My darkness didn’t scare her off; she found protection in it.
The second time was when we went for the ultrasound, and I heard Rose’s heartbeat. All my protective and possessive instincts pushed to the surface as complete hopelessness filled me, because I could never imagine anyone hurting my baby.
And I vowed to give her everything bright this world has to offer so she would never discover how hideous it can be.
At least not yet.
“Did you go with Uncle Eros?” Rose’s voice brings me back to the present, and there is a glint of mischief in her blue eyes. Destiny truly played a trick on me when they made her my wife’s spitting image, sans her hair. How could I ever refuse her anything or be stern with her? Not that I’d have it any other way. “Mommy said he’s designing a new building.” She sighs dreamily at this. “Someday I’ll do cool stuff like him.” She pats my cheeks again. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on your empire as well, Daddy.”
I hold back the laughter because my daughter finds my work boring among all the other businesses I partake in, even though she wants to take the reins someday.
We can thank Actaeon for that, as he often casually mentions that her grandfather would have been proud to know his only granddaughter followed in his footsteps, despite the legacy being male-dominated, and became the greatest leader this company would ever have.
In truth, we both know the piece of shit is turning in his grave, and we toast to that fact every single time we see each other.
She won’t be forced to lead; my princess can do whatever the fuck she wishes, and I will support her every step of the way.
“You sure will, princess. Uncle Eros will come to wish you a happy birthday tomorrow.”
“What about Uncle A?” She furrows her brow, and her hold on my cheeks tightens. “Will he come? He promised!”
Right.
He’s always been her favorite, as he lets her get away with everything.
He also makes sure to fly to Boston at least once a week and spend time with her, keeping their uncle-niece connection strong.
My little brother is now a powerful leader in his own right. A fact that is still a sore subject between us.
“Uncle A always keeps his promises, right?” I ask her, and she nods. “I’m sure he’ll be there.”
Even if he is…well…
Complicated would be an understatement, but he thrives in mayhem and gore, enjoying it to the fullest.
At the rate he’s going, I won’t be surprised to learn he forgot about humanity altogether and succumbed to all his dark cravings. He’s already treading on dangerous territory with Lachlan, and serving as a buffer between them and Actaeon has been a pain in the ass for Rafael and me.
Despite all that, he won’t break his promise to Rose.
Actaeon has become many things over the years, and we don’t agree on most of the shit he does. Despite this, he’s my brother, born and raised by me. I never forget this fact, and as such, we are off-limits to his enemies because they know if they touch us, he’ll lose his head.
And we’ve already seen what happens when Actaeon loses his head, and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.
I prefer to permanently wipe these particular memories from my mind. For a moment in time, I wondered if I would be able to save him from destruction.
He’ll never turn his back on his family, and if he gives his word, he’ll keep it no matter what.
“Mommy!” Rose shouts and wiggles in my arms. I put her back on the ground. She starts sprinting toward my wife, who’s heading in our direction, holding a plate of cookies with her red hair swaying lightly in the summer breeze.
The emerald-green long dress she wears flows past her knees, showcasing her delicate body in all its curvy glory. My hands are itching to touch her. I want to bite on her flesh and leave my marks all over her again, reminding her she belongs to only me.
My possessive tendencies grew over the years, and my wife seems to love it, which is all that matters to me.
Can anyone blame me?
I married the most beautiful woman in the world, and by some kind of miracle, she loves me.
She’s truly a gift from the gods for all the horrible things I had to go through, and I don’t even care about my scars anymore because having them led me to her.
