Page 38 of His Bride

Somehow, it makes the whole situation even more unbearable. The weight of his confession feels like a millstone around my neck, and I have no idea why. I don’t know why his confession doesn’t make me feel any better. This is all just fucking madness.

His gaze remains trained on mine, filled with a raw intensity that knots my stomach into sick, twisted knots. “I make stupid fucking decisions when it comes to you, New York.”

And with those words, the truth dawns on me. “That’s why you won’t help protect my brother,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “Because you think it’ll be a mistake, one of those reckless mistakes you make because of me.”

There’s a moment when he avoids looking me in the eye, rubbing the back of his neck. “Your father is not the man he pretends to be, Giana.” He finally looks at me. “You can’t trust him.”

“But I should trust you?”

“Yes.”

“How?” I press. “How am I supposed to trust a man willing to let my brother getsliced, diced, flayed, and fileted?”

“You think your father gives a shit about you or your brother?”

“I think he cares more than you do.” I wipe at my eyes and turn my back to him, grabbing more sweaters and shirts from the closet, shoving them in my suitcase.

My blood beats loudly in my ears, my chest tight. There are so many emotions beating at me all at once, there’s no way to tell which one takes preference.

Anger? Fear? Despair? Uncertainty? Relief? I have no idea…all I know is I need to get out of here. I need to breathe.

“Giana, look at me.”

I don’t, zipping up my suitcase.

He grabs my elbow and pulls me close, his fingers biting into my flesh.

His face is now inches from mine, his breath hot, his eyes fierce, and it’s when he crashes his lips against mine that I break.

Tears well up in my eyes, hot and uncontrollable, as his lips melt against mine. It's a desperate kiss, ravaging yet tender in its own way.

His fingers curl around the nape of my neck, pulling me even closer. It feels wrong and right at the same time. I want it to stop, yet never end. I want more, but nothing at all.

His kiss is firm, fervent, and desperate. Undeniably passionate. It’s so many unspoken words. All the time lost. It’s pain, regret, and a glimmer of hope.

My hands find their way to his chest, clutching the fabric of his shirt, unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer. I choose both, yet do nothing. Nothing but kiss him back.

A gentle sob licks past my lips as he breaks the kiss, leaning his forehead against mine. “I care more about you than you know. I will gladly take the lives of every single person in this entire fucking city if it means keeping you safe. That’s what you do to me, New York. You make me reckless, dangerous, and mad. And if there’s a choice to be made between you and your brother, I’ll choose you.”

Pain erupts, his truth now my new affliction. I lift my chin, raising my face toward his as I keep his gaze. “Thank God it’s not a choice you need to make, then.”

I jerk free, not taking my eyes off him. Caelian looks completely hungover. Those lines from stress and lack of sleep seem to be grooved in deeper, his inner turmoil spilling over into outer chaos. He needs a shave or a trim, and his hair’s disheveled. No man should look like that and still make my heart beat unbelievably fast.

I let my gaze settle on his. “If I have to pick between you and my brother…I have no choice but to pick him.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“Not when he has no one else, there’s not.”

Caelian’s eyes harden. “Your father is playing you.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But I’m not willing to chance it, calling his bluff.”

There’s a smirk on his face, one filled with resentment, disbelief, and a resigned sort of amusement. “I meant what I said. Your father will gladly eat your brother’s heart straight out of his chest while he devours yours with a goddamn smile if it means saving his own ass.”

It hurts. Probably because there’s a part of me that knows it’s true. “You’re a prick, Caelian.”

“Yeah,” he says, wiping his thumb along his bottom lip. “I might be a prick, and I might say the wrong shit all the damn time, but at least I didn’t auction you off like you’re some sacrificial lamb. Like you’re nothing more than currency your scumbag dad can trade for power.”

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