Page 56 of Ferocious Nightmare

Seventeen

My whole bodyshook with rage. “Absolutely not.”

Aster calmly placed her palms on the top of my desk, leaning over. It was a week after I’d killed Angel, and we were in my office, where she shook her head at me, a determined look on her face. “You have no choice.”

“I do. And the answer is no.”

“Rose is pregnant. They were almost caught last night by one of Nero's men. Do you want anything to happen to her? To the baby?"

I stood up, matching her pose with my own, leaning to stare deep into her eyes so that she would understand the depth of my seriousness. "No."

"You're telling me you don't care about them?"

I frowned. “Don’t pull that bullshit with me. Of course, I care. But they've already left Hungary and are arriving in New York this evening. Luca will protect them."

“Still, I think it’s our best choice. You know we need this.”

“I thought we made a promise to do this together.”

“Exactly. That doesn’t mean we have to be tied at the hip. If we give Nero what he wants, I'll be the best insider you have. James can only give you so much information."

Shoving my chair back, I paced around my desk, ready to fight for this. For her. Aster may be used to batting those pretty little eyelashes and getting what she wanted, but it wasn't going to work this time.

No way in hell was I going to let her agree to marry Nero, even if it was a ruse.

Leaning against the desk, I pulled her to stand in between my thighs, cupping her face. "I don't trust him, okay? Even if you could get him to confide in you, and that's a big 'if', you're not safe with him."

"Don't you see?" She leaned into me, her eyes sincere, the emerald color of them drawing me in. "You said that Bourbon doesn't know all of his financials, or anything else he could be concealing. Our plan will only work if we know everything. If he has something hidden somewhere, everything we're doing could be for nothing. We have to take this risk."

"I'm not the one who's blind here," I growled out, "You saw what he did to those women. I told you he raped Lily. She was only fourteen. He killed Bourbon's parents, and got my own mother killed. She was living in this house and he sent her into the arms of a dangerous man for the sole purpose of betraying his sons. I'm not letting you anywhere near him."

"Coulter," she leaned in, brushing her lips softly over mine, "I'm doing this, and you can't stop me."

I clenched her arms to hold her to me. "No, you're not." I deepened the kiss, groaning into her mouth, wrapping my arms around her waist, unwilling to let there be even an inch between us.

Her soft but firm body pressed against mine felt so good, so right.

I'd stood aside my whole life, letting others take care of me.

All that had changed now.

Now I was the one protecting others. I was the one making shit happen.

It was my turn, and I was going to do whatever it took to keep all of us safe. There was no way I was letting her do this.

"If you think I'm going to let you walk into the lion's den, you’ve been taking one too many hits off Knight’s weed.”

She pulled back, grinning, the edges of her eyes crinkling, "Baby, don't you remember what took down the lion?"

I scowled. "A mouse?"

She shook her head, her finger going to my mouth to trace my lower lip. "A stubborn, wily mouse. Those women gave Nero all the control. He'll be used to that. I'm not like that. He’ll see it as a challenge. I can take care of myself."

I opened my mouth, playfully biting her finger. "Cocky much?"

She raised an eyebrow. "It worked with you, didn't it?"

"Yes." I pulled her finger into my mouth, sucking on it, and her eyes narrowed in on my mouth. "That's why I'm not letting you do it."

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