Page 23 of Whispered Desire

When I asked Mathias about ‘his girl,’ I was mostly fucking with him. The woman checked out as nothing more than a good Samaritan, which was why Mathias’s constant monitoring of her was hilarious.

I didn’t expect the bastard to bring her back to Blackchapel like a damn orphan puppy.

Another message updating me on Allie's arrival to the manor lights up my phone.

RAFE:I can’t believe you’re missing this. Where are you?

Ignoring him, I consider this latest development with Mathias.

He’s our group’s unofficial leader, and he’s usually calm and controlled. Rash decisions aren’t his typical MO, yet he flew Allison from North Carolina to Massachusetts on a fucking whim. As if we don’t have enough going on with our plan to ruin The Syndicate. As if the danger we’re constantly in is the perfect place for a woman.

Pot meet kettle.

These are warnings I’ve told myself, but it’s not like I’m actually putting Eden in harm’s way. I haven’t even talked to her.

I sit in the tree that looks into the large windows of her living room.That's all.There’s distance between us, one that provides a buffer of safety.

Because my life is a shitshow.

My father tried to kill me in Paris. We traced the license plates of the van involved to a couple of low-level goons in his organization, and there’s no way they would’ve gone rogue—assassinating their boss’s illegitimate son for fun. That would mean a quick trip to the morgue.

A lamp flashes to life, and I shove thoughts of Enzo D’Amora aside in favor of watching my favorite girl.

Eden Marino.

Sweet and innocent with so many curves it would take me days to explore them all. Not that I’ll get the chance anytime soon.

For now, I’m content to watch and wait. Bide my time until it’s safe to bring Eden home to the manor.

Obviously, my thinking is clearer than Mathias’s at the moment.

I smirk.

MaybeIshould be the Blackchapel Bastards’ unofficial leader.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ALLISON

So, this is what happens when intrusive thoughts win.

My life gets hijacked by a wealthy mercenary, and I become his—Pet? Submissive?Mistress?I’m not clear on what he expects in return for his protection—while he installs me in this enormous mansion on the outskirts of Boston.

After introducing three of the other six men who live at Blackchapel Manor—Rafael, Jonah, and Hugo, formidable men wearing varying degrees of confused expressions—Mathias showed me to a beautiful room upstairs in the East Wing. Because, of course, his home is large enough to have freaking wings.

The king-sized bed I’m currently lounging in dominates one wall while the bank of windows to its right offers an aerial view of the sleeping gardens. I’m sure summer sunrises are something to behold as the warm golden light splashes over flowers and shrubs before sweeping up the manor to brighten my room.

It’s unfortunate I won’t be here to see it. Mathias will surely tire of our arrangement by then.

“Then I’ll be on my own again,” I whisper into the empty room.

For hours, I’ve been floating in an odd dream state—from Mathias first appearing on my doorstep to the flight where hefed me while I sat in his lap to now lying awake in bed, staring up at the high ceiling, exhausted yet jittery.

The crash after a tumultuous day.

The perfect time for my mind to spiral and drag my poor body with it.

Where’s that numb cocoon when I need it?

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