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"And this," Adrian sang happily, sounding far too pleased by the whole thing, "is Trenton."
Trenton wore clothes identical to Simon and that wasn't where the similarities ended. The black hair, silver eyes, and height were the same. Trenton shared the same features as Simon. I might have thought them twins if not for the lines that shot out around Trenton's eyes, marking him as older than what had to be his brother. He'd seen more to life and it had left its mark on him. He also had a jagged scar that started at his mouth and ran down his chin, down his neck, and disappeared into his black button up. He, too, had a neck tattoo that mirrored his brother’s and it also flashed the silver of his eyes when I looked at it.
Thenpoof,it was gone in the blink of an eye and back to black again.
Magic, they both had magic inked into their skin and for whatever reason it had flared to life when I looked at it the first time. I didn't think this boded well for me either. So much so, I almost wished Rain would say to hell with it and come out to my rescue anyways.
"Ariel," Trenton said curtly. His voice was the same husky timbre his brother had but rougher, almost like he was a smoker. I didn't smell cigarette smoke coming from either of them. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
I believed he really thought that, it was in his voice.
I looked between the two brothers and almost took a step back at the possessiveness in their eyes. It wasn't normal for having just met someone, and it reminded me of the way Quinton looked at me sometimes. This wasn’t right.
"What's going on?" I questioned Adrian in a quiet, but frantic, voice. "Who are these people and why are you really here?"
It was rude to be so blunt with him and went against everything Quinton had coached me when it came to my behavior toward the Council members. But it couldn't be helped because I was freaking out here and there was no stopping it.
I reached under the counter and fumbled for my phone. I clutched it to my chest like a security blanket, or, better yet, a lifeline. I wanted to call Tyson and beg him to get here as fast as he possibly could. He was my partner in crime when it came to the Council. Hell, he was just my partner in crime always. I could really use him right about now.
"Put the phone down, child," Adrian ordered. "I am not here to hurt you.Weare not here to hurt you. You've got absolutely nothing to fear from us."
I hesitated before putting my phone back under the countertop. I didn't want to, but I did it all the same. A direct command from Adrian wasn't to be blatantly ignored. That, and it would only get Tyson into trouble if he rushed in here to protect me.
"These two," Adrian continued, "have both taken oaths and sworn themselves into the service of the females of our race. They are protectors, guardians if you will, and have devoted their lives to the safety of our females because there are so few of them these days."
He giggled to himself as he raised a heavily ringed hand to press it against his mouth. It did nothing to stop the giggles and I wasn't fooled in the slightest. He was enjoying my shock and confusion far too much.
"They're here for you, dear," he declared after getting his laughter under control. "They wish to serve you, to protect you. Isn't that just marvelous?"
My mouth dropped open and for once in my life I was at a loss for words.
What did that even mean? I was too afraid to even ask.
The shock wore off as I stared into Adrian's happy face. It was replaced with anger. This man didn’t understand that it wasn't okay to give a human being to another as if they were objects.
This wasn't even the first time he'd tried to give me another person.
"Adrian," I drawled slowly, hoping he really took in what I was saying here. "You can't give me another person, and you really can't just assign me what amounts to body guards without my permission. That's just not right. I also don't understand why you think you have any say in what goes on in my life or the people in it. It's weird and it's not right."
I had to snap my mouth shut because I almost said something about him not being my father and that I already had one.
Stupid, stupid girl. I couldn't afford to make mistakes like that.
"You mistake my meaning, dear," Adrian countered in a steady, sure voice. "It's not me who is, as you say, giving them to you. It's their decision to make and it's what they've chosen to do with their lives. The Council would never make those choices for people. We very much believe in free will. We're not here to rule over the witch community. I hate that you would believe that of us. We're here to guide and protect."
Yeah, right. That was a joke if I ever heard one. He thought he was king and wasn't fooling me.
My eyes shot to the brothers, wanting to see what they thought of Adrian's little speech. Neither of them looked like they'd even heard Adrian speak. They were solely focused on me, their eyes gleaming with dark possessiveness that put me on edge.
"You don't even know me," I addressed them, trying to warn them off. "You seriously don't want this. I'm a mess. And, not to be mean here or anything, but I think for the first time my life is actually working for me in a way that I like. If I add anything else to the mix, it's going to rock the boat. I'm really not interested in doing that."
Simon, the younger one, stepped up to the counter and placed his palms on top of it. He leaned toward me, his silver eyes flashing dangerously.
I took a step back without meaning to and Trenton stepped up beside his brother, placing a hand on Simon's shoulder.
"You're it for us," Simon stated in a dark voice.
"What?" I squeaked. "That's crazy.You'recrazy."
