Page 71 of Sin and Deception

“I will be,”I nodded. “Eventually. Once I know we’re safe.”

“We’d never let anyone hurt you or our sons,”he whispered, planting another kiss on my palm.

It was a rare moment of gentle affection that was more precious than he could know. Everything was changing between us, but he was a constant. The dynamic we’d livedwith for so long—the bickering, the electric tension, the push and pull mixed in with a tender, pure, unadulterated love.

“I know, Theo,”I nodded, offering him a soft smile.

We turned to look at the sleeping boys together, and he put his arm around me, pulling me close.

“You made some beautiful babies.”

“The three of us made them together,”I whispered, leaning into his chest.

The boys' small chests rose and fell as they slept. They were completely at peace, unaware of the chaos surrounding them and the life they had been born into.

I desperately wanted them to have a life of safety and warmth, not chaos and competition. Unlike Theo's dread and regret regarding his heritage, I wanted them to grow up feeling deep affection for their family.

Papa and Mama had given me and my sisters everything I dreamt of for my babies. But nothing was guaranteed in our world, especially with its violence and rivalry. The best I could do was give them a normal upbringing for as long as possible.

I shook my head at that thought.

“What are you thinking?”Theo rested his chin on the top of my head.

“How impossible it will be to give Charis and Hayes a normal childhood when they have two enforcer fathers and a mother who is the Godmother of the Night for the Angelos Syndicate.”

“It’s not as if some suburban mother and an accountantfather raised you. Your parents brought you up in the middle of territory battles and all kinds of fuckery.”

“Are you using me as the example of a model child?”I tilted my head to the side to peer up at him.“If I recall, you hated my guts and would have thrown me off the nearest bridge if there was any way to get away with it.”

“It was hate-love, and once you weren’t jailbait, I could fuck you into behaving.”

“You’re not even four years older than me. Jailbait, my ass.”

All of a sudden, my mood shifted, and my heart clenched.“Theo, I’m worried about Fiona.”

“Don’t forget. She’s the meanest and smartest one out of all four of you. If there is a way to fuck with someone, she’ll do it.”

“But what if they…”I trailed off, not wanting to describe the horror I imagined.

“Then we collect each of them and serve them to her in the Caves to exercise her rage.”

I turned to face him, lifted onto my toes, and kissed him.

When we pulled back, Theo said,“We have to prepare. Davenport will come looking for us soon.”

I nodded, and Theo exited the room.

I stayed in place for a few more seconds, aware that I couldn’t escape my legacy or role in the family.

For those boys, Fiona, and my future with Theo and Xander, it was time to reclaim my role as the Angelos, Godmother of the syndicate. I’d destroyed my enemies once through calm, cold calculation and would do it again.

But this time, I would claim their power as collateral.

Twenty

NERINE

I was seriously demented.

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