Page 74 of Empress of Ruin
“Something that led to a meteor on your finger.” Anna stares down at the engagement ring. “Jesus, Ly. This is… this is like himthreateningall the men in the world to look twice at you. This isn’t just an engagement ring; it’s the biggest stamp of possession I’ve ever seen.”
I gaze down at the ring. Eight carat centerpiece, surrounded by countless other flawless stones. Brilliant and shining.Beautiful… and so expensive I can’t imagine the price tag.
And Anna’s right. It’s not just a symbol of being bound to Killian, it’s a warning statement to the world. Any time I go out with it, I’m sure I’ll attract the attention of countless muggers, but this ring will also tell everyone else that I have a filthy rich man. And god forbid they make a move to upset me… then, they’ll be having a little chat with my fiancée. One they probably won’t walk away from intact.
I’m not actually sure what he’s capable of, but I wouldn’t put it past him to at least destroy the life of any other man who looks at me twice. That level of possessiveness should be frightening, but it’s secretly thrilling.
“What are you doing here with Carter?” I ask, gazing at Anna. “He’s bad fucking news, Anna. Are you two…?”
She grimaces. “No. Kind of? I don’t know…” she trails off, raising her hands to massage her temples. “Remember my ex, John?”
I frown. “Not really.” She has a lot of exes. Anna goes through men like an Upper East Side trophy wife goes through shoes; a new one for every event.
She nods pensively. “We were together for about six months like two years ago?”
“Oh, real estate bro with the crooked nose?”
She snaps her fingers. “Exactly. Well… turns out he made some bad investments while we were together, and got into debt with the wrong people. They… made him disappear and came knocking on my door to settle his debt a while ago. Carter stepped in and offered me a deal.”
“Fuck that,” I say immediately. “I’ll talk to Killian about settling whateverdebtyou have. Just get yourself away from Carter—”
“I can’t.” She doesn’t sound happy about it. “He won’t let me go until the terms of our arrangement are met, down to the letter. I’m inhisdebt now.” She quiets. “Honestly, I kinda miss being beholden to the thugs who came for me. Carter is… he’s the bigger wolf.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Let me help—”
“No. You can’t.” she swallows. “It’s not permanent, only temporary. And, honestly, I don’t actually think he evenlikesme. He’s not exactly nice to me. Our deal will run its course, and it’ll be over.”
In my experience, that’s not how it works.Mydeal with Killian was only supposed to last for eight weeks. Then I got pregnant. The memory still brings a twinge of pain to my soul. And a tendril of fear… because Killian’s been fucking me without protection for weeks. How long is it going to take before I’m pregnant again?
“Are you sure it’ll be over when he says it’ll be over?” I ask quietly. “Men like Killian and Carter… they play by different rules than you and me. You can’t trust—”
“Anna.” Carter appears in the doorway. The asshole actually lifts his hands and snaps his fucking fingers, like he’s summoning adog. I instantly want to kill him. Who the hell does he think he is?
What’s worse is that Anna actually goes to him. She squeezes my shoulders and kisses my cheek. “Call me.”
“I will. I’ve missed you.”
Carter snaps his fingers,again. “Now, Pixie.”
The fuck did he just call her?
“I love you.” Anna lifts her chin and struts over to Carter. He takes her arm and leads her out. I stare after them, my stomach sinking more and more with each heartbeat. Being entangled in this world myself is one thing; having Anna in it is more terrifying. I don’t know what her deal is with Carter, or what he has on her.
But we agree on one point: whoever was threatening her couldn’t stack up to Carter. He’s the bigger and farbadderwolf.
Killian comes to find me after I make absent conversation with Raegan’s husband for half an hour, trying to lean into my role as society wife. My compliance isn’t about pleasing Killian so much as staying alive and keeping up the image of our happy engagement. While it’s frustrating, it’s notquiteas unpleasant as I expected it to be.
With my background, blending in is easy enough. It’s second nature, really. While it might be uncomfortable… I find I like the respect that I receive from Raegan’s husband, and the glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.
“Lyra,” Killian says, dropping a perfunctory kiss on my lips. It starts out as mild, then evolves until butterflies sweep through me, fluttering the edges of my stomach and making heat gatherin my core. We only break apart when Raegan’s husband pointedly clears his throat.
“My apologies,” Killian says, pulling back and offering him a devilish smile. “Thank you for being such a wonderful host. Dinner was perfect, and the company was lovely.” He tucks my hand in the crook of his arm, exchanges goodbyes with Raegan’s husband, and leads us out of the ridiculously lavish home. Locke’s waiting for us just outside the door, smoking a cigarette. He drops it to the gravel driveway and crushes it beneath his boot when he sees us approaching.
“Everything stable?” he asks Killian. “I saw Carter dragging a pretty blonde out.”
“Not here.” Killian notches his chin at our awaiting car; we get in, and Locke peels out of the driveway.
“How easy will it be to surveil Carter?” Killian questions once we’ve pulled onto the highway. I settle back in my seat, only to gasp when he hooks a hand around my arm and drags me closer to him. I slide across the leather seats like I’m made of nothing.God, he’s strong. Certainly no stranger to the gym.
