Page 44 of Where the Wicked Reign

The three families thought the tide was turning toward war between them all, but they were blind to the war that was gearing up from me and mine.

They’d never fucking survive it.

It was what they’d brought it to, what they’d wrought.

One positive thing had happened over the last few days of me enduring all this bullshit from my so-calledfamily.

I had confirmation that Levi Knight was actively looking intoOsirisand diving deep. It was likely that he’d have the pieces I was missing with my own intel. He just needed to be given a little more time. Then I’d swoop in and manipulate the situation in our favor.

Fortunately, that time needed gave me space to be able to get this op we’d agreed to assist Caterina with off our plates.

After far too long with pretty much every inch of my skin now wrinkled, I finally shut off the shower and stepped out, shuddering from the cold, but at least calmed.

For now, at least.

We were seeing Caterina soon. It would be a whole other ask, managing to remain in this cooled down state in her actual presence.

I snatched my soft black towel that matched the marble floor off the rail adjacent to the glass shower—what Julian called my porn shower and what he’d used before to fuck Milo in when I’d been away onassignmentfor the Marchetti Syndicate once. He wasn’t the best with boundaries.

I secured it around my waist, shoved a hand through my hair to dispel some of the moisture, then threw open the door and stepped back into my modern minimalist designed bedroom—only to smack right into Milo who was standing there arms folded across his tank and shaking his head at me.

“Fuck. What are you doing in my bedroom?”

“You took longer in the shower than you usually do. I was concerned.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” I groused, brushing past him to head to my closet.

“Am I?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Goddammit, Nico, you know I’m right on the money here. You lost yourself to yourferalside the other night, more intensely, and for longer than you ever have. And I get it, there’s a load of pressure bearing down on you and you were triggered majorly by this marriage directive ripping power and your agencyandCaterina’s right out from under you.”

I stopped just shy of my walk-in closet and spun around. “I don’t need a recap of recent events. I know what happened. I did lose control, yes. But I’m fine now.”

He took a seat on the foot of my bed, sitting in his rigid way. “Julian has taken a liking to her. You noticed too, right?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“Didyou?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, did you?”

“That’s one way to redirect, Nico.”

“Pot. Kettle.”

He blew out a breath. “I wouldn’t go there, or even think to go there with Caterina, unless you gave the go-ahead there.”

“You haven’t opened yourself to the possibility at all?”

“Correct.”

I lifted a shoulder. “I’d be fine with it.”

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