Page 41 of Brandy Snap: Part One

Yet five steps away from the reception desk, I choked as a wall of power slammed into me, and I was nearly thrown to my knees.

My chest constricted, my breath stolen as I doubled in half. Shock pounded through me as my vision suddenly blurred and every defence I had disintegrated.

“Mr Risler,” a familiar voice curled from behind me as my composure vanished, and I thumped my palm against my chest.

I only had seconds to summon my aura, gasping as I forced a pulse of energy to tear through my body and bring me back.

I could feel precisely how far away he was, and I shot back up, standing tall, every cell in my body screaming in danger as I forced myself to remain still.

The receptionists watched us with tense gazes as I composed myself just in time for Michael Farringdon to emerge into view.

“What a pleasant surprise,” he said with a placid smile.

It appeared I had some professional handling of my own to do.

“I’m glad you think so,” I replied dryly as I locked eyes with the last person I wanted to see while engaging in an activity I would much rather keep a secret.

His aura was so strong I was left suffocating under the pressure of it. And I knew from experience it was barely an effort for him.

Michel Farringdon had a way with his aura that was unheard of, depending on which circles you moved in. The strength and control he had over his own power was deemed terrifying by anyone who’d had a taste firsthand.

If I hadn’t experienced Caspian in his rogue state, I would not be able to face Michael as he focused his attention on me.

“And can I ask what you’re doing here?” I said as my shoulders unwillingly relaxed.

“Hm… You mean besides the fact that I own the place?” he asked with a glint of amusement in his eye.

“I mean, because the last I heard, you were safely tucked away in China, and five thousand miles away from me.”

Michael paused, his aura shifting, pressing even harder into me as he adjusted his cane in his right hand.

Any stranger who had never had a taste of his aura underestimated him. He was incredibly short for an alpha, but it worked to his advantage. As did the all-black suit, though I could have done without the bowler hat. The reason for his black leather gloves was very different from mine, but anyone who knew him wouldn’t dare ask why.

I had seen him level a room, freezing every soul inside just so he could take two steps towards Zania and threaten her. While quite exhilarating, it was something I would rather not repeat.

“Now, would you like to tell me why you’re…hm…wanderingabout the halls? And please don’t say you’re simply here for a visit. I can smell more than one omega all over you.”

His countenance gave the feeling of a kindly older man. Except the chances of pain if I answered him incorrectly were incredibly high. Even in a public setting such as this.

I straightened my back as the pressure thickened.

“It is a private matter between myself and my pack.” And information I absolutely didn’t want someone like Michael Farringdon to have. If he learned of our deal with Zania, or that we had another scent match, I didn’t want to imagine what he could do to us. Information was the currency of his business, just before sex.

“I don’t believe you can say that when you are a guest at my establishment, Mr Risler.”

Though money flowed between the Farringdons and the Rislers daily, it was of no concern to him. He had made that plain so many times that it was almost comical how furious Zania had grown over the years regarding his absolute refusal to sell even one Knottinghill stock to her.

He tilted his head, his eyes thinning as his smile deepened.

“And…” he trailed off with another innocent look. “How is your charming sister doing these days?”

I stemmed my sharp dart of irritation. Though I appeared calm, my heart jumped at a single mention of her.

“She is fine, thank you,” I replied, wishing I had the means to remove her from his memory so he could never touch her.

I needed to halt the search for Melanie and escape this conversation instead. I didn’t want to go down this path with him.

“It’s been four months since I’ve seen her out and about. Such a shame. I miss that pretty face of hers.”

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