Page 118 of Devil's Bride

Admit that she was right and for an extended period of her life there would be no such thing as normalcy? That going out, even to dinner, would be risky? That she had to worry about Bella andthat bringing Marco on as a soldier, no matter how confined I’d make his assignments, could get him killed?

That wasn’t the news I wanted to deliver under any circumstances.

Now on the way back to the goddamn castle, I sensed she was completely aware of everything that was going on.

When she turned her head toward me, I braced for what was coming.

“Who did you lose?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean, Jago. You lost someone special to you.”

My hesitation only fueled the fury in her eyes.

“A woman I thought I cared about. She betrayed me. I told you that.”

“Yes, but there’s also someone else, someone much closer to you. A family member.”

She wasn’t asking a question. It was as if she’d sensed my pain when I’d held her on the couch.

The memories had become insufferable.

My grip on the steering wheel was suddenly tighter. “What does it matter?”

“Because that’s what shaped you. That’s what made you believe you’re not worthy of anything other than acts of violence and the anger you keep clasped around your heart.”

My exhale was as tight as my chest felt. “My older brother.”

“What happened?”

“He was killed because of me.”

She continued staring at me and I’d never felt as comfortable as I did at that moment.

“He was to be married, but he wasn’t in love with the girl. I was.”

“An arranged marriage.”

“Yes. My father had insisted. It would bring two powerful families together in an alliance that would expand our power into two countries.”

“What happened?”

I shifted in the seat, glancing from the rearview mirror to both side mirrors. Kruz and five other soldiers had met us at the airport. So far, there hadn’t been any trouble on the drive, but I sensed it was only a matter of time. There was a price on Genevieve’s head. Fassi had determined her death was more important than taking her as a prisoner.

To unravel me.

She placed her hand on my thigh. “Trust me.”

Gritting my teeth, I shook my head as the memories returned to the forefront of my mind. “After the betrayal years before, I’d shut down. I’d immersed myself in becoming the best soldier possible, always knowing my older brother would take the helm. I’d been happy feeling nothing but an insatiable desire to kill. Then Isabel appeared and everything changed, but I still wasn’t considered the right man to take over when my father retired or was killed.”

“She cared about you.”

“Yes. We fell in love. We tried to honor our family’s wishes, but she was so distraught. We talked. We spent time together. I finally convinced her to run away with me. I was barely nineteen years old and believed I could provide for her. She agreed. We planned the day. I was there waiting for her, excited and nervous.”

“Did she show?” Genevieve asked, tremendous compassion in her voice.

Exhaling, all I wanted to do was to block out the memory, but just by marrying Genevieve, the horrible act had returned fresh, as if it had just occurred. “Yes. So did my brother.”

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