had to to ensure he took her back with him when he left. If those were Liam’s orders then he’d follow them and he wouldn’t have even bothered to ask why.
I was going to have to kill him. Which wouldn't be easy, but I'd do it. Family or not, I didn’t give a fuck. The link of our blood meant less than shit to me. I'd chosen my own family with the Night Keepers and I would kill everyone and anyone who threatened them.
But that wouldn't be the end of it. Even if I managed to kill Niall, I had eight more uncles, countless cousins, endless hired thugs, all of whom would be sent here one after another until one of them managed to take her. And they'd probably kill the other Night Keepers to punish me for trying to stand against them.
"Kyan? Tell me what's going on," Tatum demanded, stepping in front of me and planting her hands on her hips to stop me from pacing anymore.
I stared down at her with my heart pounding and the rage in my flesh prickling with this deep intensity unlike anything I'd ever known as I silently vowed to protect her with everything I was. But it wouldn't be enough. I knew it. I could give everything, and it wouldn't be enough to stand between her and the O'Briens and this fucked up fate my Grandpa had chosen for her.
"My family have realised that the men we killed came from Royaume D’élite," I said, moving closer so that I could take her face between my hands and force her to hold my eye as I delivered the worst of it. "And Liam has decided that rather than try and cover up their involvement and mine, he wants to come clean and pay retribution."
"What's the price?" she asked, her breath catching like she'd already guessed.
"I'll die before I let him sell you to those animals," I snarled, my grip on her face tightening. "There has to be another way. I'll think of another way."
"Kyan..." The fear in her eyes was enough to break me in two and I shook my head defiantly, capturing her lips with mine and kissing her like I was drowning.
She bowed to the demands of my mouth against hers, our tongues warring, breaths panting, my grip bruising and yet none of it fucking mattered. It didn’t matter if I was willing to burn the world down for her because Liam O'Brien couldn't be convinced to change his mind. I knew it more certainly than I knew my own heart. Once he had decided on a path, nothing would ever turn him from it, unless it became detrimental to the family.
The fucking family I hated so damn much and which he cared about more than anything in the world. Not the individuals though. He didn't care one iota for our happiness or love. All he cared about was our blood. He'd fight tooth and nail to ensure that no member of our family was ever killed unless it was absolutely necessary. The only exceptions he made were for traitors. But I wasn't a traitor. At least not that he knew. I'd agreed to his terms, to being his puppet in exchange for him leaving the people I cared about alone, but I should have known that that wouldn't really extend to Tatum. He never saw partners as valuable unless they were married in.
My breath caught as my mind snagged on that idea and I pulled back from Tatum, breaking our kiss so suddenly that she stumbled forward a step.
"There might be a way," I said to her, my heart pounding as the idea took root in me and I found that it wasn't just some means to an end - I actually fucking wanted it. I'd never felt anything for a girl the way I did for Tatum. I'd never wanted to keep anything or anyone the way I did her. And I was more than eager to tie her to me in more ways if I could. To make it impossible for her to escape me. "Liam won't touch you if you're family, baby."
"What?" she murmured, frowning at me as the idea I'd had captivated me and I couldn't help but smirk at her.
"Look, I know that I'm a dirty, fucked up son of a bitch and pretty much the last man any girl would really want to tie themselves to for life. But I swear to you, if