Page 26 of Ruined Wolfsbane

At my outburst, Malachi simply gives me an amused grin. His smile is infuriating and sexy in equal measures. He opens his mouth to respond, but Ronan cuts him off.

“Back off, Kai! Let. Her. Go,” Ronan barks, sounding madder than I’ve ever heard him. He has his hands clenched at his sides, and the veins in his neck are standing out. I swear I see a flash of amber in his eyes, too. Maybe vodka isn’t my thing. I’m seeing some weird stuff after drinking.

Malachi stares at me for a few beats longer, his jaw rhythmically clenching. Without taking his eyes off me, he steps back. It’s only half a step, but it’s enough that I’m no longer pinned against the island. I refuse to examine the part of me that mourns the loss of his hot, hard body pressed against mine.

Like the coward I am, I take the opportunity to turn and flee. I rush out of the kitchen and into the dense crowd. A ton of people have shown up since I went to the kitchen.

Great.

I hate parties. They’re literally the worst.

Shoving my way through the throng of bodies, I fight against the current until I see Rory. Her eyes light up when she spots me. When I reach her, she pulls me onto the makeshift dance floor. I lose myself in the music as we dance, trying my hardest to forget what Malachi Grimm feels like pressed against me… and how much I crave more of it.

CHAPTER 13

MALACHI

“You can be a real asshole, Kai. Leave Briar alone,” my little cousin warns me. We both know I’d win in a fight, but Ronan seems ready to try his luck for Briar.

“You have a crush on her?” I ask, dreading the answer. I hope, for his sake, the answer is no. My brothers feel the same pull I do to her. I’ll share her attention with them. Anyone else, though, I’ll rip limb from limb if they think of touching her. She’s mine. The beast roaring in my mind wholeheartedly agrees.

“Ew, no. She’s like Rory to me. Why would you even ask that, man?” Ronan’s face scrunches up in disgust. I breathe out a sigh of relief. That’s one less problem I need to worry about tonight.

Tonight’s main problem is lucky I’m not turning her ass red for her stupid decisions. I about had a heart attack when I saw Briar down half a bottle of vodka in one long drink. That’s way too much alcohol at once, even for one of us.

What the hell was she thinking?

Oh, that’s right. She wasn’t.

I saw the moment it dawned on her that she fucked up. Her ice-blue eyes widened in realization before she started shoving at me. Not that it did any good. Briar’s not weak by any measure, but she’s no match for me or my brothers.

I only barely bit back my groan at how good her small hands felt on me. It was even harder not to beg her to keep touching me.

“Just checking,” I rumble. Clapping Ronan on the shoulder, I leave the kitchen. I stride to the stairs, climbing up to the second-floor catwalk. From up here, I can see almost the whole first floor. I easily spot Briar dancing with Rory. I’ll leave her be as long as it’s only Rory she’s dancing with. If she dances with another man, all bets are off.

I watch her dance for a couple hours. Briar’s as carefree as I’ve ever seen her, due to the vodka, no doubt. I wish she’d tell me what’s going on, so I can fix it for her. Whatever it is that has her eyes drowning in shadows doesn’t seem to be a current threat to her safety. The second it is, I’m done waiting. Briar’s going to tell me whether she likes it or not.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when I see Briar moving through the crowd. She’s swaying slightly as she moves.

How drunk is she?

As she approaches the stairs, I make my way down to meet her, before her drunk ass gets in any trouble. “You drunk?” I ask as she reaches the bottom stair. Briar startles, not having seen me leaning against the railing.

“Absolutely,” she tells me with a grin.

“At least you’re honest.” My hands itch to touch her. I shove them in my pockets to avoid the temptation.

“I’m always honest, except when I’m not,” she says with an adorable smile and big blue eyes gazing up at me. Fuck, she’s cute. I didn’t know my shriveled, black heart could feel emotions like this anymore.

“That’s how it works for everyone, baby girl,” I reply with an indulgent smile. The pet name slips out before I can stop it. Oh well. I doubt she’ll remember it with how wasted she is.

Her dark brows furrow, but she doesn’t say anything else.

As content as I am to stare at her all night, I’d rather do it away from all the fuckwits down here. They’re staring at her, and it’s starting to piss me off. I have to remind my beast of the many reasons we can’t just murder anyone who looks at her. The longer they stare at her, the fewer reasons I have to give him. “Where you headed?” I ask, hoping she says upstairs.

“I dunno. I’m just tired. And I hate all the people down here,” she informs me, with her full lips turned down in a pout.

“Wanna go upstairs? The guest rooms are off-limits for the party. You can hang out until you’re ready to go home.”

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