Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
"You're the one who decided to deliver a pile of bodies to Emilio's doorstep," I remind him. "Mattia couldn't just leave her there after she spotted them."
"So you chained her to your bed?" he growls, his voice deadly quiet. Rafe doesn't yell. He rarely ever raises his voice. When you're the king, you don't have to shout to be heard. People listen even if you fucking whisper. "Dio, Luca. Think! She's a principessa, not some zoccola you found in a club!"
"Watch your mouth when you're speaking about the mother of my future heir," I warn, my hand tightening around the phone.
"Cazzo!" Rafe swears. "What are you doing, Luca?"
"Stopping a fucking war," I growl, scrubbing the towel through my hair. "The one thing Emilio cares about is money. If Callandria is carrying an heir to the Valentino fortune, he'll fall in line. He wouldn't dare start a war if the Genovese family stands to lose a piece of the Valentino fortune. And if he stands down, the families aligned with his will too."
"Cristo."
"You know I'm right," I snap. "So why don't you get off my dick and let me do what I need to do to protect this family?"
"Watch your tone, brother."
"Fuck off, Rafe." I may bend a knee in public, but I'll be damned if I do it behind closed doors. I bow to no one, not even Rafe.
"Are you sure about this?" he asks. "You'll be tied to the Genovese family permanently."
"I'm aware." One way or another, this ends with my ring on Callandria's finger. Rafe knows it as well as I do. Emilio Genovese will demand it to secure his grip on the Valentino fortune. I'm just hoping Callandria doesn't figure out that part until she's already pregnant with my kid.
It's a dick move, but I never said I was a good guy. I'll do whatever I have to do to protect my family and claim my queen. And make no mistakes about it, but she will be mine. I refuse to accept anything less.
"You're going to let her go once she's pregnant?" Rafe asks.
My silence speaks for me.
He rattles off a string of curses in Italian, none of them complimentary. And then he laughs abruptly, a sound so rarely used it startles me. "Manfakulo, Luca. I hope you know what you're doing. I'm too goddamn old to handle Amalia and your shit too."
"I've got my shit under control," I mutter, tossing my towel toward the hamper. Moving pieces around until we get what we want is what I do. It's kept us alive this long. It'll keep us alive this time too. "How is Amalia, by the way?"
"Sleeping, which is precisely what I'm going to do. I have a feeling I'll be up to my ears in bullshit tomorrow." His heavy sigh sends static down the line. "Unchain her from the goddamn bed, Luca. She's a principessa. I'd like to at least have a clear conscience when I violate my oath tomorrow."
"Already planned on it. I'm just letting her cool off. She tried to slap me."
"Do you blame her?" Rafe asks, amusement in his tone. Dio. He's in a good mood for a man who just had to rescue his regina and kill the head of the Genovese family. Rafe is rarely in a joking mood. When his twin, Nico left the family, he took the softer side of Rafe with him.
He's been slowly losing himself ever since. It's not hard to do when you're chained to an empire you never wanted, and the enemies wait just outside the gates. Gabriel and I have been trying for years to pull him back from the brink with little success. But something clearly dragged him back from the ledge.
It's Amalia. She's bringing him back to life.
For the first time in my life, I feel something I've never felt for Rafe. Envy. Not for Amalia. I have no interest in her. But I want to know what peace feels like. So bad I can taste it.
"No," I murmur. "I don't blame her."
By the time I make it back to the bedroom, Callandria is curled up in a tiny ball on top of the bed, sleeping. She looks peaceful in repose, not at all like the fiery woman who called me a filthy bastard.
She's still too beautiful for words. I'm not surprised Tommaso kept her so closely guarded. Contrary to what she believes, we don't make a habit of targeting women. They've always been safe under Rafe's rule. He watched our mother die in the streets. He said he'd be damned if it happened to another woman on his watch. Anyone who targets a woman dies bloody. Tommaso changed that.
I guess he thought if he was willing to violate the rule, others would be too. He may have been a bastard, but he was no fool. Callandria is his only granddaughter. That makes her infinitely valuable. Her angelic looks and soft, ripe body only sweeten the prize she presents. He wouldn't have wanted her falling into the wrong hands.