Page 58 of Depths of Desire
She just stares at me.
“You know me,” I say gently. “We’re obviously... compatible.” I can’t help the small smile that tugs at my lips as her cheeks darken with a blush. “And I’ll take care of you. My brothers and I—we’ll protect you and your friends. Always.”
She reaches for her wine, but her hand trembles slightly.
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
“You say yes,” I tell her, locking eyes with her. “You marry me—because this is the only shot you’ve got.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Iset my wine glass down carefully, get up, and step over to the railing. “This is insane.” My voice is hoarse, barely above a whisper. “You’re asking me to marry you. Not just sleep with you. Not just stay here. Marry you.”
Nico looks almost serene. “I know exactly what I’m asking.”
Doesn’t he understand? “You’re asking me to sign away what little freedom I have left.”
He shakes his head. “I’m asking you to claim the only freedom you have.”
I blink, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”
“If you marry me, you choose. You take control of the outcome, Luna. You tip the scales in your favor. If you run, he’ll find you. If you fight, he’ll crush you. But if you’re already married to me… his claim dies.”
“Is that true? His claim to me will go away?”
Nico hesitates for the first time. “It will have less of a chance.
I spin away from him, but then turn back immediately, almost tripping as I do, the way my thoughts are stumbling around my brain. This is crazy. “But, marryyou? Seriously? As in married-married?”
“Yes, Luna. Is that so shocking?” His jaw tightens, and a flicker of something—hurt, maybe—passes through his eyes. "You say that like it’s a curse." He crosses his arms over his chest, his voice low and edged with steel. "I’m not asking because it’s convenient. I’m asking because it’s the only way to protect you. You want to keep running, fine. But don’t pretend this isn’t real between us."
He steps closer, his gaze piercing mine. "You think I like this? You think I planned any of it? No. But I’d rather bind you to me willingly than watch Malrick claim you by force. So yeah, Luna. Married-married. And I meant every word."
I’m shocked speechless. My heart thuds against my rib cage, and I know he can hear it, but I can't calm it down. He doesn't understand. I don't want to get married. I mean, I certainly didn't want to marry Malrick, but I don't want to marry anyone—at least not anyone connected with the family.
“I just... don't want to be here. I want to be as far away from this as possible. This life has shaped me in so many ways, and I—I just can't. I don't want any more ties or connections or— Look, Nico, there's no part of this that I want to live. It's shaped my entire life, and I don't want to be connected tola famigliaanymore. I appreciate the offer, but there's got to be another way.”
He grunts, “There isn’t.”
"Can you guarantee me that this will stop Malrick from pursuing me? From having any claim on me?"
“I can't guarantee anything, Luna. But it will certainly slow him down.”
I shake my head. "If you can't guarantee me that, Nico, then I don't see the point."
His eyes narrow. “What is it exactly you're so afraid of?”
I don't tell him, but the truth is I like the idea of being married to Nico. Maybe too much. He makes me feel safe andcared for. The sex is amazing. He’s the right guy, just with too much baggage. I don't like the idea of being married to the mob. If we could have some other life together—maybe. But if I marry him, then I will never escape. I'll settle into life here like Pippa, like Mia, and suddenly it'll take over. I'll be a mob wife. And this will be my life. Forever. A life I could pass down to any children I might have. I lived that life since my birth. And I just don't want that.
"Is it the fact that I'm a vampire?" Nico asks, his voice low, steady—but I don’t miss the flicker of tension behind it.
I blink, caught off guard. I hadn’t even thought about that aspect of it. "You—yes, you know, I just—I can't fathom it…" My voice wavers. My chest tightens. The truth is, it's not that he's a vampire... it's everything else that comes with him.
His eyes darken, the set of his jaw hardening. "So, you can be fine with being in my bed, but you can't be fine being married to me?"
I flinch. "No—yes—but that's not—I mean—" The words tangle in my throat. God, why can’t I make him understand?
His face closes down like a gate slamming shut. His voice turns cold. "I get it," he says, sharp as a blade. "I'm a monster, and you don't want to be married to a monster. Thank you. I understand."
