Page 72 of Silk and Sirens

Her eyes flashed with defiance, a fight that I seemed to crave. “I can’t give you everything.”

“Oh, but you will.” I smiled, slow and dark. “Because you don’t have a choice.”

Finally releasing her I stepped back. Aeris smoothed her hands down her dress, cheeks flushed, and shot me one last warning look before she turned to join her family.

I watched her walk away, already counting down the hours until she was back where she belonged.

In my hands.

In our world.

Completely fucking mine.

Chapter 31

Aeris

I was tempted not to come at all.

To run instead. To make him chase me through the city, just because I could. Some twisted part of me loved watching this strong, powerful man narrow his eyes at my defiance, the same little rebellions that would get anyone else broken or buried.

Playing with Caden had become dangerously addictive.

But he was stripping me of my power faster than I could steal it back, peeling away every shield I’d spent years building until I stood vulnerable in front of the one man who both terrified and intoxicated me.

So here I was in his private lift, trapped in another bargain I had no hope of escaping, with a device in my pocket that Selene needed me to place.

Music reached me before the doors even opened, soft and deliberate, the notes spilling through the space like a quiet warning.

It washed over me in a way that should’ve been calming.

It wasn’t.

Caden sat at his grand piano, the lid open slightly to better echo the sound as he played with an expertise and elegance I’d never expected from him.

He didn’t turn as I approached, his frame relaxed as if he’d lost himself in the music.

“So,” he said above the melody, his fingers sweeping across the keys, “you can follow orders.”

“You had no right to turn up,” I said, that anger at first seeing him at my sister’s front door surging. “You agreed to protect them, not put them in danger.”

The music turned melancholy, beautiful as he continued to play.

“You should have turned up at Thorns when I asked.”

My breathing picked up, my hands fisting at my sides. “I was with Selene.”

The music stopped abruptly, leaving nothing but a stretched silence before he turned on the bench and stood. “And what exactly were you discussing with Selene?”

“Nothing that concerned you, or Sebastian.” Caden took a step towards me, but I stood my ground. “It’s an assignment.”

“What assignment?”

“Not everything I do is about you,” I snapped, even as his hand came up to claim my jaw, angling my head back. “I have to keep up appearances. Wouldn’t want her suspecting anything before you’ve found everything you need.”

His fingers flexed against my skin, thumb pressing just beneath my chin in silent warning. My heart slammed against my ribs, but I refused to look away.

“You’re staying here tonight.”