Page 82 of Where the Wicked Reign

Then, before Nico could bite back at Julian, she told the latter, “Well, you certainly know your way around a dildo.” She leaned forward. “And how did you do that thing with the vibrator?”

She’d undoubtedly recovered from her embarrassed and overwhelmed reaction earlier. Julian had told me that she’d hid under the covers. She’d clearly taken the twenty minutes to do more than just get ready, and to also embolden herself where this was concerned and rise to the occasion.Hmm,I had to respect that.

His eyes lit up. “Otherworldly, huh?”

“Definitely.”

“Can’t reveal my tricks. At least not until we get to know one another better.” He sat back against his chair. “You know, when I’m playing more than asupervisoryrole?”

“You already fucking did that last night,” I muttered.

“Please, you know that was barely participating for me.”

“That’s right, Idoknow.Iknow you.”

“If you knew me as well as you seem to think, you’d also have picked up on the fact that after thatsupervisionof these two, I was happy that it managed to satiate me for the night, and that I didn’t need to go there withyoutoo, that we could have one night where fucking wasn’t front and center with you and me.”

I paused on taking another bite of my egg. “I didn’t—”

“You didn’t know? You didn’t notice? Of course you didn’t. You were far too concerned with Nico and Caterina, obsessing about the perceived danger that the two of them growing closer is to all of us.”

“Obsessing?” Nico spoke. “Still?”

Godammit, Julian.

“You know I’m concerned.”

“Not to the extent ofobsession,and it blinding you to everything else.”

“This is amazing,” Caterina spoke.

The three of us stared at her as her odd comment cut through the building tension between us, pulling us all up short.

“Amazing?” Julian asked.

“The three of you, the bond you have. It’s special and rare to have this kind of connection, this understanding between you. How much you trust one another, how much you care about one another and fight to protect each otherandwhat you have. That’s what these arguments and tiffs are about, fighting for this brotherhood of yours.” She looked at me. “I understand your concerns when it comes to me. I share the same concerns on my end, though. It’s definitely a dangerous situation, but as Nico pointed out to me—or more like rammed home to me—earlier, it will become more so if we can’t find a way to work together and try to develop some trust. And not just with this operation coming up. Whether we like it or not, Iambeing pulled into your lives, into your orbit. We’re not in a position to prevent that from happening. We’re being controlled by the three families.” She gritted her teeth. “As much time and effort as I’ve spent trying to distance myself from it, especially my father, here I am being forced back in, being used by him. Just like the three of you are, too.” She looked out sadly at Nico. “Especially you.” She blew out a breath. “I’m not willing to let you all in on my secrets. It’s too early for that. But I can lay down a promise right here and now that I won’t hurt you. I won’t screw you over, backstab you, use you, nothing like that. Nico is right. We need each other and we need to start operating that way.” She popped a blueberry into her mouth, chewed it, then rose to her feet.

“Where are you going?” Nico asked.

“Like I said, what the three of you have is rare and special. It’s likely the reason why you’ve survived and thrived. But now you need something more with the way the tide is turning. That something is me. None of that is going to work if this alliance splits the three of you apart. So think on it. Take some time. I’ll see you in a couple of days for the operation, and we’ll take it from there.”

Nico rose to his feet. “I don’t want you leaving right now, Caterina.”

“Yet, you know that I need to.” She surprised all of us then, very much Nico, as she slid her fingers to his cheek in a wholly intimate gesture and told him, “This isn’t me backsliding. I heard you earlier, and I felt you last night, too. There’s no denial anymore, just cautious steps forward from now on.” She smiled and dropped her hand. “I promise.”

With that, she walked out, the clack of her heels highlighted with the silence that we’d all fallen into as we fought to absorb her heavy words.

15

~Caterina~

“I wouldn’t mind if you texted me once in a while.”

So, those words of mine to Nico when I’d finally given him an inch had led to him taking a mile, and over the last couple of days since I’d left them at breakfast, he’d been texting me non-stop. I’d counted over one hundred texts, in fact.

I’d let a few go by at first, because I’d been focused on meeting with my architect, Nova Henderson of NovaScene, to continue working on the designs for my expansion concerning the Brimbank Waterfront development.

But then his texts had grown in intensity, his worry coming through, thinking I was intentionally ignoring him and pulling away. I’d rectified it, making it known that it wasn’t the case. Because Iwasn’tpulling away. I didn’t have any intention of doing that. At least, not anymore.

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