Page 15 of Knot Letting Go

Lorenzo chuckled again and said something to his bodyguards. I didn’t understand Italian, but I did catch the words:Omega non reclamato. I didn’t need to speak the language to know what that meant. He knew I was an unclaimed Omega, and as he said it to his guards, one of them—the beefier one—turned his head to me and smiled.

The sly smile of a monster.

If Lorenzo was the king of the sharks, this Alpha was like a deep sea beast. I swallowed a whimper and bit my tongue to keep from crying. To help fortify myself, I hugged Lillianna closer, barely breathing until they were out of sight.

Gavin said there was a storm in the forecast and we best gather our things to head home. The sky was clear, and we already had a hard rain last night. Yet I didn’t correct him. I desperately wanted to be enclosed within the safe walls of Birk Manor and never see Lorenzo Pacetti again.

He’d left the beach, but I still felt his presence as if he were stalking us from under the waves as we packed up.

CHAPTER EIGHT – Quill

Sick and tired of one video meeting after another, I stared at the bottles in the wine rack in the kitchen. Just one little drink to take the edge off. That’s all I needed.

It had been a while since I had any alcohol. I had total control over myself. No one could expect me to go through life and never have one glass of wine or a leisurely beer now and then. After a day of mind numbing business shit, I deserved it.

Enid banged something on the counter as she prepared dinner. She had her back to me, but every loud clang and clank seemed directed at me. The old woman knew what I was about, and I loved and hated her for it at the same time.

Heaving a sigh, I rolled my shoulders. Fucking hell. Damn addict urges. I would not be ruled by them. I just needed to direct my energy elsewhere. Like go workout or swim some laps or play a video game online.

Fuck, no. No more online crap.

The sound of a car pulling up in the drive perked me up. Now there was a distraction. It had to be Aubrielle back with Lillianna from their beach day.

Having that beautiful Omega in the house was a gift. She was something I’d been missing for a long time. Yeah, my asshole of a father was dead and I’d made amends with my brother. I got to spend more time with my sister and nieces, but I still felt hollow. This last year had been one of the worst of my life, but hearing Aubrielle’s pure laughter and the sweet soprano of her singing brought back some light to my life. Her nurturing feminine energy wasn’t directed at me, but just having it there filled that emptiness inside of me.

Of course it was a bonus that Aubrielle was drop dead gorgeous. Her sparkling blue eyes, her sensual mouth, and thosefucking marvelous tits! I’d been fantasizing about watching her big breasts bounce as I fucked her all week.

Konstantin had sent me to New York for a few days, but now that I was back, I was going to double my efforts to get that tasty Omega alone. All I needed was an outlet for my stress. I wouldn’t jeopardize her job or anything. One night would do me.

The kitchen door opened and Lillianna bolted inside carrying an inflated beach ball. Once she saw me, she dropped it and ran into my arms. “Uncle Quill! You’re home!”

“Lilli! How’s my favorite niece?” I scooped her up and kissed her cute little face all over, making her giggle.

“You forgot not to say that. You have two nieces now.” She scolded me and it only made me love her all the more.

“Hello, Miss Lillianna. I have ravioli boiling to go with dinner tonight. Extra ricotta, just how you like your food pillows.” Enid winked at Lillianna and went back to seasoning the sauce.

Then Lillianna launched into a fast-paced and detailed explanation of everything that she did while I was gone, focusing on being a mermaid at the beach. The whole thing became an epic tale of two mermaids swimming to the bottom of the ocean and the creatures they met.

A minute after she came in, the door swung open and my breath hitched as Aubrielle entered carrying the picnic basket and a large beach bag stuffed with thick towels. I expected a smile, maybe some cute freckles and a light tan from a day in the sun, but her pretty face was pale and she looked on the verge of tears.

The instinct to comfort her and vanquish whatever had made her upset drove to the surface, and I barely contained a growl. Lillianna chattered on, but I was barely hearing what she was saying. My heavy heartbeat thundered in my ears.

Enid greeted Aubrielle and took the basket from her. Aubrielle attempted a smile as she thanked her, but it trembled.

No. She was the damn light, an angel. I would not let her be sad.

“And then Nonno came to the beach and said hello. But he stayed on the beach. He didn’t go in the water. He didn’t have a tail to swim. The jellyfish was pink and as big as the car!” Lillianna spread her arms as wide as she could. “It was soft as a marshmallow and glowed when it went down to the dark water.”

What the fuck? “Hold on, honey. Did you say your grandfather was there?”

“Yup. Nonno had Matteo and some man I didn’t know with him. They didn’t like the sun because they had on the biggest sunglasses ever. Mermaids don’t have to wear sunglasses because they’re underwater most of the time.”

Shit. My stomach clenched. Lorenzo was in town and he had talked to Lillianna. The bastard might have kidnapped… My thoughts slammed into that possibility. Aubrielle. Was that why she was so shaken? What did that motherfucker say to her? Did he threaten her? Hurt her?

I wanted to wring Lorenzo’s neck and bury him in a shallow grave.

Gavin entered quietly and put a few more bags and a cooler down on the floor before closing the door. His expression was drawn too.

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