Page 65 of Their Dark Rose

His explanation satisfies me…mostly. For the time being.

Even though it stresses the fuck out of me. “Am I in danger?”

“We’ll kill anyone who tries anything.”

I believe him. I have no doubt he will. “Do you have a name?”

“We suspect someone, but without proof, we don’t want to act. Once we do,”—Finn leans back in his chair, grips the knife at his side, and strokes the blade like it’s a long-lost lover—“we’ll handle them. Our spies have their eyes and ears open until then.”

Fear? What fear? This man needs to talk about murder more often because, damn, that’s hot.

“When you say handle them like that…“ I slide my fingers along my throat horizontally.

“You’d be surprised by the things I’d do to protect your company.”

He bends toward me, sliding the tip of the knife along my stockings. A tear forms, starting at my knee and ending below my skirt. The slight pain excites me. Scares me, too.

I gasp. He swallows the sound by biting my bottom lip.

“The things I’d do for you, Briar Rose.“ His intensity and darkness terrify and delight me in tandem.

“My knight,” I breathe out.

“Your knights, plural.” Finn emphasizes the last word. “We’ll always be there to protect you. But there’ll be days when you’ll be alone. Like at the office once you graduate. In those minutes or hours, trust no one. And I mean no fucking one.”

We stare into each other’s eyes. He’s telling me half-truths.

I want the whole story. “Finn, I’m going to ask again. Is there anyone in particular?”

Finn grunts. “Your bitch aunt, for starters.”

Okay, that was fast. Clearly, he holds a grudge for what her stepson did to me all those years ago. He, Mason, and Falk are possessive of me. They shelter me. It’s no wonder they resent my mom’s side of the family.

Arguing won’t do us any good. I won’t tell him I chose to forgive them. Not tonight when Finn and I have made progress and had fun together.

When he’s feral this way, I assume that if provoked further, he wouldn’t have a problem acting like the beast he is.

Meaning, driving up to my aunt’s house to slaughter them.

I have other plans for us.

“Okay, I won’t trust her,” I acquiesce.

“Good girl. Let’s get you home.” He holds his phone up to my face, showing me the unopened notification. “Mason texted me like an hour ago. Misses his little toy.”

My eyes fall to my lap. Seems like my next request is going to be a hard one. “I don’t want to go home.”

Finn’s not having it, tucking his finger under my chin and pushing up. “Oh?”

Emotion rises in my throat, and I cough, clearing it. “I want… No, I need to say goodbye to your parents.”

To avoid the public’s eye, they hadn’t let me attend their parents’ funeral. Later in life, my godfathers had been grumpy as hell, never offering me to join them. I used to believe they blamed me for their parents’ deaths, and that was why they hadn’t taken me.

Now, in light of Finn’s warning, I have clarity. They’d been leaving me home to protect me.

I don’t care about my safety at the moment. I have to pay my respects to Eugene and Darcy. It’s way too long overdue.

“You’re asking to go see them?”

---