“You’re mine, Agnellino. I don’t care how many Boys you Daddy, or what your position is in this Family. I’m always going to worry about you. Tu sei ciò che fa girare il mio mondo.”
He kisses me, hard and claiming, and I moan into his mouth, enjoying the feel of him against me. He yields so beautifully when I take over the kiss, and the thrill that rushes over me knowingI’mthe one who can make this beautiful man submit to me…Fucking hell.Roman’s orgy bed is looking more and more appealing with every day that passes and I can’t have all my lovers in the same place.
I pull away, releasing his hair and enjoying the mussed look of him with his curls now in disarray. “Take care of your Boy,” I sign. “And then…I’ll take care of you.”
Doc snorts. “You’ll take care of yourself. It’s almost time for your meds.”
I turn to the doctor and make a face. “I’m fine. I have work to do.”
“Consistency is key, especially when we’re trying to figure out what you respond to and what you don’t.”
“I don’t have time to take out of my day for a stupid nap. I am not a fan of the fucking drowsiness side effect.”
“We can look into that,” he says. “See if something else will help you…a lower dose or a different medication, but for now, you need to stay on a schedule.”
“At least, let me take a cursory look at what we were given first.”
Doc meets my stare, his amber eyes are flat and almost daring me to go against his orders. His mouth presses into a thin line before he gives a short nod. “You have an hour, then I will drag you out of the office myself.”
“Deal. Now, how’s Antonio?”
“I’m sitting right here,” the man snarks. “You could ask me yourself. The answer is I'm fine, by the way.”
Doc shrugs. “No visible injuries. I suggest watching for a concussion, just to be sure, but he seems to have adopted the Amato curse of having nine lives, and has come out unscathed.”
“As I said, I’mfine.”
I turn to the man in question, eyebrow raised. “You belong to my Little Lamb, Bello. Which means your care and well-being is my concern. Don’t get snippy with me.”
He swallows and looks to his Daddy, who is no help, as Jude gives him the same hard stare I am. Antonio wilts a little. “Sorry, Sir.”
I nod and reach out, gripping his chin firmly as I lift his face. “I will put you on a leash right alongside Emilio if you keep scaring your Daddy. You’re not allowed to get hurt, understand?”
His breath hitches and I smile inwardly, enjoying his reactions, even if it makes me miss my puppy that much more. “Yes, Sir. I’ll try to behave.”
“Good.” Leaning in, I press a firm kiss to his delectable mouth, staking my claim, letting everyone know the Boy is now under my protection. “Listen to your Daddy, he worries.”
Straightening up, I smirk at Jude’s amused expression, though I can see the gratefulness in his eyes as well. As if there was any doubt I would care for not just Antonio, but all of his Boys. They may be Jude’s, butheis mine, and much like Benjamin falls under me thanks to Ten, the same can be said for Antonio and the twins.
Add “bring up bigger house and orgy bed to the Council” onto the list of things to do.Because like hell am I going to be without anyone in our ever-expanding family once given the chance.
First though, the USBDoctorGraves gave us is burning a hole in my pocket, so I leave the doctors to finish up with their patients, and head back to Leandro, ready to dive into who the fuck else needs to die. And this traitorwilldie, slowly, painfully, and with extreme prejudice.
Scoffing, I stare at my bandaged wrists in sinking hatred.I can’t even kill myself properly. A failure. That’s all I am.
The door opens but I don’t bother to glance up, especially when I recognize the click of high heels. I don’t want to see Sarah’s disappointed face, or worse, her pity. Pity I don’t deserve. Anger…hatred. Those are what I deserve. Nothing more, nothing less.
With a sigh, she sits next to me and lightly touches my arm. I react swiftly, despite feeling as if the meds are still weighing me down. I jerk my arm away as if it’s been burned and curl into a ball, trying to hide, to escape, even though death has eluded me.
Fuck. I’m supposed to be Death and I can’t even orchestrate my own. Pitiful.My Master would be so ashamed… Not that I even have him anymore. Tossed away. Forgotten. Pointless.
“I need you to talk to me, Lio.” Her voice is soft. Soothing. I recoil anyway. It’s not the voice I associate with her—the deadly snark is missing.
I curl up tighter, pressing my hands against my ears to drown out whatever she may say next. If only I could drown out the words inside my head too. The ones that mock me. That remind me I’m worthless. That an innocent died for me. That I fucking hurt him beforehand, in the worst possible way. And that I willingly tortured my stabby soulmate…
Pain crashes against me as the memories speed up, flashing through my consciousness, burrowing into me like a splinter that can’t be removed. Before. After. When. It all mixes together. Peter pops up. Disappears. The gunshot wound. The pain. Losing Benjamin. Finding him. Being torn apart. It just keeps going.
I cry out, my fury mixing with the guttural misery of being thrown into a churning ocean of thoughts that do nothing but remind me of what is best forgotten…best removed…and if I can’t cleave them from my brain, I have no option but to find a way to disappear, to leave—permanently.
