Bound

33. The Heart of A Dove

Harley shivered at the recollection of it.

Valerio Valentini was someone whom she never wanted to cross. And for some reason he had taken the incident with chilies very personal. Harley would have been blind to not see it.

"Do you know what he's going to do with them?",she dared to ask Cian.

Cian shrugged. He walked over the side bench and picked up a towel, wiping his face clean.

Harley's eyes narrowed when she saw his bruised knuckles.

"How did you bruise yourself?",she asked him, concerned.

Cian's eyes glinted with dark amusement as he answered her, "I had some living targets to practice on. I forgot to invite you. I'm sure you would have enjoyed it."

The roughed up image of Niall and his three friends in the amphitheatre flashed before her eyes.

Harley's mouth ran before she could control herself. "You beat them up? For what? Just because you could? It's not such a big deal Cian", she told him exasperatedly. "It was just a harmless prank. It's not like any of those girls died or something."

The moment the words left her mouth, Harley knew that she had  committed a grave mistake.

Cian's head snapped towards her at once, all previous dark humor disappearing in a flash, his lips curling back menacingly.

"I-I ..."

Her words were stuck in her throat as she stared at him.

Cian stalked towards her slowly, cornering Harley against the wall, his arms on either side of her as he stared down at her, his jaw tensed and eyes dark.

Harley gulped once. The fear and anxiety she was feeling was more that she had ever felt.

"You've dared to say it today Harley", he murmured darkly, "Never again."

A warning as clear as day.

She knew that Cian didn't like being questioned or called out on his actions by anyone he didn't consider his equal. And Harley had been reminded numerous times that she wasn't his equal. Not yet.

"Do. you. understand?"

Harley gave a short nod, as his eyes roamed over her face before he stepped back, letting her go. He didn't give her another chance to speak as he walked towards the boxing ring again and Harley cringed internally as his punches rained on the punching sack with more force.

She turned around and slipped out of the room quickly.

"What's wrong with him today?", she thought worriedly as she walked as far away from Cian as she could. "He's never behaved like this with me before. And now-"

"Oomph"

Harley furiously rubbed her temple. She had collided with someone yet again.  "Watch where you walk you fre-"

"Harley! It's me"

She turned her head glancing at the boy.

"Tyler!", she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Tyler shook his head. "Can't tell you. I....Is Cian in there? I have to speak to him."

Harley's eyes narrowed slightly. "You can tell me anything that you will tell him. He's my boyfriend and even if he was not I wouldn't really tell you where he is."