Page 78 of Beautiful Torment (Empire of Kings #1)

ABELLA

“ Y ou’re coming home with me.”

His tone leaves no room for argument, and I expected nothing less from him. But surely, he has to see the disaster looming ahead if he goes through with this.

“Angelo.” My voice fractures. “Nothing has changed. I can’t give you?—”

“You give me everything.” He tilts my face up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “You are what I want, cara . Our future may not be exactly as we planned it, but I don’t want a future without you in it. It’s that simple for me.”

Tears leak from my eyes, and he brushes them away.

“But what about the treaty?” I ask.

He answers without pause. “If Ares and I can’t come to an agreement, then I’ll go to war.”

“No.” Panic swells in my chest. “You can’t risk the lives of our family and friends for me?—”

“I’m not,” he tells me. “They volunteered.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Everyone wants you back,” he says. “You’re family. And we always protect our family. No matter what.”

What he’s telling me might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. But it’s also the most insane. He has to know I can’t agree to this. I know what wars entail. They’re bloody and painful, and in the end, nobody ever really wins.

“Do you trust me?” Angelo asks.

“Of course I do.”

“Good. I’m asking you to trust me now. That’s all I need you to do.”

Ultimately, I concede because I know it doesn’t matter what I say at this point. When Angelo is determined, he won’t be swayed. He’s taking me home, regardless of how I may feel about this crazy plan.

When he recognizes my acceptance, he asks the next question I’ve been dreading.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice is soft, but it’s impossible to miss the torment behind his tone.

I close my eyes and breathe him in as a thousand regrets filter through my mind. “I was afraid of what you would choose.”

“You,” he answers. “Always you, cara .”

I nod against him, silent tears tracking down my face. It’s everything I ever needed to hear from him, but it comes at a cost, and only the future will tell us what that might be.

“You kept it on.” He traces a finger over my wedding ring.

“I never planned to take it off,” I confess.

A low hum of satisfaction vibrates in his chest, and I feel it deep inside me. Being near him soothes me like nothing else can. He’s my home. And as much as my mind is at war, I can already feel the pieces of my heart mending back together.

“I love you,” I murmur the words against his skin.

His lips brush my ear. “ Ti ho amata da sempre .”

I smile, and his fingers drift down the length of my spine, sending goosebumps over my entire body. When I tilt my face up to kiss him, we come together the way flames spark, feeding off each other. And soon, he’s back inside me.

For the moment, nothing else matters.

Anxious energy claws at my chest as the jet coasts through the sky, carrying us home to a world of uncertainty.

I told Angelo I wasn’t feeling well, which is true. My stomach has been in knots all day, and I’m positive it won’t fare any better by the time we’re back in Seattle.

He gets me settled into the bed, and molds his body to mine as he wraps an arm around my waist.

“What do you need, amore ?”

There’s so much concern in his voice, and I’m wildly emotional. I can feel my thoughts spiraling, and there’s no hiding it.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” I whisper.

“As certain as the sun will rise tomorrow.”

When I search his eyes, I can see that he means it. But he also recognizes that this doubt in me isn’t something that will go away easily.

“You’ll have to find a way to make peace with it,” he murmurs. “I’m keeping you, forever. Now be a good girl, and go to sleep.”

I soak up the warmth of those words, closing my eyes as he holds me. And I realize that this…is exactly what I need.