Venom And Vice

28

Chapter Eleven OceanofPDF.com CASEK When I’d called Ashley with no response, then gone by her place and found it empty, I swore that she better not have gone out alone. I realized minutes later when I came across her strolling into the building with Liam at her side that I should have been more specific. I would have been angry if she’d gone out alone, but finding her with Liam made me f*****g homicidal. I knew love-sick when I saw it, and that man had it bad. If Ashley had been interested in him, they would already be an item, but that didn’t stop me from feeling an unholy animosity toward him. She wore my mark, and that bastard was still sniffing around. “I tried to reach you, but I see you were busy.” My eyes never left Liam though I spoke to Ashley. The man had bigger balls than I’d suspected because aside from ignoring my mark, he didn’t even flinch at my withering stare. “I guess my phone was on silent,” she explained, her voice an octave higher than normal. “I was working at the coffee shop then got distracted talking. Liam was just telling me about the vote and ceremony.” She looked between us, talking quickly and smiling as if trying to draw our attention away from one another. I gave one last glare, then finally turned to Ashley. “We’ve decided you girls will stay here. You’ll need to remain in the building at all times while we’re away. I came to tell you that I have too much to do and won’t be able to train this evening, but I’ll come by tomorrow morning to run any errands you might have before we leave. Neither you nor Rebecca are permitted to step foot outside of this building once we’re gone.” “It’s two days. I think we can manage that.” She gave a thin smile. “And I just might need to do a bit of shopping if we have a girls’ weekend. You think Cat would be allowed to join us?” “As long as no one leaves, I don’t think it would be an issue, but we would need to get Lochlan’s approval.” I might have refused the Druid girl unchaperoned access to our home if I wasn’t already anxious about Ashley complying with our orders. Limit her further, and she was sure to rebel. “Sweet! I think this would be the perfect opportunity for some girl time.” She looked between Liam and me, the lobby settling into a heavy silence. “Yeahhh, so I’m going to head upstairs.” The elevator opened immediately, providing her an escape and leaving me alone with my brother. Neither of us moved a muscle. “You think that was really necessary?” Liam said coolly, his chest expanding as broad as his lithe frame would allow. He didn’t have to specify what he was talking about. Only one thing would have him so irate. Ashley’s mark. I crossed my arms. “Wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t.” “She should have the right to make her own decisions. She told me you didn’t even ask first.” “That’s right, and I’m not interested in anyone’s forgiveness either. What I do for Ashley will keep her alive because my decisions aren’t compromised by emotion.” I took a single step and leaned in close. “You may think you’re putting her first, but what you’re really doing is thinking with your d**k, and that is what will get her killed.” Liam’s lips pursed tight, his throat swallowing back words he knew were better silenced. He might have been young and a touch brash, but he knew what I’d said was the truth. With nothing left to say, he stormed toward the stairs, letting the door slam behind him. f**k me. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated lately? Shaking my head, I continued outside as I’d originally intended before I’d been intercepted. I had a ceremony to prepare for and errands of my own that needed to be addressed before we left. It was going to be a busy twenty-four hours. “I just have to go a block over to the pharmacy, then I should be done.” Ashley put her credit card back in her wallet and grabbed the bag of her purchases from the clerk. We’d had a perfectly ordinary, uneventful morning of shopping. In fact, Ashley had said very little on our trip, and I had grown more uneasy by the minute. I knew better than to think I’d lucked into snagging Ash on a demure day. Those didn’t happen. “We already hit a pharmacy on our first stop,” I noted, not spotting the trap she’d so casually laid. “Yeah, but the one down the street caries the brand of nail polish I like.” She shot me a sickly sweet smile. “Brands are important, you see. They mark a product. That way, consumers know what they’re getting. If I see that a hair dryer says Dyson on the package, I pass it by because I know it’ll be way too expensive for me. Makes life so much easier.” Every caustic word was dripping with sarcasm. There it is. I knew there had to be something brewing. Ashley slowed and looked up at me, her eyes shards of cut glass. “But you know what we can’t brand, Casek? People. That’s what. We don’t f*****g brand people.” She whipped around and kept walking. I was going to have to thank Liam for this. I had no doubt it was his fault we were having this conversation. Lengthening my stride, I closed the distance between us while Knight stayed behind at a healthy distance. I didn’t blame him. “You’re only now upset? I figured you’d gotten over it.” “That was when I thought it was some kind of protection spell—not your personal brand. And I didn’t want to argue in front of Liam because you two already looked like you were gunning for one another.” “You can call the mark what you want; it achieves the same goal.” “It does make a difference, especially when I wasn’t asked.” She suddenly stopped and glared up at me. “You at least going to tell me what it does? I want to know specifics. I deserve that.” Every muscle in my body prepared for a fight. “Aside from giving everyone notice that they f**k with me when they f**k with you, it also enables me to keep tabs on your location."