Page 177 of The Silent War

Bastion pulled back only enough to press kisses into my trembling thighs, while Luca’s hand slowed but didn’t leave. He kissed my jaw, murmuring against me. “Marry us, Em.”

My body stilled, my chest heaving. “What?”

Bastion lifted his head, his eyes dark, voice hoarse. “Marry us. Let us worship you for life.”

Luca kissed me again, softer this time, his thumb brushing the tears from my cheek. “Let us carry you forever. Let us make you Crow in name, in law, in everything.”

Bastion’s lips pressed to my thigh, then higher, reverent. “We’ll tattoo your name across our backs. We’ll wear itshoulder to shoulder, so the world sees what’s already been on our hearts since nineteen.”

“You can’t—my family?—”

“They can’t stop it,” Luca kissed my temple, “We’ve made sure of it. Every port. Every resort. Every account. Every vein of their empire already runs through us. We’ve tied them so deep they can’t breathe without us.”

Bastion’s hands stroked up my sides, his mouth kissing my stomach. “They lost the war three years ago. They just don’t know it yet.”

Luca’s fingers moved inside me again, slow, steady, coaxing another cry from my throat. His forehead pressed to mine, his voice breaking with devotion. “Focus on me, angel. Focus on what we’re building.”

Bastion kissed higher, his mouth replacing Luca’s hand with worship, his tongue pressing slow circles that made me shiver. “Focus on us. On our future.”

“What future?”

His lips brushed mine again, his words hot against my mouth. “Ours. A home built for you. A life that bends to you. You, wearing our name where no one can ever deny it.”

“You, ours in every way. Forever.”Bastion groaned into me, desperate.

My body arched, the words and the worship breaking me open again. My climax going through me, harder than before. Bastion moaned against me, still licking me, while Luca kissed me until I had no air left.

When I collapsed back, shaking, Bastion lifted his head. His lips glistened, “Say yes. Just once. Say you’ll let us keep you.” he pressed his forehead to my knee.

Luca’s hand stroked through my hair, his mouth brushing my temple. “Say you’ll let us worship you for life.”

I shook my head weakly. “I can’t?—”

“You can,” Luca whispered. His hand squeezed mine tight. “You already have. Every time you wore us. Every time you breathed us. You’ve been ours.”

Bastion kissed my skin again, soft and desperate. “Now let us be yours.”

They were showing me the future, piece by piece, kiss by kiss.

Bastion stripped his shirt over his head, the fabric tugging free of his broad shoulders. His eyes never leaving me. Fuck. My breath caught. God I forget how muscular he is, the tattoos, the scars.

Luca pulled me closer, sliding me across his lap until I straddled him, his hands catching at my waist.

“You don’t need this,” he murmured, tugging at the hem of my shirt.

Before I could answer, he lifted it, peeling it up and over, leaving me naked. My breath hitched. My hands flew instinctively to cover myself, but Luca caught my wrists, gentle but firm, lowering them back down.

“Finally naked,” he whispered, his forehead resting against mine. “On my lap. Where you belong.”

My chest rose sharp, trembling.

Bastion’s hand traced down my spine, slow, sending shivers through me.

“Right here,” he murmured, his finger going across my shoulders. “Our names tattooed.” His lips brushed my temple, reverent. “And here—our crest. A crown where no one can pretend not to see it.”

I leaned back into his hand. “Tattooed?” I whispered, uneasy. “That’s… that’s permanent.”

“Exactly,” Luca’s mouth brushing mine . “Ours. Forever.”