“And he loves you, and I love you too. It’s what men do.” I stare at the ship’s wake, the moonlight dancing like diamonds across it. I just want Alena to be happy. “It’s alright now. He knows about us.”
“But… but what do you mean he saidyes?”
I’m not asking Alena like this. Not on the phone. Not when she’s upset. Not even next week.
I rushed when I was with Axel and Nash, too damn determined for them to know I’m serious. I’m not backing down. But now? No, I’ll propose at the perfect moment, on the perfect day.
“He gave us his permission to be together.”
“Hispermission?” Yep, that poked my lioness. “I’m not his property to pass along. Yes, I love my dad. I know he wants to protect me, but I don’t need hispermissionto love you or do a goddamn thing! Wait… What?”
I hear her respond to a voice in the background.
Oh shit. My mom’s in the room with her!
“Alena, I?—”
“Loch, hang on.” Alena hushes me while I decide what flowers I want at my funeral, listening to her tell my mom how I told Nash about loving her, how Nash punched me for it, et cetera, et cetera, et… we’re fucking dead.
Me.
Nash.
Axel.
Once again, Sire was right. The holy fucker. I should’ve cleared this with The Queen. With Mom. She has a firm policy on whooping our ass if we ever whoop another brother’s ass. It’s hypocrisy at its wisest. It’s kept the peace between seven men until now.
“Hey, uh, Loch?” I love my name in Alena’s voice. It sounds like a happy sigh. “You still there?”
“Always, Babygirl.”
“I just told Nadine about us, and she wants to meet you.”
I’m sure she does.“Happy to.”
“She says she has a meeting tomorrow morning.”Uh, that’ll be with me and the kings about to be killed.“And then maybe we can meet for lunch? She said I can stay here at The Mercier and?—”
Of course, Mom did.
Alena’s safe there.
Mom knows the hotel’s owner, Luca Mercier. That brutal man doesn’t play unless it’s with a whip and nipple clamps. Dom to Dominatrix: They’re good friends.
“I’ll pick you up at noon,” I tell her. “And Alena?”
“Yeah?” She sounds stressed.
“We have a choice, Babygirl: me and you. Fight for our love, or lose it to a fight.”
“You know I’ll always fight for you, I promise.” It soundslike she’s smiling through tears. “But I’m sorry you got hurt for me. I’m really pissed at my dad.”
“Aw, don’t be mad at him. That wasn’t a fight, Babygirl. That was Fate. She put us together, remember?”
I can sense her breath deepening before she whispers, “I think it’s my mom. She’s Fate. I believe she put us together. You probably think I’m ridic?—”
“You’re not ridiculous.” My eyes glisten at the moon over the river. “I believe it too.”
My life with Alena may be a lie, but my love for her isn’t.
