Page 112 of Her Dark Salvation

“I did. I really did.” It was time to start the next chapter of my career. Time to get uncomfortable and explore new spaces. Time to challenge myself and shatter the beliefs that had held me back from realizing my dreams. “So, do I have a job?”

“Hmm. I don’t know.” Jeff leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms overhead. “I’m not sure you have the qualifications. I mean, you did transfer to MIT for your doctorate instead of staying at HBS.” His lips twitched through the barb.

I narrowed my eyes into a deathly glare, picked up a chip, and tossed it at his face. It bounced off his glasses and landed in his lap. He picked it up, popped it in his mouth, and chewed through a wicked grin.

“I love you,” I said, laughing at antics that hadn’t changed in twenty-five years.

“I know. I love you, too. And yes, of course, you have a job with CMG. Michael would divorce me if I turned you away.” He winked and reached for the final bite of my sandwich. “Are you going to eat that?”

“Yes!” I swatted at his hand. “God, you’re a bottomless pit! Michael is a saint.”

“Don’t tell him that. He already has a swollen head.”

“You love it.”

“I do.”

Jeff’s face lit up with affection, and for the first time in my life, I knew exactly how he felt. I finally had a deep, love-filled connection of my own.

* * *

Barren treesand melting snow sped past the passenger side window. The afternoon was overcast, gray clouds portending more snow, not uncommon for the second week of March. The turnpike was quiet, not a lot of traffic for a Saturday, and we drove in silence, enjoying the peace after the turmoil of the past month.

I glanced at Marco, and his handsome profile with its Roman nose and strong jaw sent a flutter through my chest. Months after our first meeting and he still evoked the same reaction, but now unconditional love accompanied lust.

I picked up his hand resting on the shifter between us. The big rock on my ring finger glinted in the afternoon light when he lifted my hand to his lips.

“I can’t stop staring at it.” I’d had the ring for all of two days, and I don’t think my eyes had left the four-carat ruby for more than a few minutes at a time.

“It’s a beautiful stone and given the amount of money I paid for it, please, stare at it as much as possible.” The corner of Marco’s mouth ticked up in a wry grin.

I pulled my hand out from his and swatted his shoulder. “I told you it was too much.”

“I’m joking, amore mio. It’s not even a fraction of what you deserve.” He glanced at me. “Or a fraction as beautiful.” He retrieved my hand and brought my fingers to his lips for another kiss, then rested our joined hands on his thigh.

We’d promised ourselves to each other the night we’d bonded in blood, and our commitment was as sacred as any human ceremony. Blood demons signified their bond with rubies not diamonds, the red gemstones a symbol of the blood shared between partners. He’d surprised me after lunch on Thursday by taking me to a private appointment at one of Boston’s most exclusive jewelers and telling me to pick out my bond ring.

I lifted my hand, holding it in front of me for the millionth time, and marveled at the simple setting around the beautiful stone. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate token of our love. “My mom is going to squeal like a teenager when she sees this.”

Marco chuckled. “I can’t wait to meet her. And your father. I can’t wait to thank them for bringing you into this world.”

My cheeks heated. The things he said to me.

As far as blood demons were concerned, we were married, the only thing left a party with his family and friends to celebrate our bond. But I hadn’t grown up in his world, and he knew how important it was to me to have a proper wedding with my parents and my small group of friends—Jeff, Michael, a few former coworkers from MIT, and now Siobhán. And Marco, being the traditional, over-the-top Mafia Don he was, insisted, “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.”

“I can’t wait to meet your parents, too,” I said.

“And you’ll get to. At the wedding.” He gave me a quick glance and winked.

We’d decided to get married in Italy at the new property in Tuscany after renovations were complete. It wouldn’t be ready for another nine months to a year, but we weren’t in a hurry. We were already bonded, and that’s all that mattered.

“And spend more time with Gina. She’s lovely.”

“As long as the two of you don’t conspire against me, I’ll allow it.”

I snorted. I’d had lunch with Gina a few times over the past two weeks, and Marco and I had gone to his family home in the North End twice for dinner. She was a phenomenal cook, which after almost eighty years of practice, shouldn’t have been a surprise.

There had been tension, though, between Marco and Gina. An unspoken heaviness weighed on their relationship. It showed in the brief moments when they reminisced about the past or talked about family, and I knew it was because of Luca.

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