Page 107 of Resistant

He returns with a drink and a man who looks slightly familiar and introduces me. I forget the man’s name as soon as he says it, so I smile politely and laugh at his jokes.

The man in livery continues to announce people as they come in, and its loud background noise. I notice that Knox does not stop to clap for the other guests when anyone enters.

A waiter stops by and offers me champagne which I take before Knox can stop me. I feel strange; my hands are shaking. I have no idea what this party is for, or why I would be the star of the show.

I take a sip and pull out my chair to sit. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and it seems that the room suddenly quiets.

“Senator Declan Mcloughlin!”

I freeze and squeeze my eyes closed. How many Declans can there be? My brain goes on overload listing all the reasons why it cannot be my Declan.

A small voice says,but what if it is? I’m desperate to see him and furious at the same time. I turn my head slightly behind me, and there he is, my Declan.

His eyes sparkle as they wash over me, and he turns to greet someone approaching him. Knox has stepped behind me blocking my view of Declan. Knox’s anger is rising and rolling off him in waves. The intensity of it makes me shiver. My body begins to tremble, and I take another sip of my champagne.What will Knox do?

Disdain washes over me at the prospect that Knox will be angry with me, and a sharpness plunges into my head that makes me gasp.

I want to turn my head to see Declan again, but I’m afraid that Knox will see and punish me. I feel his knuckles caress that back of my neck and I relax into him leaning my head against his hip. No punishment then, that’s good.

My mind reels, what is Declan doing here? My fury wanes and is quickly replaced by a bubble of rage growing inside me because of the way he treated me; he left me vulnerable and now Brynn is dead.

I feel another presence behind me and look over my shoulder to see Mr. Anderson, guarding me physically. Knox moves away to shake hands and greet other people.

“He’s going to give you a few minutes to recover, but you’ll need to stand at his side and smile, make small talk with the people that you are introduced to.”

“No.” I whisper.

“Brynn, you don’t have a choice.”

I take deep breaths, finish off my champagne, and then finish off Knox’s scotch in one go. I stand, and Mr. Anderson guides me to Knox.

“Ah, here she is. Angel, meet my new colleague Senator Riley and his wife Sarah.”

I smile sweetly and offer my hand and try to suppress the shudder at his use of my nickname. The sharp pain in my head is pissed that he’s called me Angel and I feel like a war is taking place in my mind.

Senator Riley pats my hand like I’m the family dog and he and his wife move off to mingle with other guests.

The night continues in a swirl of people to meet, whose names I don’t remember. Most of them are polite, but it’s an edge past polite that lets me know I’m lesser.

Nonetheless, I am praised for my beauty which pleases Knox. I look around the enormous space for Declan, but I’m not able to see much more than a glimpse of him.

People are flocking to him, and he’s surrounded by a crowd. Knox notices and scowls, it’s apparent to me that he’d hoped the crowds would flock to us.

After a silent dinner, Knox leads me to the dance floor. The song is heavy with ceremony, and I’m confused but I paste a smile to my face and follow his lead. He pulls me in close and dances with me while the guests watch.

“What’s happening?”

He smiles down at me, more charming tonight than I have ever seen him.

“It’s the celebration of our contract. Tonight, you will sign it publicly, and we’ll be whisked off to our hotel room to celebrate our union.”

“What contract? We aren’t getting married.”

“No, Angel, it’s my ownership contract. This party is to celebrate ownership of the most sought-after woman in the world, the woman who can cure radiation sickness. And I’m the lucky man who gets to keep you.”

His eyes shine down at me, his smile is blinding. My cheeks hurt from smiling but I keep it in place and grit my teeth to keep the nausea back.

Where only hours ago, his blinding smile would have brought me serenity, now I feel something else pulsing under my skin. It’s as if two jagged pieces of a whole have managed knit themselves together and I’m confused about my feelings for this man.

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