Page 156 of Lovely Venom

Noel meant nothing to my father. Levin was his blood. A man he cared about at one time. His cousin. Like Rhys and Trace to Connor and his brothers. But Valdrin accepted and even forgave the Quinlans for killing his blood.

Valdrin understands revenge and vengeance.

Connor tugs my hand to tell me more. “The three knights are in federal custody. The DNA on Ruby’s shirt matched them. A grand jury listened to her brave testimony and indicted them. But here’s the twist we didn’t see coming.” He sounds unhinged. “Because they’re foreign nationals and here illegally, they’ll be deported to a private prison compound overseas. They’ll never make it out.”

With Tahiri’s death and the knights gone forever, Valdrin’s path to power is clear.

My throat aches, but I manage a scratchy whisper to my father, “Really? Are you in charge now?”

Valdrin nods. “I have Noel’s second-in-command in chains. He’s a coward and knows very well who I am. How the crown was stolen from me. He won’t challenge my claim. The Albanians are mine now.”

I exhale slowly. It’s a fragile relief that I won’t be hunted for the rest of my life. But now a greater responsibility sits on my aching shoulders.

“Where is Ruby?” I ask him.

His jaw ticks. “She’s in WITSEC.”

“For how long?”

“Until it’s safe,” Valdrin says.

“There’ve been some rogue attacks,” Connor adds. “To all families and syndicates.”

“Those rogues will be dealt with,” Valdrin says with a spark of authority that gives me the chills.

“Connor, can I talk to my father alone?” I say, my fingers still curled weakly around his.

Connor freezes and stares at me like I just ripped stitches from his chest. “Rain—”

“Please,” I whisper.

He swallows, jaw tight. Brushing a kiss to my forehead, he says, “I’ll be right outside that door.”

I watch him walk, taking him in like it’s the first time I laid eyes on him. How tall he is. How broad and defined with muscles and power. The door clicks shut behind him, and I steal a moment to study the room I’m in. No curtain separates me from another patient, so this must be a private room. The covers keeping me warm aren’t the typical scratchy hospital linen. It’s a soft cotton sheet and a quilt.

“What is this?” I finger the blanket.

“Connor’s mother dropped it off,” Valdrin answers, smiling.

Oh. My. God.

“The doctors weren’t sure if you’d make it,” Valdrin grinds out low and deadly.

I blink at him, struggling because I nearly died.

He peers down at me. “Connor has barely left this room. I had to threaten to sedate him to get him to sleep.”

“How am I alive? I didn’t take the antidote. Noel beat me. It slipped out of my bra.”

Valdrin’s jaw tightens. Low and upset, he says, “I’m sorry.”

“It was part of the sacrifice, right? I had to get close to him to poison him. But how did I make it?”

“Connor crawled on his hands and knees and found the bottle. He poured it down your throat himself. He cried in front of his brothers. Told them he didn’t care what this cost. Or who they go to war with. You’re the one for him.”

Emotion knots in my throat. “I love him,” I whisper.

Valdrin smiles faintly. “You don’t have to convince me.”