Free Two Lines by Melissa Marr Page A

for a moment, and then scowled and hung up. Quietly, he said, “Let’s take a walk.”

Chapter 9
    C illian wasn’t sure what he hated more, the fact that he had to tell Eavan that he was with the C.D.A. or the fact that he seemed to have picked up a second supervisor. He wanted to tell Nyx to piss off, but his superiors would be anything but pleased if he lost his “anonymous” source so soon—plus that whole threat business of Nyx’s echoed in his mind.
    Eavan was silent by his side as they walked down the street toward a tiny park that was reasonably well-lit. He stopped at a small cluster of unoccupied benches. It was late enough that they had a bit of privacy.
    â€œI’m here investigating him,” Cillian told her. “Your cousin offered me a wealth of information on his activities, among other things, in exchange for protecting you.”
    Eavan laughed, a bitter sound that made him want to comfort her. She sat down beside him. “Threats, sex, or money?”
    He didn’t pretend to be shocked. “Not sex.”
    â€œWith her at least.”
    â€œWith any of them,” Cillian corrected.
    Eavan was silent for a moment. “She hired you in the hopes that I’d sleep with you. It’s an obsession of hers.”
    â€œExcuse me?” He angled his body so he was facing her. Of all the things he’d been prepared to hear, that wasn’t anywhere on the list. “She hired me because she knew you were spending time with Brennan, and he’s bad news.”
    â€œHe is.” Eavan took a breath. “But Nyx could’ve simply broken a few of my bones if all she wanted was to keep me away from Daniel.”
    â€œShe could’ve”—Cillian lowered his voice as a small group of people walked by—“ broken your bones. You say that like it’s an everyday event.”
    â€œNot these days, but…” Eavan shrugged. “Nyx is in charge. I’m guessing you already know on some level how terrible she is, else we wouldn’t be having this conversation. She picked you for reasons that aren’t about guarding me from Daniel. She picked you for me to have sex with.”
    â€œDoes she pick a lot of people for you to sleep with?” He tried to keep his voice even, but the idea that his family had been threatened, his life endangered, his career toyed with, and his peace of mind completely upended over sex was infuriating. It isn’t Eavan’s fault , he reminded himself. She’d been adamant that she did not want him around.
    Eavan blushed. “No, you’re supposed to be the first.”
    â€œWell that’s something, at—” He stopped mid-sarcasm. “The first first…like…”
    â€œYes.” She looked about as comfortable as he felt. “The very first. My virginity is a matter of family irritation.”
    â€œYour family is concerned over your being a virgin.” He said the words slowly. “So you were dating a drug dealer and your cousin hired me to have sex with you? Is that what earlier was…Never mind.”
    â€œNo, earlier was about my wanting you. It was a mistake. A pleasurable one but a mistake nonetheless…and I wasn’t dating Daniel.” Eavan smiled regretfully. “I know it all seems a bit odd.”
    â€œYou think?”
    They sat there for a moment while Cillian tried to figure out what to say. On the phone, Nyx had been very clear in her orders to be “completely honest” with Eavan and then report to the house to speak with her. Screw it. He was already so far out of his comfort zone that he wasn’t sure he’d be seeing level ground again. “Can I ask you what you are?”
    â€œWhat I am?” she repeated.
    â€œI’ve met your family…and now this. You’re not quite like most humans , right?”
    â€œI can see where you’d get that. I’m human, mostly,” she