Page 25 of Villainous Mind

The last thing I wanted was to be alone with Rhys Hughes.

ChapterEight

RHYS

Irubbed my hand over my forehead. Anger boiled inside me at seeing Navy with Davies. It shouldn’t bother me, but it did. It was Vortigern’s fault.

Jealous fool.

Or maybe itwasmy fault.

I hadn’t been with a woman in over three years. Not since the demon king took up residence. It wasn’t a problem. I liked my solitary life. It kept it simple and uncomplicated. That was until now. Navy made the situation complex, and I felt the need to protect her no matter how much I wanted to deny it.

She exited her car, grabbed her bag and slammed the door, then headed toward the Inn. I followed her as she approached the bar. “Do you have any rooms available,” she asked Owen.

“Sorry, hun, we’re all booked. Check Swansea. I’ve heard everything is taken with your lot between here and Milford Haven.”

I shook my head. “Fuck. My car is broken down.”

“I can call my friend Dan in the morning. He has a garage. Your car will be safe here overnight.”

“Thanks, Owen,” I said, stepping in. “I’ll call in the morning. She can stay at Môr Haven.”

Owen gave me a quick nod.

“I’m not-”

I stopped her before she could say anything else, taking her hand. “Let’s go.”

Outside, she pulled out of my grasp. I opened the door on my Aston Martin. “Get in the car,” I said a bit harshly.

She looked around, assessing her options.

“Need I remind you that it is not safe here. Girls have gone missing. You can’t just go walking around in the dark looking for a place to stay.”

“Fucking hell.”

I took her retort of resignation as agreement and grabbed the bag from her hand, placing it in the boot. At least I had her in the car. Kidnapper aside, I now had to worry about the red bloodsucker.

I pulled up in front of the caravan. “We can stay in the house if you want, but it will be cold.”

“No, thank you,” she said. “I’m exhausted. This will be fine.”

We got out of the car and went into the trailer. I was never cold, but I turned on the heat regardless and loosened the tie around my neck. I watched as she looked around. While the house was old and out of date. I had completely modernized the inside of the caravan. A full-sized bed encompassed the back room, along with a modern steel headboard and black duvet. The kitchen had chrome appliances and marble countertops. And there was a small living area with a built-in L-shaped couch and ottoman.

A look of relief softened her face. “I wasn’t expecting it to look so nice.”

“The bedroom is yours to use, and there is a bathroom to the left.”

I set her bag on the foot of the bed. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Sure.” She nodded.

I opened a bottle of red wine and poured us both a glass, putting a vinyl on the vintage turntable.

She sat down on the couch, taking a sip of her wine. “It’s good.”

The sultry sounds of Nina Simone filled the small space, and I felt myself relax for the moment.

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