“Shall we vote on it?” Willem asks, cocking a brow. I glare at him, but he ignores me. “All in favor of using Briar as bait?” Aiden, Willem, and Briar lift their hands in the air. I roll my eyes. “It looks like you’re outnumbered, Kane.”
I rise and step closer to Willem, lowering my voice so only Willem will hear. “I’ll overlook this, just this once, Willem, because you’re my friend. But don’t forget I’m your king,” I hiss.
“Briar, I’m thirsty,” Aiden says, breaking the tension between Willem and me. “Get me a drink, would you?”
Briar's tongue flicks out over her lips, nervously. She steps toward the bar and I see a flash of anger in her eyes. "She's not your damn servant," I snap, wrapping an arm around her elbow and tugging her back. "Get your own drink."
“Briar?” Aiden quirks a brow.
"I'll get it," Briar whispers as she gently slips her arm from my grip. She returns in a moment with a decanter of amber-colored liquid for Aiden. It sloshes as she slams it onto the table in front of him with a scowl. "Here."
Willem pins Aiden with an icy stare. “Briar should walk the alleys while we watch. If the Nephilim sees her, she’ll look like an easy target.”
“Let’s go,” I growl, stalking towards the door and leaving the others in my wake. I clench my fists, claws drawing blood as they prick into my own skin. Questions and accusations whirl through my mind. But above it all, is my fear that Briar will die.
And I with her.
Less than an hour later, I crouch on slick shingles. Behind me, there’s a range of chimneys, each serving a different apartment in the ramshackle building I’ve selected. I can see directly into the alley from here. Briar hovers at the end of it, and I can smell her fear. I breathe it in, but it isn’t as sweet as it once was. Now it’s tainted by my own anxiety. Scowling, I shift to get a better grip on the rooftop. Shadows draped around me, I’m well hidden if the Nephilim finds and targets Briar.
Willem is positioned on the ground, just across the street from the entrance to the alley. I glance across the rooftops, to where Aiden is supposed to be hidden behind a large chimney, but he’s gone. I grind my teeth in frustration, resisting the urge to roar out a curse. I should never have brought him with us. He’s a liability and always has been. I let my nostalgia get the better of me. Vaguely, I wonder if I’m getting weak; if I’m getting soft.
I turn my attention back to Briar in the alley; I can’t afford to be distracted. She changed into a revealing dress Aiden borrowed from the women’s dressing room at the Diamond. I know she’ll be grateful for the darkness and how it hides her, but I can see perfectly well. The gown clings to her soft curves, accentuating her hips and strong thighs. My thoughts flash back to our moment in the inn, and the way her legs tightened around me. I bite down on my bottom lip, trying to forget the surprising pleasure of the moment. Briar’s breasts almost spill out of the gown, milky white and perfect.
She wanders through the alley, swaying her hips as she walks. At the entrance, she pauses, leaning against the wall like the other women who work this block. Her long hair is loose for the first time in days, and I’m grateful for it. I didn’t realize how much I like the way her black hair drapes down her back. Focus, I chide myself silently. If something happened to her because I couldn’t control my baser instincts, I would never forgive myself.
“Brother,” Aiden whispers. I glance to my left, where he slips out from behind an awning.
“Damn it, Aiden,” I hiss. “What are you doing here? Get back to your post.”
“I came to apologize,” Aiden says, settling in beside me. He slips beneath the blanket of my shadows.
“Apologize for what?” I ask, turning back to Briar. She retreats deeper into the alley but seems fine.
Aiden shrugs. “What happened at the Diamond. You were right to be pissed about the girl.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I glance at him, searching his face for signs of remorse.
“Look, I know you don’t have a lot of respect for me,” Aiden says, rubbing his temples. “I’m your older brother, but sometimes it’s like you’re more mature than me.”
“I am,” I mutter under my breath.
“I want to make things right between us, and that starts with my behavior.” Aiden rests his hand on my shoulder, and I tear my eyes away from Briar to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m going to try to be better.”
“Better?” I narrow my eyes, thinking of the way Briar obeyed him earlier. “Then explain your relationship with Briar – my future wife.”
“We don’t have one?” He scoffs, raising his brows. “You’re too jealous, Kane – women don’t like that.”
“I smelled you,” I growl. His words strike a chord in me. I know he’s right, too much jealousy will push Briar away. But looking at Aiden makes me furious when I know he touched her. “Don’t lie to me.”
Aiden blanches. “Kane, it was nothing, you know she and I spoke in the hall of your castle. That’s it.”
“That’s –,” I start, but I fall silent when a scream echoes from the alley. It feels like I’ve been doused in cold water.
I tear away from Aiden, shadows slipping away, and peer down into the alley. My eyes rake through the darkness as I search for Briar. I spot her at the end, partially hidden behind a thick pipe. A man is pressed against her. She screams again, though
