Page 76 of Hostile King

Enrique bolts onto the decking, a firearm raised and seconds later, blue eyes and his vicious wolf join the crowd. The six of us witness the unbreakable character of this disarming young woman—the girl who's managed to do the impossible—to own my heart and command the attention of trained killers alike.

“Enough!” She yells, bringing her wild gaze to mine and just as quickly hunting out the men who’d come here on a mission to help her escape from me. “None of you have asked what I want. This is my life. No one has the authority to tell me what I should do with it, except for me.” Her throat bobs, but when I reach for her, that liquid fire in her eyes burns me to ashes when our gazes clash. “Stay back, Tomás. All of you, stay the hell away from me.”

Tiny stones dig into the bare soles of her feet. Yet she still moves with grace, her elegant lean legs carrying her that little bit farther away from us.

“Do you want me to shoot my family to show my allegiance to you, Tomás? Huh?” Even though she asks the question, she doesn’t wait for a reply. “Because I won’t. I love them and I’d die to protect them.”

The power of her words hits harder than a rogue slug. I’m suddenly left bereft when she cuts herself off from me and looks at the two men behind me.

“Do you want me to shoot the man I love to protect the both of you?”

I angle around to watch her brother's posture deflate. However, the second man remains emotionless and solid like a monolithic statue. If I didn't loathe the fucker for trying to sneak her away in the middle of the night, I’d possibly respect his fortitude.

“Tomás has continued to protect me from the first day we met—he even took a bullet for me. Isn't that what any brother would want for his sister? A man who values my life more than his own. I could walk away tonight and never replace the feelings I have for him. He’s slowly shown me how to live on the edge of darkness and look to the light. This is my decision to make, Sal. I want your blessing to chase my heart’s desires, even if it means I could fall down in the dark one day. If you force me to disappear, then I may as well be dead.”

“Carina!”

I toss the rifle to the grass, uncaring for the threat I’m in, because the immense fear of her closing words is too painful to hear. I’m before her in the tremor of a heartbeat, my hands on her face, firm and unforgiving.

“Don’t say that—” I shake my head. “I’m not afraid of anything, baby—except losing you.” Stars twinkle beyond the feathery, inky canvas overhead, reflecting in her teary eyes like precious diamonds. “I’ll go anywhere you are. It’s non-negotiable.”

The scent of her skin tests my restraint, the saltiness of her anxiety mixed with that natural essence I’ve become addicted to. When she licks her lips to speak, a burst of adrenaline jolts my stiff muscles. Her avid stare focuses completely on my face, ignoring the audience around us. Having her sole attention makes my blood mutate into a beast that only recognizes her, the feeling unlike anything I’ve experienced before.

“I’m in love with you, Tomás.” The admission hijacks my soul, surging through my body with unlimited energy. “I know I shouldn’t be—but I can’t help myself.” She gives me a soft smile, oddly shy for the woman who’s taken control of her own destiny. “These men live in my heart, too.”

Carina glances at the beast of a man lowering his weapon.

“Please, don’t make me choose Sal.”

22

CARINA

Three weeks later

In a cold world, he is my comfort.

My home.

My monster.

My king.

Myeverything.

Even when life has other plans, the universe chooses a path you couldn’t predict or plan for. I’ve accepted my past as the lonely journey I had to travel, so that one day I would welcome the darkness of another and understand its complexities. It had given me what many will never accomplish.

Love.

The sort of breath-stealing, heart-spearing passion that lives within every aspect of your being.

I was lucky to find him.

The humidity of the Amazon jungle clings to my damp skin. The rich evergreen foliage of never-ending trees is a sight I’ve missed, the hidden destination I’m living in, the place where I will always have a home. Fate took me like a hurricane wave, the force of it catapulting me to this new life.

A life where I will never be the same.

Tangerine splashes of a new day dapple the planks where I’m suspended close to the ledge of a platform that welcomes abundant rainforest leaves. My legs are crossed, cocooned in a jumbo rattan basket seat, gently swinging.

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