Page 56 of Savage Heart

I shake my head at how damn lucky she is her family cares more about appearances than vengeance. “I’m just happy to know she’s not going to have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life.”

The smile fades from Helix’s expression. “Does this mean your time here is up now that you two are together?”

That hadn’t crossed my mind before this moment because I assumed Sienna and I would have to live here to remain safe from the authorities. Now that neither of us are wanted by the police anywhere, we could live together wherever we want.

“I don’t know. This is home for me.”

“Well, if you don’t mind me giving you more unsolicited advice today, being with a woman means you have to make choices with her from now on. Sienna might not want to live here like we do. You love the solitude of the island. I don’t get the feeling she’s as happy being away from everything like you are, though.”

He’s right. I’ve been used to being alone for so long that it never occurred to me that Sienna might not be happy here. That can wait for the future, though. For now, she needs to recover from all that happened in Italy.

As I stand to leave so I can check on her, I look around at the place I’ve considered home for so long. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, we both have to deal with the realities of our families.”

Sienna’s sitting up in bed eating a muffin when I return to my room. Happy to see her awake and finally eating, I sit down next to her and gently kiss the top of her head.

“Where did you get the muffin?”

With a smile, she holds it out in front of me and asks, “Want a bite? Kerry brought it in, along with a glass of orange juice. I don’t know where you guys get your food from here, but I swear it tastes better than anything I’ve ever had before in my life.”

I take a bite of the blueberry muffin and recognize instantly it’s homemade by Kerry. “She makes the muffins, and I think she might squeeze the juice too. Other things we get from the nearest big island since it’s not like we have any grocery stores here.”

“It’s so delicious, isn’t it?” Sienna asks before taking another bite of the muffin. “It’s like the blueberries explode on your tongue when you bite into them.”

As much as I’d love to sit here and talk about homemade muffins with her, I can’t avoid telling Sienna that I’m going to have to go away for a few days. I hate leaving her now when she needs me, but Helix is right. I have to go to Sebastian’s funeral.

“I need to talk to you about something. It’s bad timing, but it can’t be avoided.”

Worry seeps into Sienna’s expression, and I get the sense she thinks it’s something about us, so I quickly add, “Everything’s okay with us. It’s nothing to do with you and me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She turns to face me, and in one of my white T-shirts that’s two sizes too big on her, she looks like a scared little girl. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a visitor today. My father. He came to tell me my older brother died.”

Tears fill her eyes. “Oh, Alaric. I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. We weren’t close. In fact, I wasn’t going to even go to the funeral, but Helix reminded me that I wouldn’t be going for my father or brother. I’d be going for my mother and the rest of my family. I know it’s terrible timing with what you’re going through, but I won’t be gone long. You’ll be okay here with Helix and Kerry, and I’ll be back in a few days.”

Sienna takes my hands in hers and gives them a tender squeeze. “I want to go with you. Is it that I can’t because the police might get me?”

“No, actually I found out your family is claiming your brother’s death was a hit from a rival family there, so nobody’s looking for you for that. I just didn’t want to ask you to go because of what you’re dealing with.”

A tiny smile brightens her expression. “Actually, Kerry helped me with that when she came in to bring me the muffin and juice. She’s very kind, and we talked. She made me see that I shouldn’t feel guilty about what happened because I never wanted any of it to begin with. My brother kidnapped me and then tried to marry me off to that bastard Lucius. I didn’t ask for that. So when I defended myself, he got what he deserved. I guess I was having a hard time seeing that before she and I talked. So I’m okay, Alaric. I can go with you to the funeral. I want to be there for you like you’ve been for me.”

It suddenly dawns on me that both of us have lost a brother in the past week. We weren’t close to either of them, but they were family, nonetheless.

Cradling her face, I look into her beautiful brown eyes and smile at how sweet she is. “I’d like that, but only if you feel up to it because you’re going to have to meet my family.”

“I’ve already met some of your family,” she says with a smile.

I kiss her and shake my head. “No, I mean the branch of the Rule family I come from. Not Helix and Kerry and Gideon.”

“I know. I met your mother and your sister, and I think one time I met your father, if I’m not mistaken.”

Unsure what she’s talking about, I ask, “You met Willow Rule? My mother? How?”

Sienna turns to reach for her muffin and takes a bite before answering. “I lived in Connecticut for two years, Alaric. It’s not like I was a million miles away from most of your family up there. Your mother came to see me once with one of your sisters. Gabrielle, I think? She said Helix asked her to check in on me to see how I was doing. Then another time your other uncle, Nick, came to my apartment to see if I needed anything, and he had a man with him that looked a lot like you and Helix. He didn’t mention his name and the man didn’t talk to me, but I had the feeling he was sizing me up, like he wanted to make sure I was a good person.”

So much for getting beyond the reach of the long arm of the Rule family.

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