Page 98 of Until the Stars Fall

I gritted my teeth and got in his face. “Stars help me, Brennan, I will throw you out of here.”

This earned me a laugh.

Lifting a hand, he tapped the tip of my nose like his brother had done earlier and smiled. “You’re not strong enough to throw me anywhere.”

I swatted at his hand and huffed out an angry breath. “If I can kill someone, I think I can force you to leave my room.”

Slowly he backed away from me, smirking like a drunken buffoon. “Fine, I’m going. But before I do…”

He didn’t finish his sentence and didn’t move, just stared at me.

Becoming impatient, I sharpened my glare. “What is it?”

Instantly he was there, standing right in front of me, so close his chest brushed against mine when he inhaled. Before I could scoot back, his arms were around my waist, pulling me to him. Arching my back, I tried to lean away and put as much distance between us as possible. His eyes searched mine, desperate and hungry.

“I was stupid, Lieke,” he whispered. “I can’t lose you.”

“You never had me, Brennan. Now let me go,” I said as calmly as possible. His arms tightened around my ribs, making my next breath difficult.

“Kiss me?” he pleaded.

“You’re engaged, Brennan. I won’t.”

He scoffed. “So are you. But we’re both puppets, Lieke. We don’t have to do what they say. We can be together.”

My anger bubbled up in my chest, becoming harder to constrain the more he talked. Through clenched teeth, I spat out, “You lost your chance with me when you refused to fight for me.”

“I’m fighting for you now!” he shouted, then slammed his lips against mine, his hand snaking up to the back of my head so I couldn’t get away.

My protests were muffled by his lips and tongue as he attempted to consume me. Desperate, I slammed my fist into his ear, and he released me, reaching up to the side of his head as he cried out in pain.

“Get out! Get the fuck out, Brennan,” I said, wiping away the feel of his mouth from mine. “And don’t come back. I mean—”

The door to my room flew open. Connor, shirtless and wild-eyed, rushed in and punched Brennan in the face. Brennan staggered backwards, but Connor was already grabbing him by his collar and dragging him toward the door. Brennan’s feet slipped several times as he tried to explain to Connor what was going on, but I didn’t hear any of his words through my own anger thrumming in my ears.

“Connor!” I yelled, but the damn fae didn’t stop. He threw Brennan through the doorway, sending him across the hall and into his own room. Brennan fell hard to the floor and—was the idiot laughing? Connor didn’t even glance in my direction as he reached for my door to pull it closed behind him, but I slammed my hand into it, forcing him to turn around and acknowledge me.

“Did he hurt you?” Connor seethed, his gaze trailing over my face and neck before finding my eyes again. But I couldn’t keep myself from staring at his bare chest and the intricate tattoo that covered half of it, reaching from his heart up over his shoulder like armor. It looked as if a chunk of his breast plate and pauldron had melded with his body, sinking into his skin.

Blinking, I met his eyes, but I didn’t bother answering his ridiculous question. “I had it under control, Connor,” I hissed through my teeth.

He looked at me for another breath before silently turning away and stomping back to his room.

CHAPTER 47

Connor

I kicked my door shut and stalked across the room to where Brennan had curled up on my sofa.

“What in the stars-damned fuck were you thinking?” I asked, barely keeping my anger contained.

I’d just finished bathing when I’d heard Lieke’s voice, raised and upset. At first I’d thought that servant, Lola, had decided to confront her, but then she’d shouted Brennan’s name.

Brennan twisted around to face me, his eyes lit up with humor.

“It’s not funny,” I said.

As if to prove me wrong, he laughed. “It kind of is though. Now she’s mad at you, brother.”

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