Page 106 of Thorns of Blood

THIRTY-EIGHT

LIANA

The next time I open up to a man, it will be during my autopsy.

It was the solemn vow I made to myself as the airplane engine hummed at my feet.This hurt so fucking bad that it felt like a fatal internal wound. But no, it was just my feeble heart bleeding.

There’d be no more of that. I wasn’t cut out for this shit.

My fingers shook as I reached for the bottle of water in front of me and brought it to my lips.

I took a gulp of it then looked out the window, my reflection staring back at me. It was dark outside, the red-eye being the first flight I could get to New York City where Killian and Emory lived. It was the very same home that Atticus Popov snatched Emory from not too long ago.

The reasonable part of me knew I’d made the wrong move, but before I disappeared for good, I had to see Amara. One last time.

Even if it killed me.

The trip from Boston was short; no sooner had the plane taken off than it seemed to already be landing.

A few years ago, I had thoroughly researched everything there was to know about Killian Brennan Cullen and Emory DiLustro. I had even listed them in my will in the event that something happened to me. Even back then, when I was beyond broken, it mattered to me that Amara could find her way to them. Her well-being had always been my primary concern.

The night was pitch-black, the silver moon’s glow slicing through the darkness as I rolled my rental car to a stop at the front gate of Killian’s manor, a shadowy fortress nestled thirty minutes beyond the city’s reach. I let the window down, and the guard nodded at me in acknowledgement.

“I’m here to see Amara Vol—” My voice failed me at realizing she likely wasn’t known as Amara Volkov but as Amara Cullen. I cleared my throat, aware of the guard watching me intently. “I’m here to see Amara,” I finally gritted, unable to pushCullenpast my lips.

He narrowed his eyes on me. “And you are?”

I lifted my chin, my fingers curling around the cold metal of my gun.

“Can you please tell her Mother Liana is here?”

A hesitant nod and he pulled out his phone, dialing the house. He kept his voice too low for me to pick up on what he was saying. Probably warning Emory and Killian about me so they could shoot me dead the minute I was within range.

He ended his call. “Go ahead, miss.”

The gate began opening and without hesitation, I put my car into drive and rolled through it. As the gate clanged shut behind me, the thought struck—this drive might very well be a one-way trip to my own demise.

I drove slower than necessary, trying to come to terms with what I was about to do. Not that I knew what I was doing. My only thought when I started on this path was to see Amara.

By the time I pulled up to the front door, everyone was there.

Every single DiLustro, including Emory. Killian Cullen. Their wives.

I must have picked a damn family bingo night to find them all here.

Their attention singularly on me, their hands visibly on their weapons, I put the car into park. I turned off the ignition, sliding my gun into the pocket of my jacket. When I rounded the car, I was distinctly aware of everyone’s focus on me.

The DiLustro men dressed in black suits reminded me of Giovanni, and a sharp pain pierced through my chest. I ignored it, shoving him out of my mind, but unfortunately I couldn’t push him out of my heart.

Every single pair of eyes watched me with a calculative, or maybe murderous, streak, probably planning my funeral. Not that I could blame them.

The women wore differing expressions. Curiosity. Caution. Anger. Guess who wore the latter on her pretty face? That’s right. Emory DiLustro. She and the other wives were dressed in jeans and the most ridiculous T-shirts printed with obscene sayings:Come and get me, daddy; Will blow for ice; I licked it, it’s mine.

What kind of bingo did these women play?

“Mother Liana!”

I went still at the familiar voice, and a second later, a small body pushed between dark suits and raunchy T-shirts, running straight for me. Dark curls that were longer than I remembered. Blue eyes that could melt frozen hearts and heal broken souls.