“As I said, Derek, get your fill of this girl and move on. She’s too close. And it will only end badly for her. Then we’d have to contend with Franco. You know the drill.”
I did. Civilians and law enforcement who gained knowledge of The Six and the factions they controlled ultimately become names on a contract.
Ronan glanced up once more as he poured the melted wax to the bottom of the parchment, sealing the hit with my signet ring.
“I must say, Evangelina Cruz is an exceptional beauty; I’ll give you that. I can understand your—attachment.” The wistful tone of his voice set off alarm bells in my mind. And her name on his tongue had my knuckles blanching in a fist. But I said nothing. I’d give him nothing.
With eyes transfixed on the crest branded into the cooling red seal, I became lost in my head and absently read the engraved words like I’d done so many times.
Scrawled across the bottom, below the mark of Ares, were the chains binding my soul to this life until death.
Ligatus Saguine.
Bound by blood.
CHAPTERTEN
DEREK
As I pulled into my driveway, I spotted Evangelina’s car as it stopped in front of the steps of my home. She climbed out and turned toward my vehicle, her eyes watching with vested interest as I pushed the door closed and moved toward her.
Eva looked fucking edible. Her long, raven hair tumbled over her shoulders like silk. She was dressed in all black, from her boots and body-hugging leggings to a perfectly tailored pea coat—as if we’d planned to coordinate.
“Where is she?”
There was slight panic in her tone, breaking my perusal of her delectable little figure. She was asking for the girl, and it was all I could do not to roll my eyes.
“Who?” I asked, goading her and reveling in the glacial stare now burning a hole in my face. There was something sexy and primal about that fire that made the specks of gold in her irises pulsate.
“Don’t play with me, Derek. Where’s Rayne?” She searched beyond me, looking for her in the passenger seat of my car.
“Relax. She’s inside. I left her with my brother,” I said, waving her off and pulling my phone from the side pocket of my jacket. “He’d let me know if—fuck.”
Evangelina’s eyes widened as she waited for an explanation. “Fuck? What does that mean? Did something happen?”
“She’s gone.”
Eva lunged at me, her small hands gripping my lapels. “What the hell do you mean she’s gone?”
I held her wrists, aware of nothing else but her closeness, eyes fixed on her lips as I noticed the wound at the corner of her mouth was already looking better. I suddenly felt the urge to nibble, maybe to test just how much.
“Kai said she left a note.”
Breaking my hold, she pulled back. “You said you’d watch her. Where the hell did you go? Why did you leave? And who thefuckis Kai?”
I stepped around her and made my way to the entrance. As expected, she was hot on my heels.
“Derek!”
Ignoring her pleas, I punched in the code to my door and motioned for her to enter. Evangelina shot me a disdainful look before stepping through the threshold.
Deimos was waiting. Normally suspicious around strangers, he whimpered excitedly, waiting for my command to allow his approach. Once it was given, and surprising me once more, he nuzzled against Eva’s hip, licking the hand she extended in his direction before even greeting me.
“Where’s your brother? Wait, since when do you have a brother?”
“Come on,” I said, leading her to the corridor where Rayne had been staying. I bent over slightly and scratched the back of Deimos’s ear. “Traitor. Though I don’t blame you.”
The door to the guest room was cracked open. Pushing it the rest of the way, I spotted the note atop a white comforter. Eva dashed past me to retrieve the partially folded piece of paper and immediately began reading.
