Across the estate somewhere below, I could see lights flicking on around the property as the sun finally dipped under the horizon.
My eyes wandered across the grounds, and I noticed Ares.
Walking across the courtyard below with Zacian, both of them deep in conversation.
Even from this distance, he carried himself like a leader.
We watched them for a moment.
Emily spoke quietly beside me.
“Sometimes the man you’re scared of loving is the one who ends up protecting you from everybody else.”
I didn’t answer.
Because the dangerous part wasn’t that Emily might be right.
The dangerous part was realizing how easy it would be to find out.
CHAPTER 39
Zay
“They’re Arranging Their Own Funerals”
Ares handed me a glass as we sat on the deck at midnight.
The amber liquid caught the light before I took it.
He leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigar with the same calm focus he did everything else with.
“Your parents are wild as hell, bro.” He shook his head.
I took a slow sip.
“They expected me to lose my temper.”
“They expected you to bow down.”
I exhaled through my nose. “They’re used to control.”
Ares nodded slightly. “Your mother especially. She acts like she is your wife.”
The word mother sat in the air for a moment before I set my glass down.
“She’s not my mother. Remember, my mother is doing life for my weak ass dad,” I said calmly.
Ares didn’t correct me.
He never did.
That was one of the reasons I respected him.
He understood the difference between family and blood.
I looked down at the ocean, wind rolled across the terrace while the city lights flickered below us.
Finally, he spoke again.
