Page 48
“Friends. Family. Allies,” he begins.
My gaze searches for Eilish, and I find her next to Mara and Art, spine straight, face composed.
She looks beautiful. And she also looks like a woman placed on an altar for the crowd to admire the sacrifice.
Fionn joins her side and my stomach knots.
Across the room, he’s the attentive fiancé. The Harrington heir. The man in the navy suit wearing a heart-stopping smile that convinces a room full of monsters he’s entered into a civilized engagement.
Alasdair talks about family ties, respect, and the future being strengthened by shared loyalty. He says Eilish’s name like she’s already been added to the inventory.
I swallow hard when Fionn reaches into his jacket and pulls out a small velvet box. The guests hold a collective breath when he takes Eilish’s hand and slides a huge diamond ring onto her finger.
The sparkly stone dazzles in the light. People applaud. Mara presses a hand to her chest. Art’s mouth stays flat, but he nods. Eilish smiles, and from a distance it could almost pass for happiness.
Fionn raises his glass.
“To the next Mrs. Harrington,” he says. “The wedding date is set for eight weeks from today. We hope to see you all there.”
While I struggle to catch a full breath, his gaze clashes with mine, and my pulse beats against my throat.
Everyone claps around us. My best friend studies the ring on her finger while I stand across from Fionn in her borrowed dress with his mark burned into my skin.
Ronan leans closer. “Sera?”
“I need to go home,” I whisper, looking away first.
His hand settles on the curve of my spine. “Now?”
“Yeah.” I angle into him. “Can your driver take me?”
“Of course. Let’s go.”
I don’t look back because I’ve seen enough, heard enough, and done enough to send me straight to hell.
Ronan guides me toward the main entrance, takes my empty champagne glass from my tight grasp, and hands it to a server.
Outside, the wind whips at me, lashing sense back into my brain.
Ronan says something to a man near the steps, and within minutes his silver Mercedes rolls around the front of the house.
The driver opens the rear passenger door, and I slide inside before my legs fail. Ronan gets in beside me and squeezes my hand.
“Did something happen, Sera?”
I shake my head. “Not really. It was a big ask for Eilish to want me there. Now Rafe knows, and by the time I get home, Saint will know too.”
The car pulls away from the Harrington-Kinnane celebration, creeping along the driveway until the electric gates close behind us.
“You know your brothers have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“I know,” I say, staring out at the dark trees. “I didn’t expect them to have men in there. I must have missed that briefing. No one else knew Eilish was the chosen bride until tonight.”
His hand stays on top of mine. “You’re shaking.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, you are.”
