Chapter 256

“You need to rest more.” Killian caught her by the arms and helped her sit straight on the bed.
“I feel a bit groggy. And I am no longer sleepy; I need coffee,” Inez told him. She pushed his hand away and tried to get up, only to pause and turn to look at the man. Conscious that she was butt naked, she hesitated to move. It wasn’t that she had any hang-ups about being naked—she was a shifter; she was used to taking her clothes off in front of others. Still, she didn’t want Killian to think that she was trying to seduce him or something of the sort. Because the man was the kind who would jump on her at the smallest chance.
And as much as she loved the fact that the man felt attracted to her, Inez truly couldn’t summon the energy to do the hanky-panky at the moment. She said to him, “You do realise that I am naked.”
His eyes darkened with something, along with amusement. “There is nothing left for me to see. That train has already passed, and don’t worry, I am not going to pounce on you. As much as I would have loved to, I won’t.” He flicked one brow and questioned, “Don’t tell me that you have suddenly gotten shy around me?”
Oh, she could hear the challenge in his words. He was pushing her to fight back, and if that was what he wanted, that was what he was going to get. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn
She slipped out of bed and walked around it. Ignoring the heat and the weight of the gaze that was locked on her back, she went to the wardrobe sitting in the corner and pulled out a drawer. Even though the two of them had not moved in together in Killian’s lodge, she knew that the man had bought a few things for her and stacked them neatly in his wardrobe.
She snatched a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt before pulling them on. Once she was done, she turned around and faced the man. Inez’s breath got caught at the sight of the predatory gaze with which he was looking at her. That bold and smouldering gaze sent tingles down her spine.
Guessing that it was time for her to change the topic, she cleared her throat. “Do you want coffee?”
“I would like another drink if you don’t mind,” he told her. His eyes darkened as his gaze settled between her legs.
Oh hell no. Her body was aching as if she had been run over by a bulldozer. Inez knew that she couldn’t bear his tossing around, which was why she turned on her feet and headed out of the room. She was too tired, and the man behind her had too much energy.
As she walked out of the room, her eyes caught her reflection in the mirror that was right across the corridor, sitting next to the cosy couch that she had arranged according to the aesthetic balcony view that she wanted to create for herself and man—the sight was truly cringeworthy. Her eyes had long turned into slits. Her lips had been brutally cut, and she was looking oddly pale. Paler than she had ever looked. Her hair was a shaggy mess, and there was an ugly purple wound on her head.
It was getting better, but slowly. Maybe in their attempts to save her life, the healers forgot to heal this wound.
Inside the room, Killian sighed. Pulling his head out from the fantasies where he wanted to drag Inez back to the bed, he rubbed his hands down his face. His mind kept flipping back to the moment where he had stalked Inez, only to find her getting attacked by the halfling. The memory made his blood run cold every single time.
He wondered what might even happen to her if Tracy hadn’t stepped in to stop the witch? Maybe Inez might have already been taken away from him, and who knows what those witches might have done to her?
He still remembered how panicked Inez looked when she passed out. Even though it was just for a moment, he had seen the panic, rage and pain as she had closed her eyes after the tranquilisers took effect.
Killian was pissed at himself just as much as he was at the bastard who sent that halfling down to his territory. He had fucked up. Hugely. He should have taken extra precautions when he knew that the witches were attacking the territory. He should have protected her better. But he was too conceited in his own beliefs that he had done a darn good job. And what happened? Inez was almost kidnapped. The thought alone was enough to steal the breath from his lungs.
As much as he didn’t trust Tracy, he was glad that the witch had stepped in and stopped that halfling. Whatever evil intentions she was hiding behind this little help that she had given to them, Killian didn’t want to think about them for the time being.
His beast was growling with him; he wanted to hunt down the threat to her and fucking eradicate it. The beast was a bit calmer now since the smell of scent had disappeared, but he still hated the threat that was looming over her head. And he wanted it gone.
Killian heard his phone chime and fished it out of his pocket. Dominic. He let the call go to voicemail because he was not in the mood to talk to the man. Nor did he like how Dominic was way too eagerly protective of Inez. Even though the two of them were no longer mates, the remnants of the mating bond were still there, and it made Killian stifled; he hated that Dominic had something with Inez, something that he could never have.
His phone chimed one more time before falling silent, just as the door of the bedroom opened. When Inez saw him, she frowned, “Whats the matter with you?”