Page 46 of Beyond Enemy Vows

"Yes, you are, and I'll treat you like one too," Niko says and kisses me. "Three nights will never be enough," he says against my lips.

I smile, eyes closed. "How I wish you could just steal me away and never let me go."

13

CALLI

Iwalk up to the secluded table inside my family's restaurant. Ares sits at the head, Katerina at his side, and I slide into the seat opposite her, still smoothing my dress down over my thighs.

"Look who finally made time for us," Ares says, setting down his wine glass with a smile. "All your training and travel, I was starting to think you forgot where home was."

I force a laugh and take a sip of wine. "I've just been trying to make the most of my time before the retreat. Lots to prepare for." I smile and set down the glass, focusing on the candlelight. Anywhere but Ares's searching gaze.

"The retreat," Katerina says. "Remind me again where this is happening?"

"Rome. Women's self-defense training. Kickboxing, basic survival-type stuff. I want to put my best foot forward."

"And you have to go to Rome for this?" Ares asks.

"Yes. It's important to me. I like them. They're empowering, you know. Learning to protect yourself."

"I think it's wonderful, Calli," Katerina says, glancing at Ares. "Especially after what happened to us."

Ares's jaw ticks. He doesn't like when we bring up that day, the day that pushed me to even learn about defending myself in the first place.

It’s been one thing after another lately. Theo’s wedding already feels like a lifetime ago, all speeches and champagne, pretending we were just a normal family for one night. Then, not long after, Dimitri was taken. I didn’t breathe until I heard he was someplace safe. I still haven’t spoken to him, but my brothers assure me he’s fine and off doing… something. Status quo for them, keeping me in the dark.

"That new?" Ares asks, pointing to my neck.

I freeze for a fraction of a second.

My hand flies to my collarbone, fingertips brushing against the platinum necklace that hangs delicately from my neck.

"Oh. Yeah. Just something I picked up downtown at a boutique shop." The lie slips out smoothly. All the sneaking around have made deception too easy.

In truth, I've been wearing it every day since Niko gave it to me the night we said goodbye in Boston. The same weekend he gave me my collar.

Since I couldn't obviously wear that one in public, he got me this—platinum chain, one-carat center diamond, encircled by a halo of smaller stones. The diamond was me, he said. The ring around it, his invisible collar. A quiet mark of ownership. Myreminder of who I belong to. I haven't taken it off since he placed it around my neck eight weeks ago.

During that time, my brother has to have seen it, but now he brings it up.

"It's beautiful," Katerina says, her voice light, but when I glance at her, her eyes are telling me she isn't buying it.

"Thank you," I manage, taking another sip of wine to hide my discomfort. The diamond shifts against my skin, and instead of the coolness it normally feels, it's hot. Dangerously hot.

I'm worried what they'll say next, and thankfully Ares's phone buzzes on the table. He glances at it, frowns slightly. "Excuse me, I need to take this." He stands, squeezing Katerina's shoulder as he passes, and steps away.

The moment he's far enough away, Katerina shifts her drink out of the way and leans forward.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"What? Me? Of course!"

"You've been off lately, Calli," she says, keeping her voice soft. "Distant. You barely texted me back this week."

I try to laugh it off. "I've just been busy," I say, shifting in my chair. "Training's been a lot. Plus I've got that retreat coming up and you've got your hands full with the baby, so I didn't want to bother you."

"That's your go-to now? Training and my baby?" Her brow arches, amused and skeptical. Clearly not buying it.