Eclipse Sector (V-Clan #3)

2. Cillian

CHAPTER TWO

CILLIAN

Several Minutes Earlier

And I’ve lost him again, I thought, my gaze on Lorcan.

He’d ventured somewhere into his mating bond, making his mind murky and incomprehensible. His connection to Kyra had bolstered his mental defenses in a way I could never have anticipated.

Same with Kieran’s connection to Quinnlynn.

It fascinated me, as their minds were ones I knew almost as well as my own, yet I could barely hear Lorcan now. Not that he was the chatty or loud sort to begin with, but I could usually hear him contemplating and analyzing.

However, all I could hear right now was a strange sort of static as he checked in on his mate.

What must that be like? I wondered, my gaze scanning the crowd. Terrifying? Freeing? Intimate?

I would never know, of course.

My loyalty was to Kieran. Always. But that didn’t stop me from being curious about the concept or what it might feel like.

Which naturally had me searching for the little ash-blonde nuisance that constantly made me question my sanity.

Nuisance might be a bit harsh. Temptation was a more appropriate term.

A temptation far out of my league , I mused, scanning the crowd for her. She needs an Alpha who… The rumination floated off as I caught sight of Ivana across the room, her shoulders oddly hunched.

I took an involuntary step forward, my instincts firing.

Ivana Michaels never hunched.

She resembled a fierce goddess despite her petite stature. The woman could set down any Alpha in her path with a few choice words, something I found both aggravating and alluring.

Ivana . The name in Lorcan’s mind almost had me looking at him, but I was too focused on the Omega and the slender arms encircling her torso. She appeared to be trying to breathe.

Did an Alpha spook her? Lorcan wondered, the question similar to the one bouncing around in my thoughts. Who did you send her off to dance with?

No one in particular. I just told her to find someone else to ask, as I’m not here to celebrate. I’m working.

Do you think someone rejected her? he asked.

I frowned, not liking that concept at all. If they did, I’ll kill them.

Lorcan glanced sideways at me—something I caught in my peripheral vision—his expression mocking. Technically, you rejected her. You reject her all the time. Are you going to punish yourself?

I scoffed at the concept. That’s different and you know it.

But does she know it? he asked softly, his words causing me to clench my teeth.

Ivana knew I was mated to my position, that my loyalty was to Kieran first and foremost. I’d never lied to her, always voicing the truth in her presence.

Well, most of the truth.

I couldn’t take a mate, nor did I want to take a mate. And while she certainly tempted my wolf into a rutting mood every damn time she entered a room, I didn’t have any plans or intentions to actually knot her.

I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t .

But Lorcan wasn’t wrong.

I did reject her often.

However, tonight hadn’t been different from any other night. And she never reacted to my rejection like that .

No, someone else must have upset her.

And whoever it was would answer to me . Omegas were under the protection of Blood Sector and therefore part of my jurisdiction as an Elite.

Heaving a sigh, I engaged my shadowing ability to join her near the dance floor. I’ll be back, I told Lorcan as an afterthought.

Except Ivana was already gone when I materialized in the space she’d just been, her citrusy perfume a beacon on the wind. Frowning, I searched for her noteworthy hair—all those silky white-blonde strands.

Nothing .

Not a single hint of that glittery dress—which was way too revealing tonight. My wolf had practically growled with hunger the moment she’d appeared beside me, her sultry voice demanding that I dance with her.

No. Fuck no. I couldn’t trust myself to touch her in that sexy gown of hers.

So I’d told her to find another Alpha to pester. To tempt. To seduce .

Except I didn’t want to think about her succeeding in that plight.

My teeth ground together, my irritation mounting.

Maybe she’d run off with one. I could find out by checking her thoughts, but I wasn’t going to invade her privacy. Besides, her mental waves were… unique. For as vocal as she could be out loud, her mind was exceptionally quiet. Peaceful, even.

She was upset, I reasoned. I should check on her.

Although, it wasn’t really any of my business, was it?

I could try to justify it as a need to protect her from harm, but she’d left of her own volition. And while her shoulders had been hunched in defeat, she hadn’t exactly been weeping or physically hurt.

I’m overreacting, I decided, shaking my head. It’s all this mating energy around me. And Ivana’s sensual invitation.

My damn canines ached to bite her. Just as my wolf wanted to rut her.

It was a damning enticement, one I’d been fighting for years.

And I wasn’t going to lose that fight tonight.

Kieran and Quinnlynn had retired early. It was my job to manage the coronation and everyone in this ballroom.

Take charge as the acting Sector Alpha.

It was my responsibility every time Kieran needed a break.

I didn’t mind it.

Although, I wondered what it might be like to have the luxury of playing with a mate instead of running a sector.

I’d have to ask Kieran about it tomorrow. Goad him a bit. Perhaps he’d indulge me in a good spar.

Now that would distract me from my tempting little goddess.

Clearing my throat, I refocused on the room, my gaze instantly searching for said goddess once more. However, she’d clearly left.

If she needed me, she’d call for me. She knew how. From that day, many years ago…

Swallowing, I pushed the memory from my mind and returned to where Lorcan still lurked in the shadows.

How long do we have to stand here and supervise these animals? Lorcan asked me conversationally, not bothering to follow up on Ivana. He either assumed I’d handled it, or had watched me flounder for the last however many minutes while searching futilely for the Omega.

As long as it takes , I told him, replying to his query.

Hmm . He vanished, only to return half a beat later with two glasses of mortal blood, one of which he offered me.

V-Clan shifters required the human essence to bolster our magical abilities, of which I possessed an abundance. When I was young, I used to have to imbibe blood daily, making me feel somewhat like a vampire.

Fortunately, I was far less beastly now, only requiring a drink every few days or so.

Also, fortunately, Kieran had created a home where V-Clan shifters and humans coexisted. We protected the mortals from the deadly zombielike virus that had annihilated over ninety percent of their kind, and they repaid our efforts by donating blood.

Cheers , Lorcan said, tapping his goblet against mine.

Cheers , I echoed, the word meaningless in my mind. Primarily because I was still stuck on a certain female.

Maybe Lorcan was right.

Maybe I had been projecting a bit earlier.

With an internal growl, I forced the conundrum from my head and returned my focus to the shifters moving about the ballroom. It was my job to keep everyone safe and the guests under control.

And I would not fail the inhabitants of Blood Sector.

Unlike those in Eclipse Sector, a dark part of me whispered.

I took a sip of the blood wine, the liquid thick and tasteless in my mouth.

Rather than entertain my morbid past, I shifted my attention to the present. To the dancing shifters. Lurking humans. Visiting princes.

Leashed them all with my power.

Monitored their intentions.

And concentrated on my temporary job as Sector Alpha.

Tomorrow, I would be Cillian again.

Tonight, I was Prince Cillian. Just like Ivana had teased. If only I could consider making her my queen.

Alas, I had to be a good enough king to be worthy of a queen.

And history proved I’d never be that.

I was simply… Cillian.

An Elite.

A failed hero.

The breaker of familial vows.