can’t decide if I’m more turned on at Rian’s seductive voice and flattering comments, or if I’m just straight up fucking embarrassed.
“I’m not entirely sure Isla’s my mate,” Matthieu says, shrugging apologetically.
“What?” Rian scoffs. His eyes scan over me from head to toe, and his expression is so loving when he meets my eyes again. “How is that possible? Just looking at her is making me feel insane.”
I pull away from him. He sounds so sure, but how can you even tell someone’s your mate or not? It’s too much for me to understand or try to deal with right now.
“Listen, I just…” I back away slowly and hold my hands up. “I really need to find Alistair. Maybe we can talk about this all later when I’m sober. It’s just a lot to take in.”
Both males look extremely guilty, and Rian runs his hand through his golden hair as he clears his throat. “Right, yes. That’s completely understandable. My bedroom is down the hallway right past the library, last door on the left. You’re both free to sleep there tonight if you’d like, and I promise not to bother you again until you’re ready to talk.”
That’s actually an incredibly sweet offer. Butterflies are writhing nervously in my stomach, but I offer Lord Rian a grateful smile as I turn to make my way back inside.
Matthieu jumps forward and stops me, cupping my face between his hands. He grins down at me and asks, “Promise not to sneak out or disappear without saying goodbye?”
I’m not stupid enough to make a promise to a witch, even if he seems sweet and says we share a connection. I raise my eyebrows at him defiantly. “I’m not very hard to find.”
I leave them on the balcony, and I force myself not to look back over my shoulder as I make my way through the apartment. In the short time I spent outside, the party has become even more chaotic. Someone’s turned on some modern music, and it’s so fucking loud that the bass is making the floor and all the furniture shake. People are dancing and grinding everywhere, and the unmistakable scent of sex, alcohol, and magic is lingering in every room.
I step carefully over a broken vase and grimace at a couple of goblins who are having sex on the floor a few feet away. After passing several more similar obstacles, I finally reach the hallway just past the library.
There are a couple of people standing and talking in the hallway, but it’s not crowded like the rest of the apartment is. I breathe a sigh of relief as I walk toward the door Rian said was his. Hopefully Al really is okay, and we can have a long chat about everything that’s happened tonight.
When I’m only a few feet away from the bedroom door, someone grabs my hair and jerks me backwards. I screech in surprise and trip over my heels, and the person continues dragging me. When they pull me through another doorway, I grab the door frame and try to kick at them even though I can’t even see my attacker.
There’s a grunt of pain when one of my heels makes contact, but the person just jerks me roughly by my hair and yanks me the rest of the way into the room. I fall onto the floor as they slam the door. I’m in a lot of fucking pain, but I’m way too terrified to focus on that as I scramble backwards and look up to see who grabbed me.
A gasp escapes my lips when my eyes fall on my worthless ex-boyfriend. “Bryson?”
Chapter Four
Isla
Bryson stares down at me, his teeth bared and his eyes full of rage. There are bright, red claw marks marring his face, all the way from his left eye down to his chin. He’s shaking in anger, and my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest. I’ve never felt afraid of Bryson before. I loved him. Never in a million years did I ever think he’d hurt me or look at me with so much hatred.
“What are you doing, Bryson?” I ask, hating the terrified whimper in my voice.
“You have her now, so make sure your little half-breed fuck boy never comes anywhere near me or my mate ever again. Got it?”
His eyes never leave me, so it takes me a second to realize he’s speaking to someone else. I turn my head slowly and find Thaddeus sitting behind a