“I told you,” she said. “I heard things.”
“I’m betting that you didn’t hear everything,” he said.
“Then tell me the rest,” she demanded.
He stepped closer to her. Luca had been careful not to touch her—until now. He reached out to take her hand into his own and was surprised that she allowed him to do so. “They wanted to take you,” he said. “Not kill you.”
Her jaw tightened. “I know.”
“They would’ve used you as leverage,” he continued.
“I know,” she said.
“Against me,” he finished. That seemed to hit hard. He saw it in her eyes.
“And now?” she asked.
“Now they can’t get to you or use you against me,” he said. “You’re here, and I plan to keep you safe.”
“How can you keep me safe?” she asked. “I know my family, and if they want to get to me, they will.”
“Not if I claim you,” he insisted. The thought of making her his did strange things to him. He already told her that she belonged to him, but maybe it was time to let the rest of the world know that, too. The families might walk away if they knew that she belonged to him.
“You claimed me,” she said. It wasn’t a question—just a statement.
Luca nodded, “Yes.”
Her chest rose slowly. “And if everyone knew that you claimed me, then I’d be safe,” she said, piecing things together.
“Yes,” he breathed, “well, safer. I’m not sure if they’d all back down, but a lot of the families would once they knew that you were officially mine.”
“And this will make me safer?” she asked again.
“Yes,” he said. He hesitated to tell her this next part. “It might also make you more of a target.”
Her lips parted slightly and then closed. She was processing what he had just told her. “Why?” she asked.
Luca tilted his head slightly. “Why would it make you more of a target?” he asked.
“No, why go that far?” she said. “You could’ve just hidden me. Kept me out of sight.”
Luca stepped closer until there was barely any space between them. “Because hiding you would show weakness,” he said. Her brows pulled together. “Claiming you,” he continued, “would make you untouchable.”
Her breath hitched. “Hiding me and claiming me aren’t the same things.”
“No,” he agreed. “They’re not.”
She paused. “Which one do you think keeps me alive longer?” He didn’t answer, but he didn’t need to. She seemed to understand her options fully, and he knew exactly which one she would pick—because she was smart.
“And the marriage?” she asked.
“It happens if you want me to claim you. The families will expect us to get married, Isabella,” he explained. “If we skip that part, no one will take my claim to you seriously.”
“And this will protect me?” she asked. He nodded. “And you,” she added.
“Yes,” he breathed. It protects both of our families and us. There it was—the truth. Even when it cut like a knife, he’d still give her the truth.
She exhaled slowly. “This isn’t what I wanted,” she admitted.
