Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
The woman behind him sucks in a horrified breath, and I stand my ground, my chest heaving, knowing that despite everything I just saw on those screens, I trust that he won’t hurt me, and a part of me has to trust that means he won’t hurt her in front of me.
That softness still lingers in his eyes, and I struggle to believe that the same man who’s capable of looking at me like this is the same man who could brutally murder someone in cold blood. “Chiara,” he says after a tension-filled silence. “You said you didn’t want to give a name because the burden of their punishment would rest on your shoulders. You didn’t want their blood on your hands. Is that still true?”
“Yes,” I say with a heavy heart. “But I’ll accept that burden if it means preventing someone else’s unneeded suffering.”
“No, Angel. I won’t allow that,” he tells me. “Remember what I told you when we came in from the maze two days ago? What did I say to you?”
I swallow hard, knowing where he’s going with this. “That you would protect me, even if it meant protecting me from yourself.”
“Right, but as your husband, it’s also my duty to protect you from yourself. So, no, Chiara. I will not allow you to give me a name. The crimes of another woman will not rest on the shoulders of my wife. Now leave.”
There’s a finality in his tone, and without question, I turn on my heel and walk straight out the door, an irrevocable darkness latching on to my soul.
23
KILLIAN
It’s almost midnight as I finish in my office. It’s been a long night and an even longer day, but the terror in Chiara’s eyes made everything worse. There’s no one to blame but myself for the fearful way she looked at me. This is what I asked for. It’s imperative that the woman by my side throughout this life learns to fear me before she loves me, otherwise, there is no hope for us.
I am not a man who can hide my life from the woman I share it with. She must know who I am, and in order to love me, she must also love the devil within me—a feat no woman has ever been capable of.
Change is out of the question. In order to change, I must become weak, and that’s not a risk I can take within this world. For her sake and mine, it’s imperative to our survival. Instead, she must rise to meet me and bring a fierce will to survive. No less will be tolerated at my side.
Chiara has thick skin. She was raised as a fighter, but it’s not enough. She has to be capable of seeing the darkness in the world around us. The vile things I must do to maintain fear are all that keep the other monsters at bay, and when I come home to her covered in blood, she needs to understand that the alternative would have been me not coming home at all. I want her to love the man I have to be, not love me despite it. I’m a cold-blooded killer standing before her, but if she can look past that, she’d see I’m the man who would sacrifice the world just to save her.
Getting up from my desk, I make my way out of my office as my phone rings in my hand, and I glance down to see Sergiu’s name across the screen. Irritation burns through me. I’ve known it was his wife who put her hands on Chiara since the moment I found her on the ground. All I needed was confirmation, and despite what Chiara thinks, I got that from Evie on the drive over here.
As for Monica, I need to play my cards right. A part of me was holding on to hope that it might have been Phillip’s wife, Rachael. I would have put her in the ground next to her husband without hesitation. We could have held a double funeral for the two of them, and I wouldn’t have had a second thought about it. But Monica . . . that makes things difficult.
I can’t simply execute her without causing issues with Sergiu. He will retaliate without a conscious thought for what he’s doing, and it will start a mess none of us can possibly come back from. I need to figure out a game plan, and I need to be sure, confident, and precise in my plan, but I can’t wait too long. Monica will soon discover that Evie gave the confirmation I required, and when that happens, the war will rage.
Hitting accept on Sergiu’s call, I hold the phone to my ear and step out of my office. “Cousin,” I say in greeting.
“The DeAngelis shipment has been secured and is ready for delivery. I’ve been in contact with Roman, and they’re ready to take delivery. I’ll have our drivers out within the next hour.”