“But instead of pursuing power, you chose to come here instead.”
He shrugged. “I’d always been fascinated by the humans. This seemed as good a place as any to start over.” He ran a hand along his jaw. “But when Teivel died the clan was left without an heir. I have half of the bloodline, which was a stronger claim than anyone else.”
“Why didn’t you go back?”
He smiled ruefully. “I have no desire to rule a bloodthirsty clan. Besides,” he added, settling his hands on her waist and pulling her into his arms, “I made a life for myself here. There were things I didn’t want to leave behind.”
Mikayla swallowed hard, trying to focus on what she was learning and not on the perfection of being in his arms. “You think Rouke took over when you didn’t go home.”
He shrugged. “Rouke is strong.”
A chill raced through Mikayla as she put the last piece of the puzzle together. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a revelation she wanted to share. Not when he was finally treating her the way she’d always dreamed.
“What?” he murmured, studying her face.
Slowly she raised her eyes to his. “I think I know where Alina fits into all this.”
Ciar clenched his jaw but made no protest to stop her words.
“Alina has already proven she does whatever is necessary to get to the top. She left you because you didn’t have the power she craved. But when your brother died she was left without a power base. Along comes Rouke, taking over the position her late husband had held. A position she probably became very accustomed to.”
“You think she is involved with Rouke.”
Mikayla nodded. “When my sisters tracked her down she must have seen an opportunity to live the life she wanted with the man she—” She stopped, the last word locked in her throat.
Ciar looked away from her, no doubt well aware of the unspoken word. The man she loved. Or at least claimed to.
“She means for us to go back, and for me to take over my brother’s place,” he said.
Mikayla flinched from the heartbreak in his voice. How many times was this woman going to betray him before he got the message? “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Demons,” he joked, desolation clear in his eyes. “Can’t trust any of them.”
“I disagree.” Reaching up, she cupped his face between her hands.
Closing his eyes, Ciar turned his head and pressed his lips to her sensitive palm. “What a mess this is.”
“All of it?”
He opened his eyes and met her stare. Mikayla tried to stay strong and ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she waited for his answer. Never before had she been so vulnerable to a lover. When had she given him the power to shatter her so completely?
Ciar didn’t reply to her soft question but he did lean closer. Mikayla caught her breath as his lips nearly touched hers.
An enraged screech rent the silence of the park. Ciar spun with the trained instincts of a warrior, prepared to take on the unexpected threat.
Alina stood behind them, her eyes blazing with anger. “How dare you,” she hissed.
“How did you get past my sisters?”
A vicious grin curved Alina’s lips. “They may be strong but I am no weakling.”
Ciar shifted, putting himself in front of Mikayla. “Did you hurt them?”
“Only a little,” she replied with a shrug. “I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have. At least, not in years gone by.”
Rage filled Mikayla. With a snarl she lunged forward, bent on extracting her vengeance from Alina.
Ciar wrapped a deft arm around her waist, holding her back.
Alina strolled toward them, her gate smooth and confident. “I came to help you, Ciar,” she said, not taking her eyes from Mikayla. “She has damaged you enough. I didn’t want her to have another chance to bespell you.”
Ciar shifted to put Mikayla behind him. “I am more than capable of looking after myself, Alina.”
She shook her head. “You are strong, Ciar,” she breathed, stopping before him. Lifting her hands, she ran her fingers over his chest. “But around this woman you lose all sense of reason. The death of a witch reverses her magic. You know that as well as I. Why haven’t you freed yourself from this curse?”
Mikayla flinched. Taking a step back, she shifted into a defensive position, ready to fight if she needed to.
“Some freedoms are not worth any price,” Ciar said. Grabbing Alina’s wrists, he forced her hands from him.
“Why do you protect her?” Alina asked.
For the first time Mikayla heard the thread of pain in the other woman’s words. No matter what other lies she had spun for them, that faint glimmer of emotion was real. Perhaps she truly did love Ciar. In her way.