Page 21 of Love & Power

“No one else was with her, though, so does that mean it still happened?” Ryker questions.

“There was another person there,” I said, turning my gaze to the entrance of the room. “Beatrice, could you come here, please?”

Immediately, the woman in question came to stand near the couches, hands clasped, waiting for my orders. “Yes, Mistress Raffa?”

Fuck, that simple change in title told me all I needed to know, but I still asked. “Beatrice, were you standing by the entrance to the cemetery the whole time?”

“No, I only moved there once I saw you were ready to leave. A bodyguard can only be effective if they are close enough to their protectee to intervene in a dangerous situation,” Beatrice answered.

“Were you close enough to hear what they were saying?” Jace pressed.

She shifted her gaze to meet Jace’s. “If you’re asking me if I was close enough to hear Master Raffa abdicate his place as leader of the Raffa Family to Mistress Raffa, then yes. Anything else that was discussed is not for me to remember or divulge.”

I was starting to think I’d misjudged Beatrice, assuming she would be soft based on her sweet personality. However, this display of professionalism had me smiling. Boykov had my back no matter what—I was his sole priority to look after and protect. If I didn’t tell Boykov he could share something, then he didn’t give a shit what my guys said, his lips were sealed. This was one of the biggest reasons I had absolute trust in Ralph’s ability to keep me safe.

“Have you shared that information with anyone else?” Ryker challenged.

“No, Master Ryker. I bore witness to the event, and it is my duty to confirm the actions were completed, nothing more,” she responded.

Ryker started to ask her something else, but I cut him off. “Thank you, Beatrice, that was all we needed.” She bowed her head before turning on her heel and exiting like a trained soldier.

Tipping my glass back, I swallowed what was left in it and set it on the side table. “Well, that confirms that.”

“Asta, I fear I’m misunderstanding something in this conversation the way everyone is reacting. Why are you upset about this when it gives you complete control over the Raffa Estate and all it has to offer? Wouldn’t this be the best-case scenario? Now, no one, including your grandfather, can stop you from plotting to take down the families the way you want to,” Atticus expressed, shrugging his shoulders. “I might be wrong, but this all sounds like good things to me.”

Once again, my gallant knight of logic and discernment was coming to my rescue. While I was lost looking at the long-term big picture of what this meant for my life, he focused on the here and now.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” I admitted. “You’re right. It does give me the power to direct this fight however I want to without anyone challenging me. However, in the long run, I have no idea how I’m going to manage keeping up with two major entities with an ocean between them.”

“That’s simple, you have help,” Atticus reasoned. “How do you think corporations who have hubs in multiple countries run things? They have a central office that deals with the major problems and a point person who’s in charge of the day-to-day dealings. No one person could run everything, but a team of people makes it manageable.”

Slumping against Hound, I let out a bitter laugh. “God, why do you always make things seem simple and logical? Here I am looking at the whole situation, wondering just how fucked I really am or if Frediano tricked me into coming here so I could lead the family if things go south.”

“Moonflower, take a breath,” Hound said as he swept aside my hair and nuzzled a kiss to my throat. “You’ve been running full speed since your father died, and things have only gotten more complicated since then. What I want you to do is close your eyes and let me hold you.”

When I wanted to argue, he stopped my words before they could even be said as he bit down on the crook of my neck. Instead of the argument I’d planned, a moan slipped out as my head lolled to the side like he’d hit some magic boneless button.

“Good girl,” he whispered, trailing kisses up my neck. “Indulge me and close your eyes. I’m only asking for five minutes, then you can go back to ruling the world in those sexy heels of yours.”

His offer was too hard to pass up, so I closed my eyes. A moment later, I felt someone slip off my shoes and lift my legs so I was cradled in Hound’s arms. It made me wonder if this was what it felt like to be held by a parent as a child, knowing you were safe from any danger as long as they held you close.

“Breathe in through your nose until you can’t hold any more air,” Hound instructed. “Good, that’s perfect, Moonflower. Now let it all out slowly until there is nothing left, letting your body sink into my arms. Yes, just like that… let go of the burdens weighing on your mind. Focus on my heartbeat as you do your breaths three more times.”

During my training, I’d been taught meditation for the purpose of clearing my mind during a fight. The difference between life and death in many situations is how you react when shit hits the fan. What Hound was having me do was something entirely new but had a profound impact on my body. I could feel the stress coiled up in my body starting to release and muscles relax as I surrendered to just being still.

While I tried not to focus on anything but Hound’s heartbeat, this weightlessness was giving me clarity on a few things. As the small problems fell away, it gave me the chance to look at the big picture. This is what I’d needed—a way to turn off the noise, allowing my brain to hone in on the root of the problem. To stop the whole plant from dying, you had to cut off the rot at its source, preventing it from spreading. This was the information I needed to discover, and I wouldn’t be able to do that hidden out here in the countryside.

Eyes snapping open, I shot upright, nearly tumbling to the floor having forgotten I was sitting on Hound’s lap.

“Oh fuck,” Hound muttered as he scrambled to yank me back against his chest. “What the hell, woman? Are you trying to give me a heart attack acting like a possessed spirit?”

Twisting, I grabbed his face and kissed him soundly. “Thank you. You have no idea how amazingly helpful that was.”

All irritation was lost and replaced with a pleased grin. “Anytime, Luna, but if you wanted to show your appreciation some more, I wouldn’t mind.”

Our lips met once more, and he was ready for it this time, greedily deepening the kiss as he pressed me closer. The feel of his piercings on his lower lip and tongue always made for an interesting makeout. When I started to fight the urge to straddle him so I could test out a theory I had involving his cock piercings and grinding, I pulled back. My lady cave was on a strict no-friction timeout, and I planned to stick to it. It might be worth it in the moment, but the thought of having one of them lube up my vagina with ointment because it was rubbed raw wasn’t my idea of fun.

“Okay, anyone else horny as shit now?” Braxton asked, followed by the others muttering or nodding their heads. “Thanks, guys. I just needed to know I wasn’t going to be the only one suffering from blue balls the rest of the day.”