Page 38 of Revenge of a Queen

I drop my gaze and take in every scar allowing my fingers to trail my gaze and her breathing is heavy.

“These scars they tell your story, our story, don’t ever fucking hide them, not from me,” I say before my hands move to her hips and I grip her tight, “I will return every single one of these ten-fold,” I grit through my teeth. “I will bleed out every fucking person who has ever hurt you until there is no one left but us, our family.”

I don’t give her a chance to respond before I press my lips to hers, kissing her without restraint and regret. Pouring every fucking emotion I can into it. Hoping she feels it all. My love, my pain, my fucking grief. It all belongs to her.

This is our love story. It isn’t a fairytale or happily ever after. It’s fucking messy and painful. The good, the bad, and the fucking ugly. Love isn’t enough, not for us. No. We need more. We need friendship, family, loyalty, and the blood of every person who has dared to hurt us. And I want it all. Every single part of it. And I want it all for her.

I pull back and lock our gazes once again. No more words needed. I interlock her fingers with mine and pull her away from the door so we can get out and head back to the pool. She uses her other hand to grip onto the arm that is holding her hand and I have never felt more powerful. The King of the South Side finally has his Queen. Now it’s time to fight for our fucking Kingdom.

Chapter 23

JACE

Three months ago, I would have woken up hungover with my dick being sucked. That’s how my Sundays normally went. One girl, two, three? It didn’t matter as long as it ended with me coming down their throats. It was just the standard way to end my weekend. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would spend it playing with a two-year-old. Even more than that, never would I have thought that it would be exactly where I wanted to be.

What is it they say? A Sunday well spent brings a week of content. Well, I can’t think of a better way to spend my Sunday than with my brothers, by my side, and the two girls who have stolen our hearts. Albeit in different ways but getting to be part of Elle and Cassie’s family day really is something special.

Now instead of being sandwiched between two girls, begging for another round with the playboy rebel, I sit around a dinner table having a true family dinner for the first time in, well, for the first time ever. I have had dinner at the Roytons’ a few times now, but never like this, never with everyone I care about in one room. Those other dinners were usually just Elle, Linc, Cassie, and I, the others either absent, busy, or giving us privacy. Now, the table is full. Lincoln is sitting to my right and Cassie to my left, Elle is next to her and then Marcus, Helen, Arthur, and Zack. The only person missing really is Asher and fuck me, at this point it’s weird him not being here. I have gotten quite used to the little psycho and I know I’m not the only one.

Arthur is telling the story of how he and Helen met, and it has us all laughing as we listen. It’s clear they are still as in love now as they were when they met. It’s rare to see a love like that, pure and untainted. Watching them with Zack and Elle, hell even the three of us Rebels, it’s clear how much love they have to give.

Cassie giggles along with us, even though she probably doesn’t really understand what is being said, who knows? Kids are a mystery. I find myself watching her constantly, afraid I will miss something magical. I have this fierce instinct in me, to protect her and her mother. I won’t let anything happen to them.

“Mommy, do you love River like Grandpa loves Grandma?” Cassie interrupts Arthur. Elle chokes on her food. I burst out laughing at the face she makes, I’m usually the one who causes her to look like that. Who knew the kid could do it too? I move to fist bump her, but she just stares at it, hmm looks like we will have to work on that one kid.

Everyone at the table pauses like they want the answer just as much as she does. I know they have talked some stuff out and I saw them holding hands around the pool today, but I haven’t had the chance to grill them about whether they are finally a fucking couple.

Elle looks at Marcus before she looks back at Cassie and pushes a hair behind her ear that has escaped her tiny ponytail.

“Yeah, baby, I do,” she smiles softly, and I don't miss the blush rising up her neck at her admission, or the smiles from the rest of her family.

I see Cassie think about it for a while and just when everyone else is about to start getting back to eating she finally responds, “I love him too, Mommy.”

She lets those five words settle into the air and goes back to her dinner, like it was nothing. I look to Marcus and see him frozen, fork half in the air, his gaze locked on Cassie. I know how hard things must have been for him recently. I’m sure there are many things he wondered about Elle King over the years while he was pining for her. I may not have known anything about Elle but that doesn’t mean I don’t know pining when I see it.

Marcus was always an impenetrable force. Nobody could ever get too close. Not even me and Lincoln. He may have let us into his life, had our backs and shit but there was always a part of himself that he held back. It was the same with girls, never showing interest in anyone. Sober or drunk, it was only ever to get his dick wet. He wouldn’t kiss any of them, never went back for seconds, and probably couldn’t even name the last girl he fucked before Elle showed up. It’s like he knew, knew that she would eventually come back here, back to him.

He just never thought she would bring someone else with her.I’m sure he always wondered if she would have met someone else, fallen in love. I just doubt it ever crossed his mind that the someone she loved would be her child. The last few weeks have changed the course of his life forever, it isn’t just him and Elle anymore. It’s about accepting her as who she is now, who she has become, and that includes her daughter. If they make a go of things with each other, then it isn’t just their hearts they have to worry about but hers too. And a heart so small should never be broken.

Since she came back, I have seen a whole new side to my brother. She changes him for the better and the worse. He is calm in a way but also never more reckless, possessive, protective, jealous, loving. So many things that only come out when Elle King is near. It’s like he was a padlock, and she was the key, they only work together.

Elle reaches out and clasps her hands around his and it shocks him out of his stupor. She gives it a gentle squeeze and goes back to her dinner as Arthur resumes talking and we all pretend that wasn’t such a big moment.

After dinner I help Helen wash up because I am not a total fuck up, and then we head to the den to wait for Elle to finish up bedtime with Cassie. It’s weird seeing this side to her. The day I met her I thought she was just a hot as fuck chick I for sure wanted to bang, that didn’t last long when I found out Marcus knew her, and I saw the way he looked at her. Yeah, every guy was fucking looking at her that day, but no one looks at her the way Marcus does.

I got used to her as the little badass who kept putting him in place, she was all cocky comebacks and deadly threats that I thought were jokes. Since then, I have seen her laugh, cry, clean up busted knuckles, and make up stories for Cass. Hell, I have even seen her covered in blood after slitting some guy’s throat. It’s safe to say we are closer than ever and having that kind of bond back in my life, a family bond outside of my brothers is something I really cherish.

I am the last to enter the den besides Elle. The den, more fucking rich people shit. It’s a huge as fuck room that has two huge sofas with a large glass coffee table between them, there is a bar in one corner and a pool table in the other. A big as fuck flat screen tv and even more game consoles than we have at the loft. A few doors lead out of here, one I came through, one that leads to a bathroom, and another leads through to fuck knows where.

I walk in and drop onto the sofa by Linc and nod at Marcus, “You okay brother?” I ask, considering this is the first time it has been just the three of us all day.

He blows out a breath, “Is it fucked up if I say yeah?” he replies.

I smile, “Of course not.”

“How can I be happy yet fucking so filled with rage at the same time?” he adds.

I shrug, “Easy,” I reply, and he frowns, “What? You finally got the girl, the same girl your ass has been trying to lock down since you were in fucking kindergarten, from what I gathered, so course you are happy, just makes her pain all the more painful to you.”

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