Page 34 of House of Demons and Bones

Killian ignored them all and fixed his eyes solely on me. My pulse went haywire at his intensity and proximity, and I didn’t appreciate being affected like this in front of everyone.

“Barbie.” My name rolled off his tongue.

“My, look who decided to show up,” I drawled, going on the offensive and earning shocked gasps from everyone except Cami. “Late to the party, high sir, as usual.”

“Sorry I was late,” he said, his eyes sweeping over me again. Black blood stained my uniform; no avoiding that mess. “That blood isn’t yours. Are you hurt?”

“Everywhere,” I said sarcastically as I bounced between my feet, jittery energy coursing through me.

“Want me to make you feel better?” he purred, his lips quirking slightly.

Eva, Lola, and even Bea looked ready to pass out at the rare sight—a Killian smile, even a tiny one, was apparently enough to send them swooning.

Electricity rippled between us, the air thick with tension while everyone watched. Killian’s focus locked on me, and heat crept up my neck to my cheeks. Sy preened inside me, basking in the attention. My gaze held his—looking away would mean defeat, even if I was already regretting this staring match.

I’d always known he was stupidly gorgeous, but right now his presence hit a different level. His dark glory burned brighter than a supernova. The raw longing in those storm-blue eyes made my knees wobble. Every cell in my body screamed for me to throw myself at him, grab hold of him, and never let go.

But we couldn’t always get what we wanted, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to show vulnerability in front of everyone. I plastered on my best “fight me” expression, even with the significance of his being my true mate burning in my mind.

“Looks like you want to take a bite out of me,” he said.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “It won’t be a love bite.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I instantly wanted to die, my face flaming. Killian’s smirk only made me scowl harder.

“You sure about that, little scorpion?” he purred.

My eyes widened as he dropped the endearment in front of everyone. What game was he playing? He was still engaged, at least as far as everyone else knew. If he thought he could openly treat me like his dirty little secret, he had another think coming.

I hissed, “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”

Sy dragged her claws across her face.You’re hopeless at flirting, Barbie. Let me coach you.

His smirk didn’t drop. “Did I make you feel special?”

I stared at him, stunned at his sheer nerve. Did he forget that we had an audience? Did he not care that gossip about us would sprint straight to his betrothed’s ears?

His betrothed.The thought tasted bitter. What was his plan there? And where did we go from here?

His face turned stoic as his men charged down the hill, Rock and Cassius in the lead. They surveyed the scene, the Silent Blade as cool as ever, while disappointment flickered across the werewolf’s face—he had shown up ready for a fight, but all he’d get was cleanup duty.

The warriors bowed to their prince. Cassius darted a glance at me, but Rock regarded the black blood on my uniform before zeroing in on Deathsong in my hand.

Deathsong perked up instantly at the attention.

Hello, werewolf, miss me?the evil blade chirped.Like an itch?

Rock’s eyes went wide at the voice in his head, but his fingers twitched with obvious want. The blade was pure evil, but it was one of a kind and dangerously seductive. I was one of the few immune to its twisted charm.

I shook my head at Rock, warning him not to engage with the evil blade. Deathsong snapped its attention to its next target.

Well, look who else is here,Deathsong purred.Another favorite, Mistress.It slithered right into Cassius’s head:Hello there, Silent Blade. I’m the evil blade.

Cassius gave my gore-covered blade a flat look before turning to study the stuttering Veil, just to show Deathsong that he had better things to do.

I dismissed my blade before it could run its mouth more. It vanished in a puff of mist, zipping back to its pocket realm.

“Something’s off,” Cassius said. “The sentinels were supposed to be patrolling this area, but it was left wide open.”

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