The Edge (Book 5 of The Claiming Series)

Chapter Six

"Where is he?"

Eli tears through the entrance hall with me in tow, gripping the life out of my hand. I wince. "Eli..."

He approaches the first guard he sees, a short man with a stocky stature and hair falling in his eyes. The guard straightens up immediately at Eli's arrival. "Yes, sir?"

"Where is Oliver?"

The guard stutters. "Oh, um, in the ballroom, sir, with your mother and sisters. They're preparing for a press conference for tomorrow."

"Great." Eli drags me behind him as we head into the ballroom through the open doors.

Some workers are setting up the chairs for the conference, and Oliver is helping them. Eli's mother is discussing something with Ruth and Lily, while Eris and Charlie talk a few feet away.

My stomach turns when Oliver notices us and straightens up.

Then he seems to notice Eli's expression because his eyebrows crease together, and he takes a step back. Eli drops my hand and storms right up to Oliver. Before he can do anything to hurt him, I lurch forward and grab Eli's right arm.

He shakes me off like an irritating bug and turns back to Oliver, but he remains back a little with me. "Who are you really? Because I never hired you."

Oliver's eyes round.

There's a moment where dead silence falls over the room as every person stops at the sound of Eli's raging voice.

Oliver lets out a long sigh, rolls his shoulders back, and then, to everyone's surprise, he gets down on the ground on his knees, head bent, arms limp at his sides.

Eli looks at me with an eyebrow raised. Then he gestures to one of the guards by the door to the ballroom. "Take him into custody. Hold him in the parlor across the hall. I'd like to question him."

The guard is hesitant, looking at Oliver, a man much taller and stronger than most of the guards employed here. If Oliver wanted to, he could easily overtake any of them and run.

But something about Oliver's complete submission tells me he won't. I can't stop looking at the man who has been my protector since Eli and the others left to fight Bayfell. He's risked his life for me more than once, so I have a hard time believing he'd have ill intentions... but none of this makes sense. Why lie to be my guard?

As the guard leads Oliver out of the room, his arms restrained behind his back, Eli runs both his hands through his hair and then rubs his eyes. "I don't... I can't believe someone would..." Eli turns to me and looks at me, his eyes hardening up.

I inch backward. "What?"

"You swear that baby's mine?"

My jaw drops. "Eli!"

Angel, Lily, and Ruth join us. Ruth puts a hand on my shoulder just as Lily steps up beside Eli and crosses her arms as she faces me. "I'm sorry, Mave, but this looks really bad. You can't blame him for being suspicious."

I open my mouth to speak, but no words will come out. I close it again.

Think.

Anything you say needs to be carefully chosen from here on out.

Eli looks at his mom. "Tell me," he says. "Is she really three months pregnant?"