Page 62 of Heir of Darkness

Valerio grabbed her hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “You don’t know how much that means to me,” he whispered. The vulnerability struck Luna so deeply, she could only squeeze his hand tighter. “I hope you know that if your father ever puts his hands on you again, I will fucking kill him.”

There was silence in the car as they pulled up to the cabin. Luna knew he would do it, and for some reason, she didn’t hate that he would. “Thank you.”

He kissed her, ending their conversation there as he exited the car. He helped her out before grabbing the bags. Luna walked up to the door, letting herself in when he let her know it was unlocked.

Immediately, she could tell that the space felt different. The cabin always felt cozy and comfortable, but tonight, the cabin seemed almost sensual. Maybe it was the fake candles that surrounded the space, the new cozy blankets on the couch, or maybe it was because something had shifted between her and Valerio. She assumed it was a combination of all of the above that left her with butterflies in her stomach as she removed her shoes and made her way over to the couch. Valerio dropped their bags into the bedroom that Luna had yet to see but she was sure that she would soon.

“This looks amazing, Val,” she said. She took in every inch of the space, completely aware of the way he watched her.

“I wanted it to be perfect for you.”

“But it’s your birthday.”

“And you're my girl. Are you hungry?” Valerio asked. “I bought some things to make us dinner while we’re here.”

Luna turned around on the couch, looking over at him in the kitchen. “You’re spoiling me.”

“It’s my responsibility to make sure you’re taken care of,” Valerio said. “And I’m actually an excellent cook.”

Luna laughed. “Since when?”

“Since I was in Italy,” Valerio told her, beginning to grab ingredients from the fridge. She stood, walking to the sink to wash her hands. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m going to help.” She dried off her hands, rolling up her sleeves. “I can’t guarantee I know what I’m doing, but I figured the expert can teach me.”

The smile on his face made it worth it for Luna. Valerio leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “I’ll prepare the meat; you can prepare the salad.”

She nodded, getting started with washing the lettuce. It was quiet for a few moments, until Luna spoke up again.

“What was Italy like?” She looked over at him from the corner of her eye as he expertly seasoned the steak. “You never talk about it.”

“There isn’t much to say. All I did was work.”

The answer wasn’t good enough for her. “What type of work?”

He stopped what he was doing to direct his full attention to her. “The type of work I don’t think you want to know about.”

She chopped up the lettuce, ignoring his gaze. “Don’t you think it’s important for me to know what kind of business you’re involved in?”

He sighed, moving to the sink to wash his hands. He dried them off with a random dish rag, leaning against the counter right bedside Luna. “Yes, I do think it’s important, but I would rather your opinion of me didn’t change because of it.”

They had finally reached a good place, one where she was finally starting to trust him enough to be around him willingly. In her mind, she knew she trusted him more than that, but she needed the communication and the honesty no matter how brutal that part of his life truly was.

Luna frowned. “You do know who my family is, right? I’m more used to this world than you think.”

He was silent before he took a deep breath. “I sellthings; ship them in, ship them out.”

Luna stopped cutting to look at him. She could only assume the “things” he was referring to were deeply illegal.

“I have other businesses too, legit ones,” he said. “And then I have thephysical aspectsof my job.”

“So I can assume my father’s friend wasn’t the first person you killed?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “And it won’t be the last.”

She stared at him. Rumors had told her this much, but still, having him confirm it made her feel odd. During the day he went out and committed felonies, and then at night he would come home and be a caring husband to her. Could both exist?

She went back to cutting the lettuce. Her mind was reeling about the dangers of his life.

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