Page 53 of Bearing Secrets
“You mean about me,” she interjected. “People are talking about me.”
The newcomer looked apologetic. “Yes. Klebra is waiting for you. Outside your quarters.”
“Just Klebra?”
She felt a spike of fear run through her. Klebra was the name of the man who had broken into the quarters earlier and had fought Kirell.
“We can take the back ways,” she whispered. “It’s okay, I’ll understand.”
The last thing Natalia wanted was for Kirell to get hurt, especially if he was doing it to try and protect her. Whoever Klebra was, she knew he had a temper and that there was already bad blood between the two of them. If she could avoid making it worse, she would.
“He has a pair of his lackeys with him,” Kedd admitted. “Nobody serious. I’ll go with you, if you wish.”
“Let’s go.”
He started forward, and she hurried to keep up.
“Kirell, we don’t have to do this,” she said. “It’s okay, I understand. We can go in through the other way. We don’t have to use the front door.”
“We can’t actually use the front door. There’s a couch blocking it, remember?”
Natalia frowned. She’d forgotten that little detail. “Um, so why are we still walking in the main hallway? Shouldn’t we, you know, open up a wall and use the back entrance then? Avoid this Klebra character altogether?”
“You wanted to walk in the open,” he said stiffly. “This is what comes of it. If we do that now, we’ll appear weak in front of him and everyone who knows that he’s waiting, which is probably the entire House by this point. Weakness isn’t tolerated, not like this. We’ve got to confront him head on. I hope you’re up for it.”
Natalia nearly faltered in her steps, the intensity of Kirell’s voice forcing a dawning realization into her: she was in deep shit now. Whatever was going on, her insistence that they be seen together had just escalated it.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly as they approached a corner. “I didn’t know, Kirell. I didn’t know.”
He didn’t say anything.
He must be pissed at me. He just fought this guy this morning, and now he’s got another confrontation with him brewing, all because of my ego!
“KIRELL!”
The voice bounced down the walls, hitting the trio like a physical object the instant they rounded the corner. She could see a huge man, bigger even than Kirell, waiting in front of a door perhaps a hundred feet in front of them.
Kirell didn’t reply; he kept walking. Putting on her bravest face, she stayed at his side, doing her best to stare right through the three men ahead of them. The two smaller shifters were glaring, both standing a step back and to either side of the one she assumed was Klebra. But neither made any aggressive moves.
‘Lackeys’ was right. They’re trying so hard just to appear tough, that they look fake.
Long ago, Natalia had learned that those who tried to look tough rarely were, and those that just did what needed to be done were often the most dangerous.
“What do you want, Klebra?”
They came to a halt perhaps a dozen feet apart, the two groups staring at one another.
“To see the woman you’reclaimingis your mate,” Klebra spat.
Anger spiked in Natalia at his derogatory tone and she almost stepped forward to defend herself. A warning squeeze from Kirell held her back, however, forcing her to remember the situation she was in.
Kirell and Kedd were outnumbered three to two, and even worse, if a fight broke out, they’d be forced to protect her, making it even more difficult for them to win. No, she had to maintain her composure and trust that Kirell knew what to do to get them out safely.
“Go stir up shit elsewhere, Klebra. You’re not wanted nor needed here. You don’t have any authority.”
“Don’t I?” The angry, brutish-looking man took a step forward, and everyone tensed. “Don’t think I’m stupid, Kirell.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Kirell drawled lazily, though she could feel through where their hands connected that he was ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice, his every muscle taut.
