Page 26 of His Deadly Devotion

“I do choose you,” she says.

“Then you fight, because I will never stop fighting for you.”

“Okay,” she says quietly. “I will fight. Always.”

Closing the distance between us, I wrap my good arm around her and pull her against me. Her head rests on my chest. “I love you. The thought of someone taking you from me makes me a little… rabid,” I admit.

“Ditto,” she says.

12

Imanaged to convince Connor to go and sleep for a few hours. He didn’t want me roaming around this house without him. There are too many men around—his words, not mine. I rolled my eyes and reminded him that my body only lights up for him. I have literally never been attracted to another single human in my life.

Besides, anyone who works for my family wouldn’t go against their vow to the empire. They would never touch me. No, it took falling for the enemy to find someone who didn’t care what my last name was.

I’ve been aimlessly roaming around the halls of this huge-ass castle. I’m going to go out of my mind if I’m stuck in here for too long. I’m not the type of person meant to be caged. I need freedom.

Itisa nice cage, though. Kyla and Lorenzo seem happy together too. I finally get it. I never thought I’d ever want to leave New York or my family. Now, I think I’d follow Connor anywhere. The idea of disappearing with him, of us becoming new people, has crossed my mind. It’d absolutely break my parents’ hearts, and I know my family would never stop looking for me. But if it keeps us safe, it’s an option.

He chose me. I keep thinking about the sacrifice he is making to be with me. I want to ensure that our relationship is on even footing. That it’s not just him making all the sacrifices.

I have no idea how we are going to get out of this, but I do know that Valentinos always end up on top. That said, it would be ironic if I were the first to go down.

I shake the thought from my mind. Nope, I’m not letting Connor’s psychotic parents win. How did he turn out so… normal?

He’s sweet. I should get checked for cavities. That’s how damn sweet he can be. Maybe not when he’s yelling at me for wanting an emergency exit plan. But I get that too. If he’d voiced something similar, I wouldn’t be so calm myself.

I find my way down into a cellar. Jesus, anyone would think Kyla has a drinking problem. This place is stocked and not with the cheap shit either. Picking up a bottle of red, I consider waking Connor up and making him drink with me.Until movement catches the corner of my eye, and I’m instantly on alert.

I reach for a knife, but quickly realize I don’t have any on me. I really need to fix that soon. No wonder I feel out of sorts. The only thing I have is the bottle in my hand. It’d be a shame to have to break it when I crack it over some asshole’s head. What a waste of perfectly good wine.

Gripping the neck of the bottle tight in my right hand, I spin around and raise my arm in the air.

“Wait, don’t hit me.” A young feminine voice has me dropping my arm immediately.

“Zara McKinley, are you trying to get yourself killed?” Kyla’s younger sister stares at me with wide eyes.

“Not exactly,” she says.

“Why are you snooping around here?” I ask her.

“I’m not snooping. I’m hiding.”

“Obviously. From who?”

“My dad. He’s lost his damn mind.” She shakes her head back and forth.

“What’d you do?” Because I know her dad. He dotes on his daughters to the next level. If he’s pissed off, chances are he has good reason to be.

“I got caught street racing last night. Cops locked me up, so I had to call my Uncle Xavier to come and get me,” she explains.

“You got arrested? Holy shit, no wonder Dom is pissed.” I laugh. People think that being the heiress to a multi-billion-dollar empire is everything anyone could dream of. I’ve seen how Kyla and Zara grew up, though, and it’s not easy when your every move is watched, judged, and reported on in the tabloids.

There’s a certain image to uphold when your last name is McKinley. And while Kyla is a model student who never gets in trouble (well, if we’re not counting the wholerunning off andmarrying my brother in Italything), Zara’s different story. This girl is always in trouble.

“Street racing? Really? Why?” It’s not like she’s doing it for the cash. Clearly.

“Some asshole said I couldn’t beat him,” Zara sneers before adding with a smile, “I did. So worth it.”