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My mind is blank and I look at the engagement ring on my finger. Anger blasts through me, so potent I gasp for breath. Sandra reaches for me, concern on her face.
“Aren’t you supposed to ask if anyone objects to the marriage?”
Relief rattles through me, washing away the fear I’d felt moments ago. I turn towards him, grinning wildly. Lan is here. Somehow. Looking calm and collected, as if he interrupts weddings every day. I sense he’s barely holding onto his anger.
Lan’s gold eyes lock on to mine, a band of red around his pupil. “Because I most certainly object.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
LAN
Wren is gorgeous, even with irritated, swollen eyes and the wan color of her already fair skin. Her pale green eyes are locked on me, baring her soul to me in a mirror of what our bond is sharing. The moment I get her back into my bed, I’m marking her fully. She’s mine, to possess and protect.
“How the hell did you get in?” Oberon pushes to his feet and I take my time looking over at the man I’ve hated for my entire second life. I’d love nothing more than to leap over the table and rip his throat out, slaughtering both him and the man who still has a hold of my woman. “Security!”
Two large men, human, appear behind me. They’re dressed like professional thugs and watch Oberon impassively.
“Remove this man,” he commands, and they both reach for me.
“The one on the left is Mark Simkin, and the other is Jude Dossy.”
Deidre’s a voice in my ear, feeding me information from her workstation at the Nightshade’s clan house. Oberon’s contracted a well-respected security company for his safety and the guards—including Mark Simkin and Jude Dossy—have a reputation for never accepting bribes. It’s a good thing I have no issue with threats of violence to loved ones instead.
“Simkins has a wife, two kids, and another on the way. Dossy’s widowed but takes care of his late husband’s mother.”
I take a step forward a moment before their hands grasp me and eye them, offering them a faint smile. Deidre continues to feed me their personal information, just as she did for the guards downstairs who let me in. “Mark, I think the name your wife suggested, Cora, is an excellent name for your first daughter. I know your wife, Lily, is excited after your boys, David and Ben.”
Mark freezes in place, his eyes going wide. I look at Jude, cocking my head and sliding both hands into my pants pockets. “And Mrs. Dossy’s recovering from her hip replacement is rough, which is understandable given her advanced age.”
“How the fuck do you know about my mother-in-law?” Jude advances again, his hand going to the handgun at his waist. Before he draws it, I pull my SIG Sauer from my shoulder holster and press the barrel to the middle of his forehead. He freezes, his dark eyes going wide but he doesn’t panic.
The same can’t be said for the officiant Sandra Ellens, who screams behind me. I’ll deal with her in a moment.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I tell him, still smiling faintly. “I don’t think your mother-in-law could handle the grief of losing you only two years after her son, Ethan, dying. She’d be all alone then.”
Jude grits his teeth and darts his gaze beyond me but I don’t look away from him. He’s debating, but his mother-in-law is his weak point. He might have no need to accept monetary bribes, but he’s protective of his only remaining family.
“Why are you two just standing there?” Oberon demands, his heart racing. Each person’s heartbeat is racing, creating a chaotic song low in my ears. Sour fear, most likely the officiator’s, taunts my nose and I almost wish I could let go and slaughter everyone in this room.
Not yet though.
“Check your phone, Lan.”
I retrieve my phone, the corner of my lip rising into a smirk as I swipe open the picture message from Malachi. An older woman is sitting on a back porch, playing with a small white dog. I show the picture to Jude, who growls in response but he doesn’t make a move towards me.
“Good,” I nod and lower my gun. The phone vibrates again and I swap to the photos Eris has sent. Grinning, I make a cooing noise. “Oh, Mark. Your twins are just precious in their matching outfits. And your wife looks ready to pop any day.”
“Give me that.” Mark snarls and charges me, I let him take the phone and his face goes white at the series of photos. Eris is particularly good at what she does. The twin boys are napping in their crib together, and another photo is of his pregnant wife curled up in an armchair. “Get the fuck out of my house.”
I reach out and pluck the phone from his grasp and return it to my pocket. Gesturing to the dining table that can seat eight with my pistol, I order, “Sit, sit. We’re just here to talk.” When they hesitate, I cock a brow. “Or, I can have the demon in your house....”
Mark stalks around me and sits down in one of the chairs, Jude following him when I jerk my head. Oberon takes a step and I don’t bother looking at him as I raise the pistol, training it on him. He freezes, grumbling. My eyes flick to Sandra, the older woman’s heart racing with fear.
“Sit down, Ms. Ellens,” I tell her, her quivering breaths are like nails on chalkboard to me. “Little Bird, please relieve the two stooges of their guns.”
“No,” Miles protests, his grip so tight on Wren’s arm when she tries to move that she gasps. I snarl but Wren stomps her heel on top of his foot, hard enough the bones crunch and he lets go of her with a holler.
As she comes around the table, I resist the urge to tuck her against my side. She’s been kept away from me for less than six hours, but it may as well have been an eternity for how badly I need her.
