“Akita, grab Kenji and meet back at my place. Contact Callum and only Callum. Understood?”
He nods, shutting the door behind us.
Then Kado takes off.
I squeeze Cleo closer to me.
“It’s okay. You’re okay,” I soothe, running my hand up and down her spine.
“You killed him,” she gasped.
“I would do it again, too. Slower if I could. He hurt you.”
She pulls back, tears running down her face. “How do you know?”
“You winced when his hand was on you. I bet you’ll have a bruise on your wrist. He doesn’t get to harm you and live.”
“They will retaliate against you,” she says, voice shaking.
I choke on a laugh. “I’d love it if they tried, but they have no proof it was me. All they know is someone started shit and one of theirs died. The cameras will show an empty alley. If by chance they do connect the dots, they won’t be willing to risk my wrath. Trust me, princess.”
She presses back to my chest, her nose finding my neck. I smile when I hear her inhale. Her body stops shaking as she relaxes in my arms.
There is something strangely erotic about the fact that my scent calms her. Like biologically, she knows I’m her protector.
It speaks to an animalistic part inside me. The same part that demanded I call her mine.
“Are you upset I killed him?” I murmur in her ear.
She shakes her head. “I think I should be, but I’m not. I’m worried about you. I don’t want it to come back on you.”
Glancing up, I meet Kado’s eyes in the mirror. His smile matches mine.
She’s perfect.
“I’ll be okay. I’m going to get you cleaned up at my house, then we are going to get Callum to come pick you up.”
She tenses. “Father’s going to be angry. Callum isn’t going to be happy I’m with you without a chaperone either.”
I kiss the top of her head. “I’ll handle Callum. After what you said was going on, I think he will be more pissed at your father. As for your father, I can take care of that if you want, but it will start a war. Do you want that?”
She shakes her head. “No. I don’t want you to start a war with Killian.”
“Killian? Not your father?”
“I don’t care about my father. He hit me before we left the house. He would have done it again, too. He left me with them so that the father could have his way with me, cementing their alliance or whatever. My father’s not on my radar right now, but Killian loves me. I believe he would go to war for me.”
“I think so too, princess. It’s why he set up this courting the way he did, I bet. You said he didn’t give you a choice, but Callum listens to your opinions on it, right?”
She nods. “Killian asked me if I would consider you on the ride home from the fundraiser too. I thought it was weird and a moot point, but then the next morning he said you made an offer.”
“I made an offer before I left. I had to wait until he was away from you to do so, but I did as soon as I could.”
“Did you go there planning to ask for me?”
I think back to that night. I went there to start trouble, and I succeeded, but when I left that night, I no longer cared.
All I wanted was to get to know her.
