Page 16 of Sinful Kingdom

I smile, trying to imagine a young Alex racing around with all the energy in the world. It’s really not hard to picture.

“Do you have photos?”

“I’m sure I can find some for you. And I did promise to embarrass him with them,” she laughs, although the shadows never lift from her eyes.

“Did you used to live here?” I ask.

“Yes. When the boys’ grandfather stepped down from his role in the family, they moved out, allowing us to take over.”

“It’s a beautiful house.”

“It is. But I always hated it.”

Her honesty takes me back a little.

“I didn’t grow up with this kind of wealth, Evie. I was a normal girl from a normal family. Stefanos swept me off my feet. Looking back now, the whole thing was such a whirlwind. I was seventeen when we met, and eighteen when I fell pregnant. Although I would never want to change anything, we were too young. I thought Stefanos was this fiercely independent bad boy, but it was all a front. He was under the control of his father. I had no idea back then, but we were merely puppets, and he was our master. He controlled our every move, every step.

“Moving in here, a place they’d lived their lives, it was just another show of how little control we had over our own.If it weren’t for my boys, I’d have left years before I did.”

“You didn’t love Stefanos?”

“Honey, love is… love is so much more complicated than they show you in the movies. Yes, it’s intense and thrilling and exciting. But it’s also painful and complicated and confusing.

“I think I fell in love with Stefanos the first day I met him, and I’m not sure I’ve ever really stopped, if I’m being really honest. But I also don’t think we’re a good match.

“What we want from life is very different. Our priorities and goals are so far apart. The only thing that kept us together was our boys.”

“When you found out what was going on, why didn’t you take them and run?” I ask.

She shakes her head, her regrets and pain palpable.

“They were too old by the time I fully learned the truth. They were able to make their own choices. They wanted the life they’d been trained to be a part of, and I don’t hold that against them in any way. It’s in their blood, and I’d never stop them from doing anything they wanted, no matter how dangerous or stupid I think it is.”

“You don’t agree with all this?” I ask, gesturing to the house, to their lives.

“Again, it’s not that cut and dry. The Family, they do a lot of good in this city. But they’re also involved in plenty of bad.

“Do I wish my boys wanted to live normal lives? Of course I do. But I also know they wouldn’t be fulfilled by it. They crave the danger, the adrenaline rush of what they do. I see their passion for it shining bright in their eyes whenever they talk about it.

“And more than anything, that’s what I want. I want them happy.”

Silence falls as I think about her words. I might have only just met Daemon, but I’m aware of what he does. And while I might think he’s more than a little crazy, I also understand that he probably wouldn’t do something so extreme if he didn’t like it. I’ve also seen that look in Alex’s eyes that Gianna is talking about. I see it when he talks about his friends, about uni, and although I know he didn’t believe it could be possible, I saw it when I talked about him practising law for the Family.

And Gianna is right. I could also never ask him to walk away from something that quite clearly runs through his veins.

“How are you feeling?” she asks.

“Exhausted. Confused. Scared.”

“I gave you some pain relief when I patched you up. Do you need more?”

“Will it make me drowsy?”

“Yes,” she says honestly. “But I promise you that if anything happens, I’ll wake you.”

“Okay, then yes. Everything hurts. And I know you’re right. They need me ready to fight when they get back.”

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