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“I have the blood of hundreds on my hands, sweetheart. One or two insignificant ones shouldn’t matter,” I state.

Her face pales and I shut my eyes briefly, reminding myself that this isn’t what she needs. I hate scaring her.

“They’re not insignificant,” she says, her eyes filling with tears. “They were people. Actual human beings that had families and lives. How could you have taken that away from then?”

“People die. That’s the way this world works, Cassie,” I say calmly.

“Not my world.”

“Yes. Your world. When you married me, it became yours. All the bloodshed and the death, it’s our legacy now.”

She shivers, “I won’t let you bring me into your darkness.”

I stop to take a breather before saying another word. Then, I crouch downward so we’re face to face, placing a hand on her cheek. The atmosphere is tense, and I hate how fast this situation has evolved into something so volatile. For a while there, we were happy. I want that again. I want it always.

“I don’t want you to be a part of my darkness, Cassie. Hey look at me,” I begin gently, ensuring our eyes remain connected. “You’re my bright light. I chose you because you provided me with something I wouldn’t have been able to achieve anywhere else, at least not on my own. What do you want me to say? That I hate who I am? I could tell you that. I’m sure it would bring you some measure of peace. And maybe a part of me does hate it. The things I’ve done, the lengths I’ve had to go through to keep this position. But the truth is, I can always do so much worse. When it comes to keeping you, nothing will stand in my way. I’ll kill whoever tries because you’re mine. Mine to protect. And I’ll do whatever it takes to do that. Even from my darkness.”

She stares at me for a long moment once I’m done. And then her expression softens.

“You can go.”

I arch an eyebrow, “You’ll be in my bed when I return?”

“That’s for me to decide and for you to see when you get back,” she says dryly. “Bye, Damien.”

I rise to my feet, shooting her one last look before heading into my closet to get dressed. When I step outside again, she’s still in that same position, expression thoughtful. A part of me is worried she won’t be here when I return.

But it would be the answer to the biggest question running through both our minds. Will she ever be able to get past who I am and what I do?

She’s got a big decision to make. And a part of me is terrified about what she’ll choose. They can call me a monster. Hell, she can believe it too.

But the truth is—I'd never hurt Cassie. Not physically. Not emotionally.

I could break men without blinking, burn cities to the ground if I had to—but her? I'd rather bleed than see her cry.

And that’s the problem. Because now… if she walked out? I couldn’t touch her friends. Couldn’t go after her uncle. Not without a damn good reason.

She’s my weakness. And if she leaves me now? I’m fucked.

***

It quickly becomes clear that whoever took out my men left no trace of their identity. Which means I have to play a waiting game or at least smoke them out in order to get them to reveal their identity.

“We’ll find him, boss,” Luca says from the front seat of the car as he drives us home.

I don’t say a word, keeping my eyes fixed on the tablet in front of me. I’m wiring money to the families of the men who died. They were good, loyal men, and they died for nothing. It’s unacceptable. And I’ll make sure that someone pays for this.

Luckily for Cassie, there was no need for me to shed blood tonight. No one for me to kill. But she doesn’t know that. Which is why a part of me is expecting not to find her when I walkthrough the doors of my bedroom. But she’s there, wearing one of my shirts and lying underneath the blankets.

She’s also fast asleep. My steps are slow and quiet as I hurriedly remove my clothes before sliding into the bed beside her. She wasn’t lying about the cuddling. As soon as I’m in bed, she shifts so that her head rests on my chest. And I’m all too willing to wrap my arms around her.

“Good night, sweetheart,” I whisper, placing a kiss on the side of her head.

And then my dreams claim me as well. Even better now that I have her in my arms.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CASSIE