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VALE

I love the humming whir of a label maker. Usually, I use this thing to label our inventory. Trust me; you better know the difference between clear bottles of water-based versus anal-numbing lube.

Amirite? Who wants a numb pussy?

Not this bitch. All I feel is pure satisfaction, labeling what’s mine.

QUEEN VALE MONROE ALLEN

I smile, peeling off the adhesive strip with glee and?—

“What are you doing?”

A deep voice startles me. I glance over my shoulder, and Nash grins, looming in the doorway of our throne room. I’m not supposed to be in here alone, but I love a good spanking.

“Labeling my throne.” I’ve tipped it over. Its gold back rests on the parquet floor while I carefully center my label on the underside of my white velvet seat.

“We don’t need labels.” He steps inside, closing the door behind him. “Everyone knows you’re my queen, and that’s your throne. They watched you earn it.”

“Yeah, but what if we play musical chairs one night?” It thrills me, pressing the label on. “I’m sure there’s more kink to come, and we’re always prepared, right? I’ll want my throne back where it belongs.”

He chuckles. “You say that because we anointed it last week.”

Yeah, we did.

Nash wanted to celebrate our engagement, so we invited the kings and queens to join us.

And, oh, my Bratva beasts, how they joined us.

First, we had a lot to discuss. Nadine was here for that part.

We discussed Turner and his crew. Or the lack thereof. But now the task begins of hunting down his buyers. Our queen won’t rest until she has all of them by the balls. Literally.

Then we talked about Alena, Loch, and their limbo and decided to give them some time. Everyone is giving them space while Nash and I plan our gothic wedding.

My queens loved the idea of my black wedding gown. As my bridesmaids, they’ll wear something similar. Zar said he’d even find a black lace gentlemen’s cravat to tie around his neck. He already has a black brocade suit.

Of course, Blair and Alena will be my maids of honor. Who knows? Maybe Blair will have an NFL newborn by then, while Alena’s future is still in the air.

I just want her to be happy again. I won’t get married until she is.

After our wedding talk, Sire reclined on his throne, offhandedly mentioning how he and Wren are trying to get pregnant. And with his name that screams “breeding kink,” it won’t take long.

But I was surprised. I thought Wren really wanted to wait, but clearly, Sire has another agenda. It was odd. He sounded too aloof. His casual tone didn’t match the blazing blue intensity of his eyes.

Maybe it was just Sire’s usual fervor, all zealous and believing his life depends upon his future child’s. Maybe it was just me, shocked at how they had changed their plans, but something was going on there.

Grant and Delphine, however, are in no rush to start a family, though Delphine said she wanted to go home to Paris to visit hers.

But Nadine sat on her red velvet throne, smoking her cigar and flatly refusing, “No. It’s too risky.” She warned her, “It’s an election year for the European Union, and you could bring down their conservative party. You won’t leave France alive, so I won’t allow it.”

“Our queen is right, chérie ,” Grant agreed, nodding toward Delphine, who sat across from him. “I need you here where I can keep you safe.”

“Where we keep her safe,” Axel seethed as usual, but it was sad. He didn’t have his mystery woman kneeling before him, and he seemed destroyed by it. Dark circles rimmed his stunning glacial eyes.

“Speaking of safe,” Nick cut in. “What’s the plan? Because I don’t give a damn about the NFL; I want to crush skulls.”

“I’m right beside you,” Zar snarled, his gaze locked on the man he loves.

“What’s going on?” I had no idea what they were talking about, but Nash gave me a measured look from across the room . It said, “Trust us,” and I was. I am. I’m trusting our life together.

The kings sat on their thrones. The queens sat on ours. Nadine sat at the head of the room as Axel read her warning eyes. Then he swung his focus my way.

“Your twin,” he asked me, “she’s partnered with two NFL players?”

“Yeah,” I worried. “Why?”

“But they’re not out,” Nick asked, “as a throuple, right? They’re closeted?”

I didn’t know what I could share about my twin’s love life. And I mean LOVE . Blair, Beau, and Colton are neck-deep in it together.

Nash read my protective silence. “That’s my queen’s sister. You can’t ask her to betray her privacy.”

“I’m not,” Axel answered. “There’s a way we can protect her, too.”

I wanted to ask more. I needed to, but Nadine ruled the room. “Enough. We have a plan in action, but it’s too soon to discuss it.” A plan? For what, I wondered while Nadine, wearing a black leather Chanel sheath dress, rose to her stunning glory. Stubbing out her cigar, she proclaimed, “I have a captive to interrogate, and y’all have an engagement to celebrate.”

A captive?

She meant that hot one in the bunker, bound, hard, and on his knees for her and good for Nadine , I thought. I know a dominatrix when I spot one. Yes, mix more concrete for another shrine to our queen.

Once she left, Nash took over.

He’d been waiting for me. “It’s time to celebrate my future wife.” He lowered his gaze. “Turn around on your throne, my queen. Kneel, lift your skirt, and pull your panties down.”

I thought he would put me on display again, and I wasn’t opposed. But that’s not my beast. He’s done sharing me.

No, he was on me.

While I grabbed my throne’s golden frame, Nash kneeled before it and feasted on my cunt in front of everyone until I came so hard to his pounding fingers and brutal tongue. He made me drip over my white velvet seat before he stood, dragging his zipper down. Grabbing my hips, he started fucking me like an animal, and I loved it.

I cried out, our passion inspiring Nick and Zar. Nick claimed Zar on Nick’s throne, while Grant took Delphine on the platform. Sire took Wren right beside me on her throne. They matched our position. Sire was definitely breeding her before I glanced over my shoulder.

Half of me grieved, worried, and wondering why Axel had mysteriously left. He wasn’t there.

Half of me moaned, witnessing Jace, who stayed. He sat alone, fisting his cock, pumping it in cadence to Nash’s thrusts inside me.

I know Jace doesn’t love me as Nash does. It’s different. It’s sweet and a little sexy between us, and it breaks my heart because I know Jace is brokenhearted over someone else.

But he won’t tell us who, and it was like watching Nash’s love for me gave Jace hope that he’ll love again. It gets him through. At least, I hoped it did.

I still do.

“Can I ask a question?” I rise before reaching to tip my throne back up, but Nash leans over and beats me to it.

“Poison,” he grins, “does your mouth ever stop asking questions?”

“Nope. So go ahead and tell me what’s going on with Jace and Axel. Separately and in great detail.”

Nash reaches for my hand, the one wearing his black diamond. It may be months before we wed, but I believe we were already married in this room.

I’m eternally his.

He guides me across the room and settles on his throne, pulling me to sit on his lap. Axel’s throne is empty beside us. The other five are empty, too.

It’s just Nash and me learning to talk through this instead of him going into beast mode and me storming off like an angry belle.

This is love. This is acceptance.

This is the not-mafia-mafia life.

“Jace is in love with a married woman.” Nash reaches for my braid. He starts unraveling it. “That’s all I know. I swear.”

“Who? And are they having an affair or something?”

He chuckles at my interrogation. “No. I haven’t asked him, but Jace wouldn’t do that. That man is all about honor and vows. He loves her from afar, and I know how he feels.” His face softens. “How much it hurts and for so many years.”

I nuzzle my nose to his. “Like us.”

“Yes, like us, but not anymore.” Nash brushes his bearded lips over mine. “You will be my wife soon. I won’t wait long, Vale. I’ll elope with you if I have to.”

“I know. I want to marry you tomorrow, but then I feel guilty because Alena’s going through so much, and Jace is hurting.”

“Alena will be okay,” he assures. “I underestimated her, and I should’ve known better. She’s strong like her mother was.” He winces. “But yes, Jace is hurting. He vowed to protect you, and he will. But I feel like we should protect him, too.”

My heart warms. I love this about Nash—he can sense someone else’s pain. “I feel the same way. I want to help him.”

“He’s too proud to let us help him.”

“Then what do we do? Because I can hunt this woman down and bitch-slap some sense into her. She’d be lucky to have Jace.”

His lips near mine. “Let me think about it while I kiss my woman.”

I let him kiss me. I let the heat rise between us before I realize his ruse. This sexy dickhead thinks he can make me forget my second question?

“What about Axel?” I nip his lip. “What’s going on with him?”

“I can’t tell you.”

I lift from our kiss. “You’re supposed to tell me everything.”

“No,” he answers, unraveling my other braid. “I’m supposed to love and protect you, and over dead bodies, I will. But I can’t tell you everything. Not on your timeline. That’s for your protection.”

“But Axel was asking about my sister.”

His eyes narrow. “You think I’d let someone harm your sister? Or her partners? And do you honestly think Axel would, too?”

I twist my lips. “You? No. Axel?” I pause before huffing, “Okay, fine. I trust that arrogant asshole with my life.”

“So trust us. Trust me. That’s how we work.” He lifts my gorgeous black diamond to his lips. “Because I’ll trust you. You’ll be Doctor Vale Monroe Allen, licensed sex therapist, and I’ll be your possessively protective husband who’ll trust his wife to help others have the best sex like we do.”

“God, you’re so sexy when you’re right.”

“I’ll be damn sexy when I kill any of your clients who cross a line.”

“Nash,” I roll my eyes, “you can’t kill my clients. That will ruin my Google reviews.”

“Speaking of crossing lines.” His hand slides up my bare thigh, snaking under my skirt. The man is damn lucky I have a fashion fetish for schoolgirl uniforms. “I heard dirty girls love crossing lines.”

“Slow your kinky roll, my king.” I grab his hand on my hip. “Finish answering my question.”

“Which question?” His eyes hood with lust, his cock hard as I sit on his lap.

“The one about Axel.”

He laces his hands through my wavy hair. “Poison, I answered you.”

“No, you’re horny and half-listening. I trust you about Axel asking about Blair. He won’t hurt her, but what about Axel’s mystery woman? Who is she, why wasn’t she here, and why did he leave the other night?”

Softly, he bangs his forehead against mine. “Goddamn, I can’t wait for you to be a therapist so you can ask everyone else questions and leave your husband in peace.”

Okay, I kinda love that. A lot. Nash, my husband. Me, a therapist. I can see it.

“Then just answer me,” I smirk, “and end this session so we can anoint your throne, too.”

I know how to get what I want. Every queen does. I shift, turning to straddle my king on his throne before I reach down and unzip his pants. “Tell me what I want,” I tug my panties aside, “and I’ll give my king what he wants.”

He gazes down at his swollen cock in my grasp. How I’m teasing his tip over my slick entrance. “You’re driving a very hard bargain.”

“Exactly. So, tell me who Axel’s mystery woman is.”

“I honestly don’t know.”

Nash lets me search his heated brown eyes. They’re a deep storm of lust and love. So much love. Every day, he proves it. Every night, I feel it. This is my beast, my man. He is honest. He’s telling me what he can, and when he can’t … I trust it’s to protect me.

Nash will always protect me.

“But let me tell you something right now, my queen.” He fists my raven hair, vowing, “You will be my wife. We will have a little Wednesday Allen. And I’ll carry her in one of those baby things with my Beretta tucked in a holster while I will hold your hand. And you’re going to?—”

Suddenly, I sink down his thick shaft. He moans while I demand, “And I will be pregnant with our son, too. He will be our little Gomez Allen and?—”

“Goddamnit, poison,” he growls … then smiles, taking my kiss. “I love you.”

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Find out what happens next in AXEL ’s teaser, where more shocking secrets are revealed.