Page 3 of King of Ashes (Kingdom of Sinners #4)

PHOENIX

I break the kiss, but the taste of her lingers on my lips. My fingers dig into her arms, probably leaving marks on her porcelain skin. The urge to pull her closer wars with the need to get her away from me… far, far away.

Keeping her close wins for the moment as I trace my thumb across her bottom lip, remembering all the nights we spent wrapped in each other's arms. Back when I was young and stupid enough to believe a Kean could ever love an Ifrinn.

Memories flood my brain. The scent of smoke. The heat of flames. With that, I shove her away, unable to look at her face without seeing the inferno that claimed my parents. The screams. The burning flesh. All because of her family's greed.

"Phoenix—"

"Don't." Ice coats my words. "You lost the right to say my name when your family murdered mine."

But even as hatred courses through my veins, my traitorous heart skips at the way she says my name. Ten years. Ten fucking years I've spent burying every memory of her beneath layers of rage and revenge. Yet one kiss threatens to unravel it all.

I turn away, focusing on her parents, her father still on his knees where I forced him to beg for his life. He stares at me with a murderous hate, and it reminds me why I'm here. Why I can never let myself feel anything for Keira again.

"I claim Keira as my wife, but don't mistake this for forgiveness. Your family took everything from me. Now I'm going to take everything from you."

I glance over at Keira. Her expression is impassive. Almost like she doesn’t care what I do.

"Take her back to her room," I command one of my men. "Make sure she stays there."

He grabs Keira's arm, but she yanks away from him. Her chin lifts in a defiant tilt that she hadn’t had ten years ago.

"I can walk myself."

The sway of her hips as she leaves burns into my retinas. Marrying her is a bad idea and yet, a perfect one as well.

I turn to face Hampton and Lana Kean. She’s helped him off the floor, and now they sit on the old bed.

I wonder how many people they’d held down here as prisoners.

There are a shit ton of missing people surrounding them, my brothers and I included until we returned to reclaim what is rightfully ours.

But the others I imagine are dead and buried.

"Comfortable?" I crouch in front of Hampton, close enough to see the hatred blazing in his eyes. "Don't worry, you'll get to attend your daughter's wedding. Though the accommodations until then might be less than what you're accustomed to."

“This is unacceptable,” Lana protests.

I rise, brushing imaginary dirt from my pants.

“Unacceptable? Let’s see… What is unacceptable is how you killed my parents.

Torched our home and killed nearly a dozen people in it.

How you had the gall to take over the business.

” I feign thinking for a moment. “Oh, and how you kidnapped my brother’s wife.

You'd better hope she’s okay or my mercy may end tonight. ”

I make a mental note to check in with Ash to see how his wife, Hannah, is doing.

She’d been lured by a family still loyal to Hampton and he’d kidnapped her, holding her thinking Ash would come and he’d kill him.

Well, surprise. Not only did Ash come, but also the rest of the Ifrinns and an army of friends ready to get rid of Hampton.

"You can rot down here for all I care. Everything you took from us is mine now. Everything you killed for… it all belongs to me."

Hampton grits his teeth. “We’ll see about that. When?—”

My fist flies out, catching him in the jaw, the jolt of it reverberating up my arm. “You need to learn when to shut up.”

I walk out of the room to find my brothers Flint and Blaise leaning against opposite walls of the hallway, matching smirks on their faces. I imagine they’re wondering why I agreed to marry Keira. Why I kissed her.

"Shut up." I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, but Keira's taste refuses to fade.

"Didn't say anything." Flint pushes off the wall, arms crossed.

“I always thought you had a thing for Keira?—”

“I don’t have a thing for her. This is business.”

“Sealed with a kiss?” Flint snickers.

"It's called establishing dominance." Why am I defending myself to these jokers?

Blaise snorts. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Because from where I was standing, it looked more like you were trying to devour her face."

"You want to test how dominant I can be?" I step toward him, but Blaise just grins wider.

"Come on, Phoenix." Flint's voice turns serious. "If you hate her this much, why marry her? We’ve got control of the Keans, the house, and shortly, the business. You don’t need?—”

“Because controlling them makes things much easier. With her by my side, anyone who might question my authority won’t. It will make the takeover all the easier, lessen the chance of a war.”

"And the fact that you used to be in love with her has nothing to do with it?” Blaise quips.

How did they know? Keira and I had kept our little summer fling on the down-low. "That was a lifetime ago. Before her family murdered our parents."

"Right." Flint exchanges a look with Blaise. "Because that kiss definitely screamed 'I'm over you.'"

"Focus on the plan." I jab a finger at each of them. "The Keans are going down, and Keira's going to help us do it whether she wants to or not."

"Look, Phoenix. You don't need to do this to yourself. We can find another way to take them down that doesn't involve your being miserable for the rest of your life,” Flint says.

I wave off his concern. "It's just marriage. Hell, Ash got stuck in an arranged marriage and he's doing fine."

Blaise lets out a laugh. "Are you kidding? Ash isn’t doing fine. He’s fucking in love.”

“And I’m glad for it,” Flint adds. “He deserves to let Meghan go and find peace and happiness.”

“Lucky him,” I quip.

“He didn’t marry her to make her miserable.” Flint shakes his head.

"No, that was Blaise."

Blaise gives his signature smirk. "I tried to seduce Jenna out of revenge. I married her because I love her."

“Fuck, you two can be such assholes.” I rake my fingers through my hair. "Let’s focus. Flint, check on Ash and Hannah at the hospital. Make sure Hampton's men didn't do any permanent damage when they grabbed her."

Flint's expression darkens. "I’ll call him now.”

"Good. Keep me updated." I turn to Blaise. "I need you to sweep the house. Make sure we've secured every entrance and exit. Post guards at strategic points. The Keans have more allies than cockroaches. I don't want any surprises tonight."

"Already on it." Blaise pulls out his phone. "O'Donnell's men are setting up a perimeter."

"Check the secret passages.”

"Speaking of secrets…" Blaise's eyes narrow. "What are we doing about the girl?"

It takes me a minute to figure out what he’s talking about. Then I remember the child. The child that had Keira’s eyes change from defiance to panic. The child that made her decide to marry me.

“She stays where she is for now. As long as Keira cooperates, no harm comes to her or the nanny."

"And if she doesn't cooperate?” Blaise asks.

I meet his gaze. "Then she learns exactly how far I'll go to destroy her family."

Flint and Blaise exchange looks. "A kid, Phoenix? Really?"

"I didn't say I'd kill her. Who is the kid, anyway? For all we know, the Keans stole her and there's a mother out there looking for her child."

Flint checks his watch. "I’m going up to call Ash. Should I let him know about your upcoming nuptials?"

"Get out before I shoot you."

My brothers leave, their footsteps fading down the hall.

I rub my temples, feeling oddly tired when I should be euphoric.

I’ve done it. I’ve overcome my enemy and stand on the verge of taking back everything that Hampton stole from us.

But all I can think about is Keira upstairs, probably plotting ways to escape.

Let her try. She's about to learn that the boy she knew died in that fire ten years ago. All that's left are ice and vengeance. And her kiss won't change that.

I head upstairs, striding through the Kean mansion's grand foyer, now my grand foyer. O'Donnell and Riley’s men snap to attention as I pass, their eyes filled with respect. The Ifrinn name still carries weight, even after a decade of exile.

"Sir, the west wing is secured." A soldier approaches, back straight as steel. "Found a couple of Kean's men trying to access the computer systems. They're detained."

"Good. Lock down all communications. I want every scrap of data from their servers."

The mansion buzzes with activity. My men sweep room by room, securing decades of Kean secrets. The same halls where Hampton ruled his stolen empire now fill with soldiers loyal to the Ifrinn name. Loyalty bought with blood and vengeance, but loyalty, nonetheless.

I pause at the base of the sweeping staircase, taking in the house built upon the ashes of my parents’ home.

The footprint appears similar, yet it’s not the same.

No, this place was built on betrayal and murder.

A part of me wants to torch it just like Hampton and Ronan burned my parents’ home down, but I’m a practical man.

Taking over this house will be a symbol of what I’ve achieved, of who is boss now.

Maybe the house isn’t the same, but the land is Ifrinn land.

I take the stairs up to the second floor and down to the room I’m told Keira is being held in.

I push open the door to find Keira perched on the window seat, moonlight casting silver threads through her platinum hair.

She doesn't turn at my entrance, but the rigid set of her shoulders tells me she's aware of my presence.

"Can't sleep?" I prowl closer, drawn to her like a fucking moth to flame. "Or plotting your escape?"

"Would it matter? You've made it clear I'm your prisoner."

"My future wife. There's a difference."

She spins to face me, gray eyes blazing. "Is there? Your guards suggest something different.”

"Your family deserves everything coming to them." Ice coats my words as I close the distance between us. "And you'll do exactly as I say if you want them to survive."

"Or what?" She tilts her chin up, defiant as ever. "You'll kill me too?"

The space between us crackles with electricity. Her exotic perfume fills my lungs, making my head spin. I plant my hands on either side of her, caging her against the window.

“What are you going to do with me?” She’s showing bravado, but I see fear in her eyes. What’s odd is that I’m not so sure whether it’s fear for her life or her family’s. Or the girl’s.

“Whatever I want.” I trace a finger down her throat, feeling her pulse jump beneath my touch.

“The Phoenix I knew would never?—”

“He’s dead.” I curl my fingers around the back of her neck. "He burned with everything else that night."

“I see. So all is fair in revenge?” She stares up at me, and I don’t like what I see. It’s not fear. It’s not even defiance. It’s something like disappointment. It twists in my gut.

"Why not just kill me with the rest?" she finishes.

I’d be lying if I said I wished I could. Killing Hampton and his wife would ensure he couldn’t come after me and mine again. But killing Keira… the thought of her dead makes my chest cave in.

“Maybe I will. Just not tonight.” I step closer to her, her tits brushing against my chest, sending an inferno of need to my dick.

She sucks in a breath. “Is that what you are now? A man who doesn’t respect the word no?”

“You haven’t said no. Besides, despite what your mother said, you’re no virgin.” My gaze drops to her lips, wanting to taste them again. "Tell me, how many men have you let touch you since me?"

Pain flashes in her eyes before hardening to steel. "You don't get to judge me. Not after abandoning me."

"Abandoning you?" I bark out a harsh laugh, happy to break the spell she had on me. I step back from her. "Your family tried to kill me. They murdered my parents.”

“But you weren’t dead. No, apparently, you’ve spent ten years plotting revenge.” She looks at me with disgust. “And now you're just like them. Using fear and threats, your dick, to control and punish everyone around you."

The accusation doesn’t sit well. My vision goes red as I slam my palm against the wall by the window. The glass rattles in its frame.

"I am nothing like Hampton Kean." My voice comes out low, lethal. "Everything I am, everything I've become is because of what they did."

“I can see wanting vengeance on my parents, but threatening an innocent child, forcing me to marry you, using people as pawns in your revenge game? The Phoenix I knew would never?—"

"That Phoenix is dead!" The roar tears from my throat as I grab her arms. "Your family killed him the night they murdered my parents. This is what's left. This is what they created."

“Your parents would be so proud,” she sneers.

The monster I've become stares back at me in her eyes, but I don’t retreat from it, even knowing she’s right.

While my father would understand the wisdom of marrying Keira, he’d be disappointed at my threatening a child to make it happen.

But I push that away. He’s not here. And it’s his gentler nature that got him killed.

No. To fully take back the Ifrinn legacy, I need to be ruthless. I need to embrace the monster.

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we start planning our wedding." I flee the room like a coward, her accusations chasing me down the hall. The monster inside me howls for blood while something else, something I thought long dead, whispers that she could soothe my bitter soul.