Page 219 of Seizing Control: Part One

I work to settle myself with a cycle of breathing.

Despite that, I’m vibrating with misery as I quickly and silently pull my trousers back on Eventually, Lily will need to choose between me and her husband when I return to claim her. Between the man who deserted her and the man who died for her. Once paternity is established, I won’t allow this in-between situation to continue.

As soon as I’m living in the light, my claim will be made permanent.

Father of her child or not, Slash will forfeit his place in her heart.

The coward will be lucky to breathe the same air as her again after his failures.

As I thread my arm into the shirt sleeve, my soul screams to stay with metukà shelì. Buttoning my shirt, I shove the yearning down. I work to drown my need underneath all the reasons that led me to take such drastic actions in the first place as I allow myself one final look at Lily before I bend to zip up my boots. Gun in one hand, pen light clenched between my teeth, I head toward the door and slowly flick the lock open.

“Zeke... don’t go.”

Lily’s earnest plea makes me freeze.

“I can’t, sweet thing, it’s not safe yet.”

Without checking to make sure that she was talking in her sleep, I exit into the hallway.

Hitting the button on my watch, I connect with my team.

“On the move.”

“Hallway to the back door is clear,” Layla De La Rue’s voice is loud in my earpiece as she ignores my warning. “I’ve dismantled the security system.” She laughs, the sound infected with more than professional competition when the tech genius adds. “It was child’s play. The Shamrocks really should look into upgrading the level of tech talent they employ.”

I’m not in the mood for her never-ending commentary on Cub’s so-called deficiencies.

I know they went to school together, so I figure that’s where the animosity comes from. Don’t actually care enough to ask for the particulars. As long as Layla—or All-seeing Skye as she’s known within the Adjudicator’s circles—continues to assist me with my unsanctioned ventures, I have no reason to stir up that hornet’s nest.

“This interruption better be for a good reason.”

“Oh, it’s good, Laz.”

Heart in my boots, I drag my fingers along the scar that crosses my throat. The jagged flesh reminds me that the world is too dangerous for me to stay with Lily right now—even if it kills me to leave. I need to ensure she’ll be safe before I claim her again. So, it’s that thought, and the memory of Brutus almost ending my life, that fuel me as I slip out of Lily’s home and head back into the darkness on a mission to eradicate the monsters that stalk her from the earth.

Once I’m out of the back door, my eyes adjust quickly to the rising sun. I dodge the prospect guarding the patio. Vaulting the fence at the rear of Slash’s yard, I keep my head down as I let myself inside the house behind his. It was a purchase I made on a whim when my first payment as a member of Gabriel’s curia hit my brand-new bank account. A cash offer that the owners couldn’t refuse. They left everything behind, taking only the bare essentials with them to avoid alerting the Hudsons that they had new back neighbours.

I grind my teeth as I think about Lily’s new legal name.

Lilianna Hudson.

Fuck.

It’s knife to the gut. She should have been my wife—Lilianna Miles—not Slash’s bride.

“This is all very much shades of Alex,” Layla remarks when I enter the kitchen. My temper bristles at her comparison. I breathe through the insult—determined not to give her the reaction she’s seeking since she’ll report back to Gabriel if I lapse. There’s a kernel of truth in her observation, but I’d let Layla peel my fingernails off before I’d admit that. “I couldn’t find a telescope and the wall full of surveillance images though.” When she places her hands on the counter and hoists herself on top of it, I step around her to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. Layla swings her legs, whistling tunelessly, then she says, “I suppose the bracelet and the necklace make up for that. You’re a high-tech stalker.”

“Look.” I drain the bottle, crush it in my fist, and lob it into the recycle bin. “I don’t need you any more tonight. You can take yourself home at any time.”

She smirks as she snatches an apple out of the fruit bowl on the counter next to her. Teeth flashing, the bite Layla takes is unnecessarily aggressive. It matches the hostility in the shark-like gleam that enters her dark eyes a second before she sarcastically asks, “So, did you fuck Lily while she was sleeping, jerk off looking at her, or drop to your knees and plead for her forgiveness?”

Her query is too close to the truth for comfort.

I’m pretty sure Lily was awake and cognisant of my presence when I left.

I also didn’t wipe my cum off her stomach.

Fuck.

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