Page 33 of Married to the Devil

The town car parks out front of my New Jersey compound.

It’s a sprawling estate carved from the heart of the Pine Barrens. Self-sufficient, mostly off-grid. Multiple redundant wells, a slew of solar panels and battery cells, and even a windmill whirling in the distance.

The safest place within driving range.

June hammered me with questions during the trip here. She gave up eventually when I made it clear that I wasn’t going to answer. But god, that woman has done nothing but make this impossible situation even more difficult than it needs to be.

Moments after I step out of the car, Theodora arrives with my daughter, followed by a small caravan of soldiers, Nunzio in command. My guard captain barks orders as the men fan out and take positions around the walled compound.

Theodora’s carrying little yawning Hattie in her arms when June comes flying around the car.

“Baby!” June all but rips the girl from Theodora, hugging her tight. Hattie clings to her mother like a baby sloth. “Oh, I missed you so much.”

“I’m tired,” Hattie complains. “Where are we?”

“Vacation,” Theodora says happily. “I explained on the ride down, remember?”

“Do I have to sleep here?” Hattie doesn’t sound happy. “It looks big and weird.”

June looks to me. I turn to the house. “Theodora, please show them to Hattie’s room. When she’s in bed, bring June to the back sitting room.”

“You know I’m billing you triple for this, right?”

“Like it matters.” I look back once. “Make sure my wife is still in her dress.”

I leave them to handle it.

The house is massive. I don’t spend much time here, however, and it has to be brought up to par. I called ahead and sent several of my personal staff to tidy up and prepare suitable lodgings. My suite connects to Hattie’s room and is set back on the most heavily guarded and safest wing of the whole structure. I bypass those halls though and go straight to my favorite room.

It’s a big glass atrium with views out to the pine trees and the walls around the edge of the property. Plants grow in profusion all over the place. I keep an old local lady on staff to tend the garden year round and she does a magnificent job. Flowers, vines, small ferns, like a jungle in miniature. I fetch a drink and prowl to the far window, staring out into the night.

This was a fucking unmitigated disaster.

I worked my ass off on this plan. I had everything ready, all the invitations sent, the guests prepared. It was going to be the world’s greatest forced wedding, a show of my strength, proof that the Lords of Ashes are masters of this world. No man, woman, or child can resist me. No politician can stop me, no business magnate can buy me. I sit astride them all.

Instead, it was a rushed fucking mess.

“You’re brooding.” Silas approaches through the foliage. He swirls a glass and ice clinks. “You must be in your happy place.”

“How are the others?”

“Cassian disappeared the moment you left. Kellan and Devlin are securing the area. They’ll come around tomorrow to meet the girls.”

“That’s fine.” I crack my neck. “They tried to take her, Silas.”

“I know.” My brother’s usually confident and cocky smirk is missing. He stares into the night beside me. “But Cassian stopped them.”

“Barely. I should have been there.”

“You were preparing for a wedding and running our entire operation. You can’t be everywhere.”

“I should have been by her side.”

“Rafe—“

“This is what always happens.” I clutch my glass tightly, raising it to toss hard liquor down my throat. It doesn’t quench the rage in my heart. “I let myself indulge and everyone gets hurt.”

“That isn’t true.”