Page 140 of Ink Deep Devotion

We knew this. Mila needs to be far away until the dust settles—until we defeat the powerful ones who have control over our parents.

“I think Cillian will have no problem killing his uncle; the hardest part will be after. Their loyalty to blood runs deep, and they will see this death as a betrayal. I think Dante will strip his mother of power. We all know he can’t kill her. That bitch is going to come back to bite him. Once we all get settled, we need to keep a close eye on him and those he cares about. They will be his mom’s first target.”

“What will you do?” I look down at him sitting on the floor. Memories of us as boys sitting on the floor of his dad’s office flood me, making it hard to breathe. We’d be forced to sit in on those meetings, but we were not deserving enough to sit in a chair, so Titan, Damian, and I would sit on the cold floor near the fire like dogs. We were not allowed to speak; we just listened and observed how a king ruled.

I remember seeing Damian with bruises and Titan, too. We’d each reach out behind our backs and just touch one another in a silent gesture of support. Our dads would have never allowed us to embrace.

One small touch meant the world to me.

“I’ll do what I need to do. I could never dethrone my dad and let him live.” Titan’s words are choked. He’s the strongest guy I know. Yeah, our fathers are horrible, but knowing it comes to this, killing our makers is a mental challenge unlike any we have faced.

I slide off my chair and lean back as I join him on the floor. Our conversations mute when I reach out and touch his fingers, just like we used to do as broken boys.

His eyes look at our hands before he swallows hard and interlinks our hands.“I’m sorry.” His words hold a weight far beyond what letters can express.

“I can do it if you need me to.” I offer.

His lip tugs up.“I already promised Nova she could be there.”

“You’re going to bring her when you kill your father?” I stiffen.“You really trust her?”

“Yeah, I do.” He nods.“After her parents were killed, her uncle took her in. He’s the boss of a bratva in Russia. He sent her to a juvenile prison.”

“That explains the batshit crazy she is.”

He growls.

“Joking,”Not. I elbow him.

“She survived one year there by the skin of her teeth. During that time, someone was sending her photos of me, looking like I was enjoying my life. It was all my dad, ensuring she would come back into my life for revenge.”

The layers of my uncle’s depravity continue.“Why?”

“Because games of manipulation are all my dad knows. He said he needed to know Nova would be tough enough to be my wife.”

“So he’s been planning this since you and Nova were kids?”

“Not just him. Those who are controlling him.” Titan’s wide eyes look at me.

“I owe it to Nova to be there, to take the final shot.”

“And how do you think the people controlling our parents will react?”

“I think this is the push and shove we need to make them step out of the shadows. Soon, we will know who thinks they grant us the air we breathe.”

“A nameless, faceless enemy is either a foe not to be trifled with or a coward. Let’s hope it’s the latter.”

Chapter 50

Mila

Nova was a liar, but in the end, we all lied. No man was free of sins. Nova kept her word and never told the guys about my plans to escape.She was more loyal to me than the Kings were. We bitches had each other’s backs.

Yes, she used me to get closer to Titan, but I don’t think it was all for the taste of revenge. I think Nova fought to be loved again. Titan was the only man that could love someone like her.

Nova’s real name was Elsa. Titan thought she had died years ago and blamed himself for it. Their story was more fruitful than mine and Dash’s.

Titan and Nova had a chance at love again.

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