Rome: So like what level of dying are we talking? Asking for a friend.
I rolled my eyes, locked the phone and dropped it face-down on the nightstand.
Then I turned my focus back to the only thing that mattered.
My hand found her back, and warm under the covers. I traced her slowly, up, then down. Like I was memorizing the shape of her rest.
She sighed in her sleep and curled in closer, her leg tangling with mine again.
My phone buzzed again from the nightstand. I sighed, rolled half over, and picked it up. The family thread had exploded.
Rome: Vince is definitely with someone. He’s way too quiet. Bet she’s hot.
Luca: She’d have to be. It’s Vince. He doesn’t fuck mid.
Bastion: He doesn’t fuck at all. He broods.
Rome: Maybe she likes brooding. Maybe she likes being stared at like a villain origin story.
Nikolai: Enough. Let the man breathe. Or not. I don’t care. If he’s not dead, I’m not dealing with this thread again today.
Rome: He’s definitely with someone. Odds on two women? I’m taking bets.
Luca: Explains the rumor he showed up at that dynasty art event last night. Tried to act low profile. Didn’t work.
Bastion: He doesn’t do low profile.
Luca: I was hoping it was a heist.
Rome: Knowing Vince, it was. A heart heist.
Bastion: If I could block you for that. I would.
I groaned and locked the screen, muting them all for 12 hours. They could set the city on fire and I’d still pick her over the cleanup.
Madeline shifted against me, tilting her face up. “Do you always text your criminal family while you’re in bed with women?”
I arched a brow. “Criminal family?”
“Sorry. That came out so wrong…”
I waited.
“I’m not saying you’re not a dynasty—” She fumbled. “I know you’re registered. In the sovereign I know you’ve got the crest. But it’s not the same. You’re not… heirs.”
My jaw clenched. “No?”
She sat up slightly, flustered now touching my chest. “I didn’t mean you’re syndicate. I’m just saying, in most dynasties, the heirs are born into contracts and inherit their position through law, bloodlines. But yours?—”
She stopped herself, then groaned. “I’m making this worse, aren’t I?”
I let out a low chuckle. “You’re not wrong. We are violent. That’s what our blood is.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your blood’s not filtered with tech. That doesn’t excuse it.”
I turned to face her fully, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “You want to know how we got the crest?”
She blinked, then nodded once. Gently she stroked the back of my hand.
