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“Honey, a man who is willing to kill for you doesn’t do it for nothing. They do it for love.”

I blink, confused at how my mother knows about Dante killing anyone.

“H-how do you know that?” I peer up at her through watery lashes.

“Dante came here to ask permission to marry you. He knew what it meant to you. In return, he told your father what he did. That way, if your father ever feels Dante has failed you, he has a form of blackmail.”

My tears subside and I wipe the residual dampness from my cheeks.

“Did you agree? Did father give him a blessing?”

“Well, your father laid out some… terms… if you will. Let me ask you something, Ev. Do you want to marry him?”

I take a deep breath and meet her eyes.

“Yes. I love him. I love him more than I have ever loved anyone.”

She smiles at me and wraps her arms around me, tightening them once more.

“Then you have our blessing.”

I hold my mother back, and we sit in peace for a good while. I always feel safe in her embrace.

* **

We emerge from the stairs, and I carry an oversized suitcase full of items I have been missing. Dante and my father sit casually on the sofas, each drinking whiskey. Dante hurries to the stairs to take my bag for me, offering me his hand as I walk down the stairs.

My father stands as well, his eyes raking over my mother. Ew, gross. She smiles at him, and he nods to himself, as if they were having an unspoken conversation.

“Thank you for having us over. Maybe we could do this more often?”

My mother and father stand before me, giving me sincere smiles.

“Anytime, sweetheart. You and Dante are always welcome.”

My father’s words fill my heart to the point that it might explode. I rush up to him and give him a big hug. He gives me a tight squeeze before he releases.

“Take care of my daughter, Dante. I mean it.” He gives Dante a firm expression.

“I would do nothing less, Mr. Blackwell.” He nods at my father, and we walk out the front door.

Secretly, I’m hoping Dante will ruin my make-up later as he promised, but I keep the thought to myself. He always keeps his promises.

38

Dante

It has been a month since we had dinner at her parents’ house for the first time. It went better than I expected. Evelyn has moved in almost all of her belongings. She didn’t say what she spoke to her mother about, but I know it was something real. She came downstairs with less make-up than before, and she seemed relaxed.

My days have felt whole, waking up to the sight of my little princess curled up on my chest. She tries to get up for coffee almost every morning, but I always convince her to let me have my way with her first. She is addicting. A drug that I could never overdose on. I take her to class when I can, and I spend my evenings curled up next to her or buried inside of her. God, she is so fucking perfect.

The worst part has been when I have to meet Lucien for work-related matters. We have handled the transition of power seamlessly, and while I am grateful for that, we are in the process of adding more guys to our team. It seems like every guy thinks he has what it takes, and then breaks at the slightest bit of pain.

We have set up a series of tests for them to complete. Our fathers used to take us out into the field to prove our worth. We aren’t like them, though. We want guys who want to be here, ones who are hungryfor blood.

We have successfully hired two men, Jared and Ronan. They both grew up in the slums and know how to get their hands dirty. They have no other affiliations, and they are both young. Jared is 17 and has been on his own since he was 14, and Ronan is 20. He has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. They both are looking for a purpose in life, and they completed our tests with speed and no complaints.

We are looking to add more, but haven’t found any more that make the cut. I step out of my car at the compound, ready to meet Lucien and the new guys.