Page 74 of Kept to Kill
‘Why no longer?’
‘Things change. Sentinels were needed no more.’ He shrugged.
‘And your mother? What did she think of your plans?’ she asked him.
‘It was her idea at first. She joined the camp in order for me to have a chance.’
‘Do you miss her?’
He nodded. ‘She was a good woman. A hard woman, but a good one. Much like Del,’ he clarified. ‘She and two of her cousins also joined the Army.’
‘And where are they now?’
‘My two cousins became soldiers. They were killed not long after my mother died.’
‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
He shrugged again. ‘We weren’t close. Once we joined the Army, I had no time for them.’
She was silent for a few moments, thinking that this man wasn’t close to anyone and hadn’t been since his mother died. Maybe they were more alike than she’d imagined.
The door opened and she gasped, diving under the blanket. It closed with an abrupt bang and then a heavy silence spread through the room.
‘You’ve done it, then,’ came Bastian’s voice through the cloth, and she peeked out from the covers to find both Bastian and Mal standing in the room. What were they doing in here? Had they known she was here? Perhaps they were just here to speak to Quin, who, still lying next to her on the bed outside the blanket, had not bothered to cover his naked body, just lay propped up on one side, watching them with a satisfied smirk on his face.
‘She came to me,’ he said. ‘Begged me. Didn’t you?’
Lily glanced up at him in apprehension. His voice was different now. Colder. The man who had been so tender with her, gone.
‘Yes,’ she said, meeting his eyes and was gratified by the shock she saw in them. He would not make her cower or feel ashamed. ‘Though he did ask me to beg him,’ she continued, her gaze not wavering from his.
Emboldened, she shook the blanket off and got out of the bed, not covering herself. They’d all seen her before, after all. She grabbed the garment she should be wearing tomorrow and pulled it over her head, though it did nothing to hide her nudity.
Without another word, she left the room, though once she closed the door she didn’t move, covering her mouth with her hand and wondering if she’d made a foolish mistake by going to Quin.
‘What was that about?’ she heard Bastian’s muffled voice ask.
She didn’t hear Quin reply. Mal growled something and the door was flung open. She squealed in surprise at Bastian and he gave her a foreboding look, pulling her back inside.
‘Did you forget what happened the last time we found you eavesdropping?’
Lily shook her head. Her earlier courage had fled and she felt the urge to cover herself. But she resisted. She would not show weakness now before them.
She didn’t look at Quin. She felt the sting of his betrayal again, worse now, and she didn’t understand why she was surprised by it. Though she was also confused by his abrupt indifference. What had she done? He’d turned on her when the other two had arrived. What was it about them that made him change so?
‘How did you know she was here?’ Quin asked the other two.
Bastian gave Quin a look. ‘How could we not?’
Mal started towards her, his eyes roaming freely over the gossamer silk. He met her eyes and she took a step backwards reflexively. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. Not really. But she was still afraid as a doe fears the wolf even when it’s not hungry.
‘I like this in here,’ he murmured, fingering the material at her shoulder. Then his eyes became hard as he turned back to Quin, ‘but not out there.’
‘This is about tomorrow,’ Quin said, running a hand through his hair. ‘You aren’t angry that I …’
Mal shrugged, eyeing her again. ‘Not angry. We all know the laws.’
Lily shivered, understanding what he meant, that she was fair game now according to the Brothers’ rules. She backed towards the door.
