Page 139 of Onyx Realm

It was on the tip of my tongue to contradict our aunt, but I stopped. Dorothea needed the busy work to deal with the feelings that were likely raging inside her. Her memories, her loss—I couldn’t fathom that agony. The presence of her only remaining child would probably help her more than the physical aid Evangelia could offer.

So I let them go.

Looking up at my brother, I saw him give Markos a hard look, which the pirate responded to in equal measure. Two weeks earlier, when Penelope and Alessandro came to town, there had been a few black eyes between the men. They were mostly healed now.

“Leo sends his love. He’ll be in Tampa next month,” Sandro said, finally looking to me. “He’s bringing his wife.”

Penny and I exchanged a smile. “It will be good to see Annaliese. We weren’t able to connect over the summer.”

“She has something to tell you,” Penny confessed.

I sucked in a sharp breath, barely able to contain my excitement. “No! Really?”

Penny nodded eagerly. “But on a matter of technicality, I didn’ttellyou what that was.”

“Oh, no, of course not,” I laughed conspiratorially. “I’ll pretend to figure it out on my own.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Sandro insists. “You two know something.”

“It means there’ll be another Mancini,” Penny whispered and brushed the tip of her finger over the baby’s tiny fist. “This little one is getting a cousin.”

***

Later that night, drowsy and with a belly full of food, I watched Markos emerge from the bedroom. He smelled of cedar, but I knew the salty undertone still remained.

“Come here, pirate.” I scooched over on the couch, inviting him close more than making room for his bulk.

Markos stalked forward. Jaw clenched tight, he shucked his shirt. Candlelight danced over his skin, revealing the tale of misery and woe. But the moment I handed him our daughter, something changed. The scars no longer spoke of a damaged soul, but of a fighter, who’d survived hell and would again.

“We did good,” I whispered, laying back and stretching my arms overhead.

“I’m going to break her.” He choked on the hushed words.

“You’re going to protect her and teach her to protect herself and others,” I countered.

As I watched them, I felt my fairytale coming true at last. This might not be the story every girl craved, but for the princess in the castle, it was the perfect ending to the chapter.

Epilogue – Annaliese

The chink of cutlery on plates punctuated the soft drone of conversation. The smoked butternut squash sorbet and roasted duck was fast disappearing from my plate. The waiter stopped by to refill my glass of Barolo. I was perfectly capable of reaching for the decanter myself, but that wasn’t how things were done at upscale restaurants. I bit my tongue, refusing to ask for a second helping of this for breakfast tomorrow.

He should just give me the recipe....

I could eat this every day.

“What time is your flight in the morning?” David’s voice interrupted the delicious haze created by the scrumptious gourmet food.

“We board around nine,” I said with a smile.

As far as boyfriends went, this one was a gem. He’d come back to Munich to see me, even though I was finally returning to the States, where the long distance wouldn’t be quite so far.

“Well, I have a bit of news on that front.” David wiped his mouth, pushing his half-eaten food to the side.

The waiter swooped from the wings to take his plate.

I would have finished his portion. Hell, I was minutes away from licking my own plate clean. It was that good!

“I’ll be working from Chicago for a month,” David continued.

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