Exported [Book 3 in the Expiring Series]

15 The Trade of Looks

I step back from him and curtsey. "Thank you for the dance, Your Majesty. If you would excuse me, I need to speak with the Beta."

"I am sure watching the girl you love dance with your cousin is rough."

I try to quirk an eyebrow, which of course just means both my eyebrows go up.

He tilts his head toward the balcony door Colton slips through.

When I step out onto the balcony, I wrap my arms around myself, my sleeves not doing much, if anything, to protect me from the cold.

"What was I supposed to do?" Vienna's voice comes from around the corner.

"I don't know."

As juicy as it would be to peak around the corner, I still value my life, and Vienna and Colton are two of the few people who know I can die. It's best not to tick them off.

Also, can I just say I love the fact Colton said he doesn't know something?

"Bently asked me to dance. I said yes. You already had a partner. Stop being jealous."

"I'm hardly jealous of my cousin."

"Then what the hell is this all about?"

But no answer comes.

I steal the most hesitant of peaks around the corner and find the two of them locked in each other's arms, their mouths kneading at each other like dough. I could step around the corner, and they wouldn't notice.

Even their hands are kneading at their backs and arms.

This is horrifying.

With a groan, Vienna breaks herself away from Colton and I jerk back around the corner. When I hear her running, I don't have time to move before she crashes into me. Her hands fly out, grasping onto me to steady us. Her eyes are wider than mine.

"Iris."

Did she have to say my name?

Colton comes around the corner, hitting me with a glare. I give him a sheepish smile.

"I'll deal with this," he says.

She gives him a grateful look and dashes inside. Enjoy the warmth. Enjoy it as I deal with your ex.

Colton takes off his blazer and hands it to me.

I stare at it.

"Take it."

"I'm waiting for you to strangle me with it."

He throws it, and instinct has me catching it. "You're freezing," he says.

After I slip it on, he places his hand on my back and guides me over to a bench. Before us, the lights of Paris glitter like stars.

"You saw us."

"Unfortunately." I keep my gaze straight ahead, not on Colton, whose leg touches my dress. Who is in very easy range of removing the witness to him and Vienna.

"You can't say anything."

"You've been asking me to keep a lot of things from Jonas."

"It's not as if you can contact him."

"I'm supposed to be contacting him, Colton. What is he going to think when he never hears from me?" I pull my arms tighter around me, the jacket tightening some. I can't even tell him that I'm worried about his brother. He wouldn't understand. If he knew Jonas was Expired, would he worry? Would he want to protect him?

"I know I have to marry an Amoris. This is simply an indiscretion on my part."

"Except it's not so simple."

"No, it is not."

"Is Vienna aware of this?"

"Yes."

The darkness seems to creep toward me, like an ever-nearing void. "If I wasn't getting married to Jonas, you wouldn't have to marry an Amoris."

"I wouldn't be able to marry Vienna. She's a traitor. Traitors can't become the wives of leaders. Even if the Society were to allow it, Amoria never would."

"Like they'll never allow an Expired to marry the Preeminence?"

Colton wraps his arm around me, and even through I'm surprised, I lean my head against him and inhale the smell of his cologne. Even though he's tried to kill me, I feel calm.

"I'm sorry," he says suddenly.

"For what?"

"For everything I've done to you."

"Like bringing me here?"

"I still like to think of that as a present." He pauses. "It will be nice to have you as a sister."

"You mean that?"

"I do."

I rest my head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad I didn't kill you in that hotel room."

"Erik stopped you."

He sighs. "At least there's something good that he's done." He leans down and presses his lips against the top of my head, burying his face in my hair. "Another little sister."

"Only by—"

"Tu es impossible," a voice hisses.

Colton and I sit up straight.

From where we sit, we can see the spot he and Vienna had been. Abella and Bently now grace it with their presence.

Bently scoffs. "I'm the impossible one?"

No light shines down on our bench, and I hope it's enough to keep us hidden.

"You came all the way to France to torment me." Abella crosses her arms.

"As if I would do anything for you."

"Then why are you here?"

"Colton wanted me to come. I'm his favorite cousin, I guess."

"I can see why." Her voice drips with something rotten.

"I understand that as a woman you have a tendency—"

Abella drives her fist into his face, and he stumbles back, clutching his cheek.

Colton and I trade a look.

"Your parents did a horrible job of raising you."

He rubs his cheek. "Blame it on my father. He was the only one around."He steps toward her. "If you didn't have this idea that you're perfect, then maybe I could actually have a conversation with you."

"The same goes to you."

"One day, you're going to say something and severely regret it."

"Will I now?"

Bently pauses before shaking his head. "You're still angry."

"I hardly even remember it."

"Hardly remember it? Are you sure about that?" He's almost up against her.

"Do you even remember?"

"Actually, yes, I do." He swoops down and kisses her, and from the looks of it, she kisses him back, unless the swaying and kneading mean she's trying to kill him.

Colton and I look at each other again.

Bently leans Abella against the railing either to deepen the kiss or to kill her. Who can say? One thing is for certain, I have more fear of these two killing me for catching them than Vienna and Colton.

I'm honestly horrified, and Colton seems to have turned to stone.

Abella and Bently definitely aren't stone.

They don't have the chance to get very far when screams bleed out onto the balcony from the ballroom.