Page 139 of Thorns of Death

“We’re on the plane now,” she muttered. “He’s sleeping in the back, so I snuck away to give you fair warning.”

“Thank you,” I breathed. I really wished Illias would have been the one to call me and ask me whether it was okay to barge into my marriage. “I owe you.”

“No, you don’t. Family doesn’t owe family.”

I smiled. “Family,” I murmured. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me too.”

“How did he find out, by the way?” I knew the girls wouldn’t have shared the news with him.

“Your husband wanted to ensure Illias understood you were his now.”

I let out an incredulous laugh. Somehow it didn’t surprise me at all.

* * *

I fell asleep waiting for Enrico. He had a shipment emergency to deal with. Or something like that.

When I woke past midnight, I made my way downstairs, following the trickle of light in the dark castello. I found Enrico sitting in his armchair, a glass in his hand and a cognac bottle next to him. His brows drawn together, he stared out the open window into the darkness. He mustn't have heard me walk in.

My husband’s jacket and tie were thrown over the armrest of the chair, but he still wore his vest. The top buttons of his shirt and his cuffs were undone, giving me a view of his strong forearms.

I watched him for a few heartbeats, mesmerized by the ways my life had changed. Two months ago, I was living in the flat with my girlfriends, guarding a secret and living for the brief moments on stage. And now… everything seemed to be trumped by this force of a man and our kids. Yes,ourkids. They had inched their way into my heart and become part of me. Just like my best friends were.

I missed them and couldn’t wait to see them again. Group chats were fun, but it wasn’t the same as having them in the room with me. Reina was navigating the Leone brothers with delicate hands. Phoenix had gotten quieter in our group chats. Raven was… well, the same. And Athena threw herself wholeheartedly into writing her smut.

“Are you avoiding me?” I said as I stepped fully into the room.

His eyes found me. “I’m not.”

There was worry etched in the lines of his face and I hated it. I wished the Donatella threat was behind us and this mole was discovered. So we could finally live. Focus on us and our family.

I shut the door with a soft click and felt Enrico watching me as I strode toward him.

“You’re worrying too much.”

He shook his head. “There’s much to worry about.”

“Like my brother coming?” I stopped in front of him. He looked weary, but his surprise at the knowledge that Illias was coming was evident.

“How do you know?” His tone was sharp, the suspicion in his gaze real. Too real. “Did you call him to come and get you?”

I shook my head. Usually, I’d give him hell for having so little faith in me, but he looked too worried. Was it at the possibility that I’d leave him?

“Tatiana called me and gave me a heads-up,” I told him. “I’m staying. Unless you don’t want me here.”

He put down the glass on the table with a soft thud. His palms came up to grip my ass cheeks, my boy shorts barely covering the curve of my buttocks. His fingers dug into my soft flesh.

“I’ll always want you,dolcezza.”

A soft smile curved my lips. “Good, ’cause you’re stuck with me now.”

A rumbled chuckle filled the space between us. “Not exactly a hardship.”

I grinned. “You say that now, just wait until all hell breaks loose.”

I knelt down between his legs and worked on his belt buckle, the clang sending shivers through me. Then I pulled his zipper down, the sound sending a seductive echo through the room.