”

“The fuck I can’t, look at Bia’s back.”

“I know, but you still have to be respectful.”

“Sure,”

I say, but we both know I don’t mean it.

Kayleigh slides Bia’s dress down to her hips. I lay her back down before gently lifting her hips for Kayleigh. Kayleigh goes and puts the dress and veil away. I gently unbuckle her shoes and toss them on the floor. I look at Bia and she has bruises along her ribs, her hip, and legs.

I call Daniel back in the room. He looks at her and shakes his head, muttering. “Fucking Bastards.”

He spends the next ten minutes checking for other injuries. He tells me nothing seems to be broken but if she is still hurting that I should take her to the hospital. I thank him before he leaves.

Kayleigh helps me dress Bia in a comfortable nightgown before she leaves and has me promise that I will call her if I need anything.

I sit on the edge of the bed I pick her hand up and run my finger over her wedding rings.

“I promise I will deal with whoever has hurt you, little lamb. There is nowhere they can hide that they will be safe from me. No one has protected you in years, but you don’t have to worry about that now. I will always keep you safe.”

I watch over her, and my parents and Leonidas come at some point to check on her. When it reaches midnight, she has yet to wake up. I decide I will sleep in the chair in the corner of the room. I don’t want to scare her if she wakes up in the middle of the night and I’m lying next to her.

My phone wakes me up when Daniel calls me.

Daniel: She has Rohypnol in her blood.

Cillian: She was given a motherfucking date rape drug?

Daniel: Yeah, she was. They gave her a big dose, so it will last up to twelve hours.

I look at my watch and see it is four twenty in the morning.

Cillian: So, in a few hours it should be out of her system?

Daniel: Yes, call me when she wakes up. I want to check her over after, and I also want to see if her attacker hurt her anywhere else.

Cillian: I will. Thanks Daniel.

I hang up the phone and call Brendan.

Cillian: What have you found?

Brendan: I see a waitress put something in Bia’s water, but she disappears. I don’t have a face, but I’m hoping to catch a glance from a different camera.

Cillian: Okay, keep looking.

I hang up the phone and walk up to the bed taking a seat next to her. I run my knuckles from her forehead all the way down to her chin. She leans her head toward my hand, it brings a small smile to my face. My sweet little lamb knows that in her wolf’s arms she is the safest.

“Bia,”

I gently call her.

“Mhmm.”

“Come on, little lamb. Open those eyes for me.”

“Mhmm,”

she moans again.

I lean forward and kiss her forehead; I take a deep breath and smell the flowery smell that is Bia.

“W-What?”

“Hi, little lamb.”

“Cillian? What?”

she says as she tries to sit up.

“Whoa,”

she says, grabbing her head.

“Easy, you need to lay down.”

“What happened?”

“You need to rest; you were drugged yesterday.”

“Oh, so did we...”

I raise my eyebrow, “Did we what?”

“You know. Uh… consummate our marriage.”

I stare at her. Was she really expecting me to fuck her when she was knocked out?

“You were unconscious Bia.”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I know, but it’s important to our families.”

“I don’t care what is important to them. I would never do that.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? What the fuck does oh mean.”

“I figured my family would tell you that they drug the brides on the night of the wedding so the husbands can do whatever they want to them.”

I clench my hands and take a deep calming breath.

“Bia, are you telling me that it is normal in your family for the brides to be drugged during the wedding?”

“Yes.”

“Fucking hell,”

I say, running my hands through my hair. I take another ten breaths to attempt to calm the rage burning through my body.

“Bia, I’m telling you this now. I will never fuck you when you are drunk, high, or unconscious. You will be fully conscious and give me consent.”

“Consent? You don’t need my consent, I’m your wife. I know I’m expected to be ready to please you whenever you want.”

“No. Just because we are married doesn’t mean you can’t tell me no. Okay?”

She nods but doesn’t look convinced. I text Daniel that she is awake. I call Molly next, asking her to bring up something for Bia to eat and drink.

“You didn’t need to bother her, I can get it.”

“No, you are keeping your ass in that bed until Daniel says otherwise.”

“It’s fine, Cillian.”

“No, it’s not but while we wait, you want to talk to me about why your grandfather put his hands on you before the ceremony.”

“Uh…I...”

“Don’t even bother to lie. I already know it was him.”

“Oh, it was nothing.”

“Nothing? Bia you have bruises all over your body.”

She shrugs her shoulders. “It’s fine.”

“Has he done this to you before?”

She shrugs her shoulders but luckily for her she is interrupted when Daniel walks through the door.

He gives her another checkup and tells her she looks good. He tells her to eat, drink some water and get some more rest so that she has a few more hours until the drug will be completely out of her system.

I thank him, and I see Bia’s hands are shaking. I feed her, hold her cup for her, and assist her to the bathroom.

“Do you need anything else?”

I ask her after I get her situated back in bed.

“No, but thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“For taking care of me,”

she says before she closes her eyes.

Again, she shocks me with how sweet she is. Why would she thank me for taking care of her? Fuck, how bad did her family treat her?