“All the same,” I said. “Cashel and I share blood. He won’t mind spillin’ some of mine if it comes down to it. He has enough of it to spare.”
“If you were to double-cross him, yeah.” Keenan shrugged. “We don’t plan on doin’ that. We have more to lose in this deal than he does.”
“I don’t agree. His wife’s brother is the reason he’s lookin’ to make this deal. That’s a high price for him to pay—especially since he’ll be owin’ his wife if Craig kills her brother.”
Keenan opened his hands against the steerin’ wheel as if it say,both sides have a lot to lose then.
Which made me feel more at ease with this deal. Yeah, I’d treat it like I treated any other deal, but we were on even ground. We both had a lot at stake. It would make for a more harmonious start between us.
Fiona pulled up behind us and opened the back door, letting Argus and Grania free. They immediately started sniffin’ around, and after I opened Maeve’s door, the three of us stepped out. Keenan and Fiona went into the house. Maeve and I walked the hounds to their new backyard in Boston. They were feelin’ frisky after the long flight, creepin’ down on their haunches, and after a bit of a waitin’ game, one of them would make a sudden move and they’d both start runnin’.
Maeve laughed, and I set my hand on her neck just to feel the song of it rush through my blood.
“They seem to like it here!” She clapped for them, and they seemed to feed off her energy, runnin’ around even faster.
I pulled her into me and kissed her temple. After a few more minutes, we started toward the house, the dogs followin’ behind.
“Feel free to redecorate the place. I bought it and never touched it. It’s yours to do with as you like.”
She nodded, tuckin’ a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s beautiful as is. I might just add some personal pictures and touches to make it ours.” She took a sharp breath and then laughed a little. “That’s such a normal thing do when everything else feels…like it has no normal shapes, right?”
For her, this life would take time to adjust to. I’d been called the Beast of Boston ever since I disconnected a man’s head from his shoulders—one of Craig’s men—and stuck it on a spike in front of his house.
She would be the Beast’s wife, Maeve O'Callaghan, and known no less than the Beauty of Boston.
There would be books about us someday. How the Beast fell in love with the Beauty, and by some miracle, she fell in love with him too. With the wolves surroundin’ them, they fought and won.
At the end, they were both devastated by the love they shared.
All good stories should be devastatin’. Devastation means they lived in love until the very last page of their story.
Keenan and Fiona were in the kitchen when we walked in, the dogs stormin’ past us to sniff out their new place. Fiona had water goin’ for tea, and Keenan was waitin’ for me. Maeve looked between us, her shoulders fallin’ a little.
I nodded at Keenan. He nodded back. He’d meet me in the office. Takin’ Maeve by the hand, I brought her to our room. She plopped down on the bed and covered her eyes with her arm.
“Going to work?” she asked.
I moved her hand. She blinked at me.
“Work.” I grunted. “For a lack of a better word, yeah.”
She nodded and sat up, looking around. “I guess I’ll just unpack?” She made it sound like a question.
I leaned in and kissed her on the head. “This place is your castle. You do whatever you want to do.”
“Can I leave?” Her voice rose. She was excited at the thought. She didn’t even have to say it. She wanted to run to the bookstore and see her friend, Delaney.
“No.”
Her hands twisted in her lap. “I mean, I know things are dangerous with the Craigs…but I can’t stay here forever. It’s perfect, but I miss Delaney and the bookstore. Can I at least have security or something?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Unless the Craigs are gone, I don’t trust anyone enough.”
“What about Fiona?”
