Broken Doll {ManxMan}

CHAPTER 18

Hours passed with no word from Klaus, and a small part of me was worried that Diego Manuela had done something, killed or injured him in some way, but I tried not to panic. Klaus had been a cop for years before the war started, he was strong and skilled with weaponry and his fists, and he was almost two full heads taller than Diego, towering over him. Klaus would be fine, I was sure, but the time that it was taking did concern me.

Even at dinner he was absent, and Sasha continuously glanced at his seat before giving Bryn a worried look, but Bryn brushed it aside with a slow shrug. Bryn wasn't worried, and neither was Tobias, so I wouldn't be either. No one at the table asked about Diego, and Tobias didn't offer to explain, until the meal ended and he pulled me aside to whisper.

"I'm going to take a moment and explain the situation to Kailas," he revealed, and a frown took to my lips.

"I thought you said no one outside that room would be told what he said," I stated, and he smiled.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. I only intend to give Kailas the short version, not the details," he assured me, pushing my hair back and tucking it behind my ear, "Head up to the room without me, I'll join you in a moment."

"That's fine," I agreed, and he placed a kiss to my cheek before releasing me.

I turned away without watching him walk off, easing myself out the door and heading towards the stairs that would lead me to our bedroom, but I paused on the way there, my head tilting when I heard what sounded like music. It was a string instrument, maybe a guitar, and my interest was instantly peaked as I recalled what Cormac had said, about the rebellion having a violin in their library.

Disregarding the fact Tobias would have a heart attack if he found me gone when he got to our room, I turned down a hallway I'd never seen before and began to follow the music, one hand reaching out to touch the wall for stability, dragging my fingers over it until I reached where the notes were emanating from. A set of large double doors with brass handles, they certainly looked like the entrance to a phenomenal library, and when I pushed them open I wasn't disappointed.

It was incredible, honestly. Shelves built into each wall I could see, save for one corner that was built out as a bay window, where a grand piano was sitting, the curtains closed against the dark sky, though low lights were turned on, and a fire was going in the fireplace. A set of couches were sitting in front of the fire, where a few men had taken seats, one of them being Cormac.

That man with the high collared shirt was there as well, and he was the one holding the guitar, the music abruptly stopping when the door opened and his eyes flickering to me before growing hard. No words left him as he set the guitar down, looking away from me and standing, and the blond beside him lifted the book away from his dark eyes.

"What's the deal, I was almost asleep?" he frowned when he noticed the man standing, pulling his feet off the coffee table, "Logan?"

When his eyes went to me he seemed to understand, leaving the book on the couch and following as the man he called Logan started for the door. I quickly scooted over to the side so he wouldn't ram into me as he stalked past, sending a glare to me before leaving. I stayed where I was standing for a moment, one hand clinging to the doorframe and watching the two of them disappear down the hall before letting out the breath I'd been holding.

Honestly, I had no right to be surprised. I was still a known member of the new government, it was no wonder some people in the rebellion hated me. Still, it made my heart beat uncomfortably fast in my chest, a pit in my stomach. I felt ill, because people hating me meant there were people who wouldn't mind hurting me. I didn't... want to be hurt again...