Page 161 of Wounded King

Christ, I didn't even believe in love before her—my family made sure of that. But Violet made me recognize that what I felt for her was love. She made mefeel. That's what's terrifying about her.

That's why I'm marrying her.

Not because it's convenient. Not because of a deal. Not even to protect her. Because I want to belong to her just as much as I want her to belong to me.

I down the rest of the Blue Label, set the glass on the edge of the table, and turn toward the elevator.

It's late, and she's probably curled up in bed reading some dusty restoration journal or watching one of those shows where they gut old buildings and turn them into art. But the moment I walk through that door, she'll look at me like I'm everything. My heart will stop before it starts to beat erratically, pumping blood into my dick.

This weekend, she will say yes and become mine forever. And I can't fucking wait for it. Whatever comes next, she'll be at my side, protected and safe, making me stronger than I ever was, because finally, I've found something worth fighting for.

EPILOGUE

Ding, ding, ding, goes the slot machine, making my heart beat faster. "Pick a magic diamond!" An overenthusiastic computer voice urges me, and I lean forward, picking random diamondsas they shower down the large screen. More noise comes out of the machine when I pick an especially loaded diamond.

Adrenaline shoots through my body; I've been here already five times so far tonight. The jackpot sits at seventy thousand, four hundred eleven dollars and sixty-five cents. The old Violet inside me is kid-locked-in-a-candy-store excited over it, whereas the new Violet is a bit more somber, reminding me that I just spent double that amount on new light fixtures for the house I'm renovating. That voice tells me that Marcello will laugh at me for being excited over winning seventy thousand, four hundred eleven dollars and sixty-five cents. It's pocket change to him. Honestly, it is to me, too. Before we left for Vegas, Marcello gave me cards to all his bank accounts, telling me that I could spend whatever I wanted, whenever and however I wanted to. My heart palpitated, seeing all those zeros at the end of the numbers. It took some time to even register that I was looking at billions, not millions. Yes, with aB! And yet, here I am, bubbling over with excitement.

"Go Violet!" Gigi claps onto my shoulder, "You've got this."

My bachelorette party is in full swing. After a private striptease show by theChipmonks,we ventured out into the casino area of my father's hotel. I should feel bad that, for the past hour, I've neglected my new friends, but honestly, real-life slot machines are a lot more fun than the ones on your phone. Even more sowhen you have unlimited funds and when the casino belongs to your father.

"Get the red one," Elaine cheers.

"No, the green, the green," Sophia exclaims, even more animated than the last time I saw her. It seems with every passing day, her self-confidence is returning, and she is finding herself again, most likely because of Raffael. That man is so in love with her that if I weren't head over heels with Marcello and he with me, I would be jealous. It's like the two were made for one another. It's even more romantic because Raffael waited over eight years to claim Sophia, and she had no idea that her knight in shining armor was out there, waiting in the wings until he was powerful enough to save his princess. Yeah, I know, I'm a hopeless romantic.

My finger hovers between the red and the green one.

It reminds me of an old movie whose name I've forgotten, but in the end, the guy has to either cut the red or the green wire, saving the world or destroying it. My choice isn't quite that dramatic, but it kind of feels that way. If I pick the right color here, I'll advance to the next level, where three little wheels will keep turning, allowing me to either go on to the final stage for a chance to win the jackpot or cash out with whatever money I won. About five grand right now, I think.

Scarlet, standing behind me, grabs my hand and pushes my finger on the red diamond. "There!"

I turn and shake my head at her, "Not fair."

She shrugs. "I need to pee and I'm getting hungry, so let's get this going."

Cat laughs, "I would have said red, too."

I hope Sebastian and Lee are having as much fun as Elaine and I are. Marcello took the two to his bachelor's party, which he's holding in a private high-stakes poker room, setting them both up with the funds to play.

The screen in front of me explodes in colors, "You picked red." The machine announces happily, before the screen changes into the spinning wheels.

"Go, go, go," Pippa yells.

"Where did you come from?" I look at my maid of honor, who'd abandoned me and theChipmonksto play poker with the men.

"I kind of threw my hand. I felt bad leaving you here." She shrugs, "No biggie."

I grin. It is a biggie to me that she did that.

"Alright," I rub my hands in glee and push theRepeat Betbutton to start the wheels. "Here goes nothing."

The girls behind me cheer and jump as more people gather, lured in by all the noise. There's nothing that brings a crowd together like a potential big win.

The wheels align just like they're supposed to, and I finally, finally, get to go to the last round. Impatiently, I hop up and down on theplastic chair.

"You got this," Elaine says, squeezing my shoulder and kissing my cheek like she used to before a big test or exam. I blow her a kiss and push theRepeat Betbutton one more time.

Lots of noise, very loud noise, comes out of the machine, and every eye is glued to the screen.