Page 62 of Primal God

“Ah. To be young again.” He smiles. “I hear my niece is working for you for the summer.”

There’s nothing sinister about his words, but that doesn’t stop the hairs on the back of my neck from standing.

“She is,” I agree. “She’s doing a remarkable job.”

“Glad to hear it. I was just telling Montgomery here that she’s good with children.”

Montgomery nods his dark head. “Always a good thing to hear. My second son’s wife is terrible with children, and they had to hire a nanny, much to my wife’s dismay.”

“Does that mean you’re looking for a nanny to help your son?”

Because I’m trying to figure out why Wolfe was even talking about Lilith.

“Gods, no.”

Wolfe says, “He is, however, looking for a wife for his youngest son. The boy is a bit of a disappointment, and a marriage to my niece comes with perks that may…inspire a young man to do better.”

My breath hitches in my throat.

“You’re arranging a match between the two? Why?”

“Why does anyone arrange a marriage? Wolfe wants me to invest in his company. I wasn’t interested in first, but when he suggested his niece marry my son, I saw the mutual benefits we’d get. I get to say all three of my sons are in the Brotherhood, and Wolfe can grow his business.”

“Hard to believe either of them wants to marry, though.”

“Wolfe assures me the girl is willing. From what I have seen, she’ll make an excellent match for my son, too.” Montgomery says, “And they seem to get along. They’re going on another date tomorrow.”

They continue speaking, but all I hear is ringing in my ears. Wolfe is trying to marry off Lilith.MyLilith. There’s a beast deep inside of me that demands I go home and claim Lilith as my own. To make her mine so that the entire world knows.

“You okay there, Santos? You look like you saw a ghost,” Wolfe says.

I force a smile and say, “Everything is fine. If you’ll excuse me, I need a drink.”

At the bar, I toss back three shots of vodka consecutively.

My mind races.

If Wolfe and Montgomery sign an agreement, there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I pause. But what if Montgomery is telling the truth? What if Lilith is a willing participant? And is it possible that Montgomery’s son is the one she’s been texting? Blanc said things are changing within the Brotherhood, which means our children are no longer being forced to marry. But if shewantsto get married, well, that’s an entirely different problem.

I’m reaching for my fourth shot when it’s taken from my hand by Alessandro Moretti.

“Believe me, this won’t solve anything.” He tosses back the shot and asks, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What do you know about Yemi Montgomery?”

“Not much other than he’s cheating on his wife with anything that walks. Why?”

“He and Wolfe are planning a marriage between Wolfe’s niece and his youngest son.” I pause. “Can you look into the son for me?”

“Playing matchmaker, Santos?”

“Hardly. The girl is working for me for the summer. She’s a friend of João’s.”

Calling her that feels like an insult. She’s so much more than just João’s friend.

Alessandro eyes me before nodding. “I’ll see what I can find out.” He pauses. “If the girl means something to you, Santos, you need to take the bull by the horn.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

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