He searches my face. “You really were going to leave him, weren’t you?”
I hate that he sees things so readily after such a short time interacting with us. If Eli was half as perceptive… But it’s not his perception that’s the issue. It’s the rose-tinted glasses he wears whenever he looks in my direction. He has no problem seeing everything else clearly. I take a slow breath. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I want him dead.” I still love him, even if the feeling is barbed and poisoned after so many years of being shoved into a role too small for my skin. Even if part of me wants to punish him for that pain, I don’t want him irreparably harmed.
Abel finally nods. “Deal. I never planned on killing him.”
I’m not sure if he’s telling the truth or not. It’s enough that he agreed. I don’t exactly trust his word, but it’s better than nothing at this point. “Then yes, I agree.”
“Good.” He steps back so suddenly, I nearly topple off the counter. Abel pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it at me. “Put this on.”
“Excuse me?”
“Come now, Harlow. You know the importance of appearances. We’re leaving, and you’re going to be wearing my clothes when we do.”
It’s tempting to argue, but it’s a small enough concession. I shrug and pull it over my head. Abel is bigger through the shoulders and chest than Eli, and the shirt hits me mid-thigh. Not exactly indecent, but it feels indecent when every breath gives me a lungful of his dark scent. It feels like he’s marking me. I’m not sure if it’s a pleasant feeling or not. I pull on my panties again, mostly to give myself an illusion of armor. Something that’s mine and not his.
“Come on.” He turns off the shower, opens the bathroom door, and stalks out of the room. I glance at myself in the mirror. I look like a mess. My hair is drying, and it’s just as frizzy as I expected, and there are red marks on my neck and thighs from Abel’s mouth. I shiver. This night has not gone at all like I expected.
I step into the bedroom and stop short. Eli is on his side, having somehow tipped over the chair. Abel grabs the back of the chair and hefts him upright, but Eli ignores the other man. His hazel eyes are on me, and the way he looks at me, he expected to see my half-dead bloody body crawl out of the bathroom. “Are you okay, Harlow?”
I start to cross my arms over my chest but force myself to let them drop to my sides. “I’m fine.”
From the expression on his face, he doesn’t believe me. “He said he’d punish you…”
I glance over his head at Abel, who’s giving me a stone-faced look. I was right. He must have said something before he came into the bathroom to make Eli think that I’d pay the price for whatever conversation they had. What a bastard. I glare. “I’m fine. I’m unharmed.”
Eli exhales, but Abel doesn’t give him a chance to settle into the knowledge. “For now.”
Clearly, he’s going to use threats against me to keep Eli in line. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m furious at Eli, but eventually my anger will cool. I don’t want to torment him.
Abel uncuffs Eli and drags him to his feet. “Let’s go.”
I snag my shoes off the floor and slip into them. “Where are we going?”
“It’s time to claim the faction.”
8
Abel
This night’s been full of surprises. Primary among them is Harlow. She’s a fierce little bitch, and I like her despite myself. There’s the added bonus that her at my side will be a constant dagger in Eli’s heart for the next year, but she’s an asset that I have no intention of wasting.
Neither of them speak as we wait in the main warehouse for my people to gather, including my brothers. I don’t expect a fight, not when word would have spread about what happened during the Lammas feast. Eli’s people show every evidence of being loyal, but they’re also citizens of Sabine Valley. They know the laws. I won him, Harlow, and the entire fucking faction through combat. There’s no taking that back. If they try to dig in their heels and fight, they run the risk of the Amazons and Mystics moving to crush them entirely. Better to bide their time and wait to see what my brothers and I will do.
Cohen is the first to arrive, towing Winry—the Amazon queen’s youngest daughter—behind him. She looks frazzled and scared but not overly traumatized. Good. She’s softer than I expected of one of Aisling’s daughters, and I wouldn’t have paired her with Cohen if I’d realized it when we decided on Brides. For his part, he looks just as cold and intense as ever.