Page 55 of Creatures in the Night

“Hi,” she said, giving me a warm smile as she shut the door behind her. “I’m Keavy O’Brien, Declan’s wife.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

My hands tightened around the lapels of my robe. “Mrs. O’Brien-”

“Oh, go on with that,” she chided, waving her hand at me. “Call me Keavy, please.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I blurted. “I’m pretty sure that The O’Brien wouldn’t like it.”

“The O’Brien will get over it,” she snorted dismissively. “Do you mind if I sit?”

I shook my head as Keavy took a seat on the rocking chair in the corner of the room. The piece had been beautifully designed, and I knew that it had been placed in here for decorative purposes only, but there was no way in hell that I was going to tell The O’Brien’s wife that she couldn’t sit in it. In fact, she could destroy every piece of furniture in this room, and I wouldn’t utter a goddamn word to stop her.

Once she got comfortable, I asked, “May I ask why you’re here?”

“Declan and Noah are taking care of the mess downstairs,” she said conversationally. “When Noah called me to ask me if I’d mind keeping you company, I came right over, though it made Declan’s accent come out.”

That got my attention. “What do you mean?” I asked as I took a seat on the bed, facing her.

Keavy grinned, and she really had a spectacular beauty about her. “His accent only comes out when he’s angry or extremely irritated,” she answered, surprising me.

“Really?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it took me a bit to catch on, but it’s really quite useful when I’m trying to gauge his mood.”

“Noah’s accent fades in and out also,” I told her.

“Noah’s accent comes out when he’s being sarcastic,” she informed me. “That’s how you know that he’s running low on patience.”

“It’s condescending,” I replied, remembering the first time that I’d ever heard it.

“They’re all condescending,” she quipped. “In case you haven’t noticed, the whole lot of them are very…alphaesque.” She grinned. “Lots of people like to call it toxic masculinity, but I think it’s hot as hell when Declan gets all growly on me.”

Despite my current circumstances, I smiled. “Like strong men, do you?”

Keavy shrugged. “I like Declan,” she corrected. “However, since I’m not a weak woman, strong men don’t intimidate me.”

I winced.

“Wow…that’s kind of harsh,” I replied, trying to defend women in general.

Grinning, she said, “Okay…well, since I’m not a weak person, strong people don’t intimidate me.”

“Life’s not always so black and white like that,” I said, suddenly feeling very inferior to the beautiful woman.

“No, it’s not,” she agreed. “I was lucky enough to be raised by a man that taught me how to value myself above all others, so I’m not like most people. While I love Declan with all my heart, I’ll never love him more than I love myself.” She shrugged again. “And if he loves me like he says he does, then I’ll never have to choose.”

“Noah claims that he loves me,” I told her, having no one else to talk to about this. “However, it’s hard to believe with his people continuously trying to kill me as a favor to him.”

“Shea, I’m going to be very blunt with you,” she said, and I could feel the pit of my stomach begin to churn uncomfortably. “Noah Murphy doesn’t need anyone to kill you for him. If he really wanted you dead, then your parents would be placing flowers on your grave as we speak.”

“Not if he made a deal with The O’Brien,” I pointed out.

“Shea, those two men are thicker than thieves,” she said. “Why do you think that Noah is Declan’s second-in-command over his own brothers? If Noah wanted you gone, Declan would support him fully. Their family bond is tighter than what anyone could imagine.”

“I wish that I could believe that,” I replied softly.

“Which is why I’m here,” she announced boldly.

---