We land in an unfamiliar room.

I frown. "Where are we?"

"My room." As soon as he says that, my eyes begin to adjust, and I realize we are indeed in his room, the only time I've been in here having been when I was arguing with him about Mila.

"Why?"

Killian's face is blank, but his eyes are darker than usual. "It's where we're sleeping tonight."

"Killian-" I begin to protest.

"Not in the mood for arguing with you right now, Katrina."

His face is like stone: cold and unyielding. He looks... scary.

Maybe it's because of his frosty tone, dark eyes, or because I just watched him almost kill a vampire like it was the easiest task in the world, but he was genuinely terrifying right now. Enough so that I don't argue.

I gulp. "I have to shower, I'll be right back."

"No. Use mine."

I was expecting him to say that with a smirk, or maybe have amusement flickering in his eyes, but everything about him is cold. "I need to change into fresh clothes."

"I'll get you some. You're not leaving."

Wordlessly, I nod. I'm too terrified to say anything else.

He disappears, and I don't see him reappear in front of me. Instead, he walks out of his closet, and hands me a stack of clothes.

"Bathroom is behind you," he says shortly, his face unchanging.

I'm shaking slightly when I close the door behind me. After seeing him with Dorian today, he's not just Killian.

He's Killian, Alpha of Crimson Shadow, the Ultimum Viatorem.

I don't know what to think of that.

I take my time showering, not wanting to face him when he's like that. I half-expect him to pop up in the shower to freak me out, but he doesn't.

Sighing, I finally turn off the water and dry off. When I look at the stack of clothes, the first thing I wonder about is what undergarments he selected from my room, anticipating him to choose the raunchiest thing I own.

But he didn't.

The clothes he brought were normal. A pair of shorts, non-risqué undergarments, and a black t-shirt.

I frown at the shirt, realizing that it isn't mine. I sniff it, and sure enough it's Killian's. He must not have seen my drawer full of my own.

I put on the clothes and go back into the bedroom, where Killian is laying on the bed. His bed.

His eyes are closed, and he doesn't open them when I crawl into bed next to him, nor attempt to touch me.

We lay in silence for a few minutes.

"Are you mad at me?" I ask suddenly.

"Yes."

I frown. "Why?"

"Many reasons, Katrina."

"Starting with?"

"Today."

"Can you be more specific?" My heart races.

"Which reason would you like first?" No signs of joking, just a steely tone and expressionless face.

I gulp. "Whatever you're most angry about."

"When I realized you were missing, I tracked your scent to the edge of my borders."

"I don't know why that makes you mad," I say in confusion.

His eyes fly open, and they're completely black. "You never should have gone to the edge of my territory alone. Not when you know everything that's been going on."

"I can go where I wish," I say quietly, but I don't have the nerve right now to make it sound as harsh as I want it to.

Before I can blink, Killian pulls me on top of him, holding my wrists tightly in his hands, and my throat dries up.

"Do you realize how terrified I was when I couldn't find you?" He snarls.

I try to talk, but no words come out.

"You were gone, Katrina. Just like the other wolves," Killian spits out angrily.

"But I was fine," I protest weakly.

"I didn't know that, Katrina! I didn't know anything! You were just missing." His voice cracks on the word.

"I-"

"Do you understand what that was like for me? To think that you were taken away from me?" he shouts, and I flinch. Killian breathes in deeply, closing his eyes before saying quietly, "I thought I would never see you again."

I swallow hard. "I'm sorry."

Killian doesn't respond, just laying there, completely still with my wrists in his iron-grip.

"Killian, I'm sorry," I repeat. "I didn't mean to freak you out."

"I wasn't freaked out, Katrina," he growls. "I was out of my mind with worry and fear. So much so that I teleported into a coven of vampires alone, not caring who I had to tear apart to get you."

I flinch from his harsh tone. Terror, I feel absolute terror, and I shake from it.

Killian's face softens, and his eyes gradually return back to their normal dark blue.

"Just... Don't do something that dangerous again," Killian says, his voice strained. "I can't lose you."

Because I'm his best chance at finding the other wolves.

"I won't," I tell him, willing to say anything to get him to not be mad at me anymore.

"Promise."

"I do." I don't.

"I want to hear you say it. Promise you won't put your life in danger again," he demands, and his eyes begin to darken.

"I promise I won't put my life in danger again," I say quickly. A lie.

Killian relaxes, and releases my wrists, but wraps his arms around me so tightly I nearly can't breathe.

"We should talk to the circulus," I tell him. "Tell them what's going on."

"They already know. I mindlinked them."

"Shouldn't we have a meeting? Because we're going to Dorian's tomorrow and-"

"No. We'll have one in the morning."

"We should do it now, because-"

"No. You need to rest."

I sigh defeatedly. Killian's tight grip doesn't loosen up. I'm too keyed up to sleep, even though I'm exhausted.

"Killian?"

"Yes, Katrina?" It bothered me that he was using my name, though usually it bothers me when he doesn't, and opts for an annoying pet name.

"How'd you know that I was at Dorian's?" I probably shouldn't be bringing up the topic again, but I was dying to know.

"I didn't."

"You teleported there."

"We never confirmed if the vampires were the ones responsible or not. I took my chances."

"It was dumb to teleport into a coven of vampires."

"Yes."

"How'd you know where I was in the house?" I ask curiously.

"I teleported into random rooms until I found you. Dorian is lucky that I saw you before any other vampires."

I think about his words for a minute, the clear threat.

"What would have happened if you didn't find me there?" I ask, even though I don't think I want to know.

"I would have slaughtered the entire coven and torn apart every dimension looking for you."

I swallow hard, and remember his words from earlier today.

I threatened someone with war because they woke you up, and you think this is all because I just want a Seer?

"Killian?"

"Katrina."

I shouldn't ask, because I don't want to know. Can't know.

"Why did you take me from Iron Claw, if it wasn't because of my Sight?" I ask quickly, before I lose my nerve.

"I can't talk about this right now."

"Why?" I ask, suddenly angry with him. Calling me blind to something, but then not explaining why.

"Because I'm not in control of my wolf right now," he answers, his words clipped.

"Why does that matter?" I ask, confused on what that has to do with anything.

"Because I'm about one second away from Marking you, and if you don't drop this right now, I will."

Marking me? Why the hell would he want to do that right now? He's so pissed off, he wants to Claim me?

I don't understand him at all. Especially not right now.

We lay in silence for awhile, his stoney grip still locking me in his arms. I'm glad he doesn't point out how fast my heart is beating.

"I beat Knox in training today," I blurt out, hating the angry tension between us.

The statement catches Killian off-guard, and the corners of his mouth turn upwards. "I know. He told me to stop pissing you off before training."

"Funny, he said the same thing about you," I laugh.

"You make me really fucking angry, Katrina," he says seriously.

"I'm sure you make me even angrier," I tell him honestly.

"Not possible," He says, but finally, I pull a smile out of him.

His grip on me finally loosens, and he uses one of his hands to stroke my hair.

"Are you still mad?" I ask nervously.

"Infuriated." He's not kidding, either.

"Why have me in your room with you then?" I ask curiously. "Shouldn't you want to stay away?"

I couldn't fathom why someone would want to be near someone they're mad at.

"Don't you get it, Katrina?" He says, agonized. "I can't stay away from you."

"No," I say finally, stunned momentarily by the admission. "I don't get any of this."

Killian is silent for a few seconds. "I know you don't, darling. I don't either."

I smile at the name. "That's a very cryptic thing to say, you know."

"I have been nothing but perfectly clear with you, my dear," Killian says, sounding amused. "You just refuse to rely on anything but your Sight, so you can't see how things really are between us."

I don't know what that means, but I'm not going to admit it and prove him right.

"Go to sleep," he orders, back to Alpha Killian.

I roll my eyes. "Why are you so obsessed with me sleeping all of the time?"

Silence.

Until he finally says quietly, "Because I know what it's like to not be able to sleep."

My throat tightens painfully. "Killian-"

"Sleep. Now."

"You're bossy," I scoff.

"You're insolent."

"You're-" I'm about to call him a dickhead when he cuts me off.

"Darling, if you're not going to go to sleep in this bed, that's perfectly fine," he purrs. "But if that is the case, then you're wearing entirely too many clothes for what we'll do instead."

I laugh, mostly because I'm relieved that things are back to normal.

Whatever "normal" means anymore.

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