Page 78 of Burned

“Treasure your instincts.”

“I do.” Rafe rakes a frustrated hand through his hair. “And my instincts tell me that if we keep avoiding every conversation that makes you want to kill someone, and if Erin can never be out of your sight, even for a moment, we’re never going to move forward.”

Blaze appears beside him. “I vote we make this happen.”

“We need to know what she knows,” Gregory says.

Cass wheels closer. “Same. Mostly because I’m nosy.”

Bayne stands near a window with a mug in his hand, looking like he’s ready to wrap this up.

I take a breath. “I want to hear what she has to say.”

“No,” Lucian says. “Absolutely not.”

“Lucian, you’ve got armed guards stationed every five inches. What could she possibly do to me?”

His eyes cut to mine. “Words can hurt worse than blades.”

“I know. Trust me, I know,” I say.

“You are not going near her without me,” he says.

“I wasn’t planning to,” I say.

That seems to surprise him. As well as everyone else in this room. I suppose my track record of wanting to do things on my own precedes me.

I lift our joined hands slightly. “I’m choosing not to do something stupid alone. Or make a sneaky plan that ends up blowing in my face. Or harass you till you give in.

Appreciate my growth.”

“Please,” Cass snorts. “We’ll be sure to mark it on your growth chart, Rin.” Blaze hides a choked laugh. We both ignore them. Lucian stares at me for a long second.

Then, finally, his mouth curves. Barely. “Noted.”

The warmth in my chest scares me more than Isobel. God, I love this man.

Rafe leads us back to the library. My steps slow as we approach the door. Lucian feels it. He doesn’t comment. He holds my hand tighter.

And we open the door. I’m starting to dread what was once my favorite room at Red Shutters.

I’m suddenly feeling very tired.

Bayne moves to a new window, a fresh view, another angle toward the line of trees.

All the guards have familiar faces. I don’t know all their names. Lucian probably prefers it that way. The food is untouched. She looks up as we enter. Her eyes go straight to our hands.

A strange expression crosses her face.

“You asked for me,” Lucian says. He doesn’t release my hand.

Isobel notices that too.

“I only asked for you because I want to talk to Erin,” she says. Her gaze flickers to our united hands, and sarcasm lines her voice. “And since you keep her in your pocket 24/7?—”

My turn to snort. “He doesn’t keep me in his pocket, lady. Trust me, he’s tried.”

“Well, since he won’t let you out of his sight, I have to ask his permission to speak to you.”