Page 90 of The Alpha King's Hunt
Her gaze slowly shifts to look up at me. "He's the reason you're here."
"Here," I say, pulling out a chair. "Sit down."
She sits and rubs her face with both her hands.
"Martin said my family burned his to ash. That's what this fucking Morrígan Order believes. Apparently, it's made up of people my family wronged or destroyed. I don't know."
"And what do you know about this Phantom King?" I ask, keeping my expression neutral, but my mind is already cataloging every detail.
"Their leader, but no one knows who he is. Not even Callum." She swallows hard, her throat working against the motion. "But the feathers, those are real. The Morrígan Order uses them as warnings. Threats. Promises."
I step closer, my hand lifting to cup her jaw, tilting her face up toward mine. Her skin is warm and soft under my fingers. "Look at me."
She does, her green eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“No one is going to hurt you. I won't let them.”
“What about the Phantom King?”
I forcibly breathe air out of my nose and lean in closer to her. "No one is touching you. Do you understand me?"
She searches my face, her lips parting like she wants to argue, but the words don't come.
"Yes," she breathes.
She studies me for a long moment, her gaze flickering between my eyes like she's trying to read something I'm not saying.
"Do you ever get scared?" she asks.
"Scared? No," I tell her, my voice low. "But pissed, focused, serious, yes."
She rolls her eyes. "You're always like that."
"Not always."
She tilts her head back to look at me. "When aren't you?"
The answer comes too easily:When I'm with you.
But I don't say it.
Instead, I brush a strand of hair away from her face, my thumb lingering at her temple. "When I need to be calm."
It's not a lie. Not entirely.
She smiles.
"I need to call Declan," she says quietly, changing the subject. "He'll know more than Callum will tell me."
"Go ahead."
She picks up her phone from the counter, her fingers trembling as she scrolls through her contacts. She presses the call button and waits, chewing on her bottom lip.
As it rings, I lean against the counter when suddenly there's a bang on the door.
Keira jumps. "Jesus, who the fuck is that?"
I look down at her. "Stay here."
