Page 90 of Scars Run Deep

I’d known mentioning Killian’s mother would incite that reaction in him.

Rage and intense emotion.

And it was currently depicting him as unstable and emotional, someone who couldn’t control himself. Given that with what was coming, they needed a stabilizing influence, someone who could stay the course and not waver, it served to highlight the coveted rationality and steady hand in me. Exactly what I’d needed to undercut his suspicion and devalue it.

It wasn’t my favored way to do things—at least not with those closest to me—but he’d taken it there. And I’d had to shut him down before all hell had broken loose. Things were precarious right now, I had to ensure we weren’t thrown off track.

Because that’s what all these things were—Olivia, Lance, the Heretics—distractions. Distractions and interference threatening to divert us from our goal. It was a goal that had seemed near-impossible to achieve for so many fucking years, so now it wasn’t, now it was within our grasp, now I could see a clear path to finally winning out over the Infidels and actually tasting freedom, there was absolutely no way in hell I was going to let anything or anyone stand in my way and ruin that.

Aurora finally rose from her position on her stool, where she hadn’t moved until now, even during the near-brawl that had taken place and likely would have if Jonah hadn’t stepped in and formed a deterring wall of muscle in front of Killian. I’d already exerted myself last night as it was when I should’ve been taking it easy in a bid to heal faster. Responding to put Killian down would’ve pushed it even further—too far. It would’ve been another risk to my endgame.

She stepped right between Killian who was still frothing at the mouth, and Jonah who was still holding him off, tensed and ready for anything.

Jonah dropped his hand as she moved in between, but he didn’t take a step back, a groan escaping him as her sexy jean-clad ass inadvertently rubbed against the front of his boxers. As usual, he was the only one of us not dressed. The only time he bothered with it was when he had classes, or when he was busying himself in his workshop. Every now and then he’d put his chef’s jacket on while cooking, most often when he was working on something complicated or decadent.

She pressed her hand to Killian’s chest. “Stop,” she spoke softly, yet also firmly.

“I can’t just—”

“I know,” she told him, and the wild look in his eyes faltered at the understanding she was giving him. “You’re not being paranoid, your suspicions aren’t unfounded, and the way you feel isn’t without validation either.”

He very clearly didn’t know what to do with that and it had him taking a couple of staggering steps back.

She reached out and took his hand and, not letting go of it, she twisted to face me. “What do you know about the Heretics? Why are you brushing off their threat, or the interference they could pose to our mission?”

She’d almost backed me into a corner.

And it was all very impressive, including her handling of Killian.

It had the corner of my mouth turning up. Nicely done, sweetheart.

“Asher,” she pressed in that sexy, no-nonsense tone of hers.

“The Heretics knew we were there. At an abandoned house, one that had no value remaining. We weren’t tailed, I made sure of that. We all did, in fact.”

“You think they were tipped off?” Jonah asked.

“Things were secure on our end. We were very careful,” Aurora countered.

“Olivia would’ve been too. She’s fucking good, trust me,” Killian said.

“They infiltrated the contact protocol of Revenant’s that I used. More specifically, they were tapped into the signal that was sent out to Site A in Strenwell.”

“Jesus,” Jonah exclaimed.

“So, they have a connection to my father,” Aurora posited.

“Given that they wanted to take both you and me, the connection is likely to your father and Carson.”

“So, you think that attack wasn’t about the dollhouses, per se, but about the two of them? That’s why you’re not worried they’ll come at us when we take these other sites? They didn’t know we were there about the dollhouses, specifically, especially seeing as though the one we went to was disavowed long ago.”

“I think they’re watching everything and anything to do with both Revenant and Carson. They’re looking for the opportunity to strike. Taking us would’ve be used to draw them out.”

“Little did they know that caging you would’ve brought out the animal,” Jonah said. “They would’ve been slaughtered.”

Aurora’s eyes flamed. It was brief, but definitive. Mmm, you like that, little beast?

She looked away, then frowned in thought. “There was no mention of this enemy of my father’s anywhere in his files. Even data completely unrelated to the Infidels.”

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