Page 54 of A Cruel Kindness

Well, Ford was craftier than I gave him credit for.

Soren set the glasses down, then lifted the bottle with both hands in the air in exhaltation, humming in the back of his throat.

Ford and Esme both laughed, while I remained confused.

Soren twisted the cap off the bottle, pouring a glass and sliding it towards me. “This,” he said, with the tone of someone speaking about their most cherished possession, “is Muli whiskey. Ambrosia straight from the Goddess’s hands.”

I let out a shocked laugh, his praise making sense now. “You’ve given it a lot to live up to,” I said as I picked up the glass.

I heard Soren say, “Just wait,” right as I tipped the glass and took a sip. The whiskey poured over my tongue in a slip of rich caramel and warm spices, sliding down my throat easily before pooling in my stomach in a comfortable wash of heat.

“Okay, fine, that’s really good,” I conceded, drawing smiles from the rest of the group.

That was enough for me to fully settle in, leaning ever so slightly into my chair. That was as relaxed as my posture could get without my mother’s voice ringing in my ear to stand up.

As the Muli whiskey warmed my limbs, the rest of the Vir soldiers that had come with us trickled into the room. It was odd at first for me to watch everyone act like friends, when depending on the day, it was just as likely that they were aiming guns at each other.

But then I realized that this wasn’t their war. They had no animosity against the other side, they were just doing what they were told.

Duty flicked at my shoulders, but I forced it down with a promise to handle it later.

Right now, I could sit back and drink with new friends, taking in the rapid shift in my life, to try and enjoy my first time at a bar.

I did just that, joining conversations of people who came up to the table, letting myself laugh, and drinking to my heart's content until the doors blew open and silence descended upon the room so fast, it felt like the air was sucked out with it.

Chapter 14

Soren

I was having a wonderful evening, watching Bellamy’s brown eyes widen as she rapidly tried to take in her surroundings, then getting the chance to watch her laugh, before someone decided to piss all over it.

A Muli soldier who looked far too well pressed for this setting and was standing like his dick was too big for his pants was hovering in the entry way, arms crossed as he surveyed the space.

Four others stood behind him, either looking pissed they were dragged here or disgusted by the fact that people might dare to have fun.

He was clearly someone important, because every Muli soldier in the room looked like a child who had just been caught sneaking candy. The leader of the group surveyed the room, before his eyes landed on our table, snagging like he’d found exactly what he was looking for.

Actually, not our table. Bellamy.

My hand fell from the back of her chair to her spine, flattening against her skin and our Mark. There was no chance in hell that proud asshole was getting a word in with her without knowing that she was a paranima.

It wasn’t immediately obvious, since our Marks were on our back. The murderous stare I was giving him should have been his first clue, but his attention stayed firmly on Bellamy.

She sat up straighter, but didn’t so much as squirm as he marched through the pub. People moved out of his way so fast, a few chairs went down in their wake.

Realizing where he was headed, the Vir soldiers who had joined our table snapped up and made themselves scarce, flying to the edges of the room to avoid a confrontation.

I snuck a glance to Esme, then Ford, looking for any signs of recognition. Not that either of their faces would give anything away, but they didn’t look surprised or concerned. If anything, Esme was restraining a smile, ever one to enjoy the drama.

Ford was leaning back casually, arm slung over the back of Esme’s chair. Esme clearly hadn’t noticed or she would have swatted it off.

I forced myself to relax back into my chair, keeping my hand on Bellamy’s back to feel her heartbeat, rather than give into my instincts and kill the solider approaching before he got anywhere near her.

Especially when I realized that with every step towards us, he got taller and broader, more than anyone I’d ever met. Despite the predilection for the Muli to be slightly bigger than us, I eclipsed most of them.

Even then, he still had a good head on most of his men. Ford and I made eye contact for a second, silently acknowledging that this newcomer had threat written all over him in big shining letters.

I don’t like him. He’s looking at Bellamy too long, Mine, Mine, MINE, MI—, the Bond shrieked into my head, its voice sounding feral at the edges, like a dog barking through a mouth full of angry slobber.