Chapter 86

CILLIAN

My nose crinkled as I tried to take in the new scents from the shifters in front of me. It was strange seeing these three large men standing at my parents’ house. Although I knew Torque, the other two made my skin crawl.

The soft clearing of a throat behind me had my ears twitching. The breeze was blowing in my face, masking the scent of the shifter behind me. For a moment, I wondered if Laya had come to see what was going on. I glanced over my shoulder to find my mother standing behind me. Her shoulders were pulled back and the stern expression on her face was one I’d seen many times before in my youth.

“Pardon my intrusion,” my mom said, her eyes locked on me. It seemed she couldn’t care less about the three strangers in her driveway. “Cillian, dear, you should have mentioned you invited other guests.”

“And just who might you be?” Hatchett asked. There was an air of defensiveness around Hatchett that I didn’t appreciate as he inched closer. I braced myself for an attack.