Page 150 of Juliet & Her Romeos

The fact that he cared enough about pleasing us to call his sister makes me purr.

He didn’t sleep, staying up to bake and then to decorate this gorgeous cake. It could have looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa with messy icing and a handful of cake sprinkles dribbled over it, and I wouldn’t care.

All that matters is that he took the time to make it because he knew that Swan and I would like it.

Because Swan said that he wanted to try chocolate and cherry cake.

Swan is still staring transfixed at the cake. “This is the best thing that anyone has ever made me.”

When Vito breaks my kiss, he’s smiling. Joy washes through the bond.

“You haven’t tasted it yet,” Vito warns with a laugh.

“We’re not eating it,” Swan growls. “It’s too perfect.”

Vito grabs Swan by the shoulders. “I’ll make you another one.”

Swan shakes his head. “This one’s special.”

Vito looks down, biting his lip. “In the Snakes, pack only meant pain. There was no safety. I’ve spent my life running because I never trusted that pack could mean anything but that. After Mom was sold, Candy was raised by my Alpha triplet sisters. Sometimes, they could be kind to her. But they hated me. They only saw me as a rival. They beat me down to make sure that I didn’t become dominant enough to challenge their place.”

“I’m going to kick their asses,” I mutter.

Vito’s lips twitch. “They’re mafia enforcers, illegal fighting ring champions, and fucking psychopaths. But I guess that they may fear a tiny, cute Omega.”

“Hey,” I protest, poking his side.

“She’ll also be helped by me.” Swan’s expression is thunderous. “I don’t care if they’re champion fighters. They hurt our Alpha.”

Vito glows at Vito’sour Alpha. “Still, you’re missing thepsychopathpart. Dad used the triplets as a threat and a punishment. He’d give me to them for days to play with. I was a toy to them. Ludovica was the worst because she called me herprecious baby brother, even as she broke my bones. I spent years convincing Candy that the glimpses she caught of their sessions, was us onlyplaying.It didn’t matter how bruised I was, I’d insist that what they did to me didn’t hurt.”

Swan exchanges an understanding glance with Vito, before he pulls him into a hug.

The men are similar in many ways, even in the way that they shield others from their pain.

“You don’t need to run anymore,” Swan promises. “You’ve found your fated bonds. You’re safe. You’re no one’s toy.”

“Isn’t everybody someone’s toy?” Vito’s eyes darken. “I trust the Romeo pack, when I never thought that I could trust myself to bond. But we’re all dolls, manipulated by our upbringings, laws, and society. Or simply, by the secrets of our pasts. I know what it’s like to have my control stripped from me. I was my sisters’ plaything. But to truly be free, there’s always a cost.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Romeo Hall, Sanctum

Istretch lazily in the bronze sheets, pulling them up to my chin.

Morning light spills through the windows over Ambrose’s bedroom.

Our bedroom, as he called it last night.

I smile at the memory of the way that my men and I scrambled to take turns in the bathroom to shower and brush our teeth.

Vito left the door open as he showered, yelling that we could floss and clean ourpretty Omega faces, while he soaped hispretty Alpha ass.

That led to Ambrose joining Vito in the shower and soaping hispretty Alpha assfor him…thoroughly.

Afterward, we tumbled into bed together, cuddling and spooning each other in a way that felt like we’d been doing it for a lifetime.

I’m becoming used to waking up in a warm, comfortable bed without my muscles aching from over practice, the welts of a cane, or terror that Dimitri may burst in.

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