“Not the point, Royal.” Mom draws a steady, calming breath. “Even though the D’Medicis are being a little cold with us, we’re still working to build a relationship with them for business purposes outlined in the truce. The D’Medicis may not know the arbiters are vampires, but we should take the threat of extermination quite seriously.”
“If anything, he’s more bound to us now.” I shrug nonchalantly, but inside, hot lava is stewing around in my gut. It heats my body from the inside out.They don’t even care that she wouldn’t be safe with Steffano.
It’s because you haven’t told her she’s our mate.My wolf throws that out there, and it cools my anger.
The SUV pulls up into the driveway, and I spit it out. “It’s because she’s my mate.”
“You’re sure?” Mom looks at me, eyes wide. “I’ll be pissed as hell if she isn’t.”
“We don’t believe in divorce.” I use logic as an attempt to drive home my point. “I wouldn’t have married her if I wasn’t sure.”
“God damn it.” Dad scrubs his hand down his face before pushing back his gray hair off his forehead. “Alright, then we’ll do what it takes.”
What it takesresonates loudly with my soul.
My wolf finds ease in Dad’s agreement with what we want, what we need.Our mate is coming home.
Dad opens the front door, and Gregorio D’Medici, the man himself, storms into our home. Leticia, cowed, follows. She looks all wrong, subservient like this. Where is the brave woman who has been coming out of her shell?
She shouldn’t be cowering and afraid. Not here, not when I’m so close to her. Not where I can protect her.
Two D’Medici henchmen push their way through the door before Dad can close it.
“What, you’re not coming to collect your wife? The secret is out.” Gregorio practically sounds wolf with the rumble in his voice and sharp click of his teeth as he snaps the words out. He reaches behind Leticia and shoves her toward me.
I catch her, pulling her to my chest, and she whimpers.
I want to whisper to her, comfort her, and tell her we’re keeping her safe, but I don’t dare speak. Clutching her to my chest has to be enough reassurance.
Step one, acquire mate.My wolf starts formulating a plan and checking off the quickly growing to-do list.Step two, secure mate.
“Because you’ve been married since August and no one knew. You think we wouldn’t find out?” Gregorio screams.
I don’t take his bait. He wants me to backpedal, and I won’t. He doesn’t scare me. He’s a man and I’m a wolf.
We could just kill him.My wolf licks his chops.
But that’s not right. That’s not how we get rid of Gregorio.Too easy to plant evidence. We can make him go to prison.It’s the first time I’ve had to think about what to do about Gregorio in all this, aside from copious amounts of money to pay him off.Not a bad plan.
“That’s enough,” Mom snaps with a very demure huff. She’s the worst at keeping her wolf in check when angry, but that sounded more suburban housewife than I’ve ever heard her.
I slowly release Leticia. She stands up a little more firmly andsteps beside me. But she doesn’t look at me, her eyes trained on the floor. She doesn’t give me any sign that she’s happy to be saved.
Oh, our mate is mad.My wolf crouches inside me, wanting me to appease her but not knowing how. We know a lot about her, but nothing that can solve this.
“You have no idea how much this lover’s tryst has cost me. The fact that he defiled my daughter, marrying her before the truce. It should be grounds for a call to the arbiters.” Gregorio gestures between her and me.
Leticia finally looks at me out of the corner of her eye. I haven’t learned every single one of her looks and the silent messages she tries to give, but I’m confident that look is trying to tell me there’s no way in hell her dad knows about what we did in my bedroom before Christmas.
“I didn’t defile your daughter,” I say firmly.Defiling would mean I believe having sex makes her less than. And thus not a lie.
Her dad huffs. “Steffano suspects she’s not a virgin. He’ll never want her now. He’ll go back on my deal.”
“So, she’s technically not your property?” Dad homes in on that fact, already calculating.
Not property,my wolf snaps, but I suppress him. Now’s not the time to split hairs over words like that.
“We’re in charge of her care until Steffano arrives.” Her father is beet red in the face and tries to square up to Dad.
