I pad barefoot across the bedroom and pull open the door. The hallway smells faintly of like the tea shop, steeped Earl Grey and something sweet. I follow the sound of voices until a scene I don’t expect unfolds before me.
Jett paces in front of the windows with an assault rifle, and Blade guards the front door with the same gun.
In the open kitchen, Rhys stands there shirtless, wearing only the matching pajama bottoms. He’s got his assault rifle strapped across his chest like he’ll never put it down again if I’m around.
For a moment, I can’t breathe. Because he’s mine. It was never about how gorgeous he was. Yes, his height, his broad shoulders, his sculpted cheekbones didn’t hurt, but it’s how he has always treated me. With respect. And though he can be utterly terrifying, killing people for a living, and yet, I always knew deep inside he would never hurt me.
Movement behind a column between the kitchen and the living room startles me. But I see Griffin is here, too. He’s talking to Rhys, his face even. His brother Trace stands at Rhys’s side.
“Fallon!” A female voice pulls my attention sideways.
I smile, seeing Raina leap from an armchair. Her long blonde braid swings as she crosses the room. I admire her toned arms, and black cargo pants filled with knives strapped to her thighs and a gun on her hip.
A pang of jealousy pierces me hard and fast. I’ll never look like her. I’ll never move like her.
But I don’t have to. That’s not who I am. And Rhys loves me for being gentle and soft. And he doesn’t mind when I get dirty in the garden or run out into the rain to save a drowning plant. He even loves my whiteboard full of ideas.
Rhys doesn’t need me to carry guns. That’s his job. He just needs me. And he needs me to love him for whoheis. An assassin for Quinlan Empireanda boyfriend who will murder anyone who tries to hurt me.
“I’m so happy you’re back with us.” Raina wraps me in a hug, surprisingly warm for all the steel she carries.
“Me, too.” I have a few inches on the princess.
“She’s not just back.” Rhys breaks away from Griffinmid-sentence and strides across the living room to get to me. Tucking me tight against his chest, he says, “She’s home.”
Home.
Folded into Rhys’s arms is also my home. And my plants. My eyes flick to the repaired metal stand. Basil will want the prime sun spot. He’s the alpha plant. And Fern needs a swing bolted to the ceiling. I’ll need another stand if I’m moving everyone in.
Concern shadows Rhys’s eyes when he looks down at me. “You all right, love?”
“Yeah.” My throat is still raw, but the word comes out steady. “My head is clear of those meds. Finally.”
“It will always be clear.” He brings our mouths together.
I let him kiss me, but stop, hearing a sigh behind us. Glancing at the wall of muscle and steel, I say, “Why are there guards here?”
“They’re here to protect us.” His hand smooths down my hair, reassuring me, but I don’t miss the edge in his tone.
His touch holds the promise of violence if anyone dares to take me away from him again.
Trace appears at his side. “We’re working twenty-four seven to identify every man who worked for your father.”
“My father…” That part rushes back to me. The moment I saw his car explode didn’t seem real.
My stomach twists, but before I can process any questions, Griffin swaggers over in a tailored suit, every inch the head of Quinlan Empire. Ridiculously handsome, polished, but still very lethal.
“I’m glad you’re back with us, too, Fallon,” he says, his accent curling around the words. “But I’m sorry. Your father didn’t make it. He was killed in the explosion.”
“Wekilled him, Fallon,” Rhys takes responsibility. “He was in the lead car of a caravan that was taking you awayfrom me forever. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
My father. Killed.
I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel. Rage? Relief? Nothing fits, nothing feels right.
“What about Roxy? His wife?” I ask.
“She’s in hiding. With your father’s lawyer, apparently.” Rhys’s arm tightens around me. “Don’t worry.Ourlawyer is working to find your father’s will. I’ll make sure you get every penny from his estate.”
