Page 124 of The Sound in Silence

“Too bad.” He’ll do this, without an order too, because he’s intrigued if the gaze he has locked on Yasmine’s picture is any indicator. Plus, he can never avoid such a chase. He lives for the thrill shit like this brings.

“Erico,” he groans, “you want me to find this girl in some random private university inCanada, and what…bring her back here?”

“That’s exactly what you’ll be doing.”

“That’s Nico’s country.”

“Technically he has no hold over British Columbia. Either way, he gave the green light for us to pass over the border. He’s very supportive of this, considering her sister bothers him all the time.”

“So why is this our issue?”

“Because Ariella asked me to ask you. You said so yourself, you like my wife, so consider this a favour to her rather than me. YourFamigliaqueen gave you an order.”

His eyes narrow into slits before he reaches for the picture again, grumbling, “For her. Asshole.” He stands. “Guess I have a plane to catch to western Canada, huh.”

“Yes.”

When my cousin walks away, he glances at the picture again. Rather than boredom or disdain, there’s a look I know all too well. A look I’ve caught on my own face when I’m with Ariella.

Interest.

Curiosity.

A few minutes after he leaves, the door opens again and Ariella strides in. She comes right to my side and climbs on my lap, reminding me of the time she stormed her way in here, dripping with pool water and dry humped me.

“Hey. Just saw Caladin leave.”

“He say anything to you?”

“He promised to find her.”

“And he will.”

She purses her lips. “You really trust him. He kinda seems more like a brother than a cousin.”

“Basically,” I agree. “When he was ten, his parents were shot, orphaning him. Mine took him in, so he spent the second half of his life here with us. Neither of us had siblings so it was just us. Lived together, trained together. He’s younger than me, so he had to wait longer to be inducted, but when he was, we were a power duo.”

She smiles. “That’s…sweet, despite the sad start.”

“My aunt and uncle were wonderful people. They were so in love.” The model for what the emotion looked like, rather than my own parents. “Caladin wasn’t the same for a long time afterwards. Despite that, he became a man I think they’d be proud of. He saved my life once too.”

“Really?”

“He knocked me to the ground in time, and a bullet narrowly missed my head. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for him.”

She frowns, like simply hearing it is too much. “Then I have faith he’ll find and protect Yasmine.”

“There’s no one better,” I agree, linking my arms around her centre. “For now, what brought you in here?”

She shrugs a shoulder playfully, biting down on her bottom lip, which does little to taper her grin. “Just wanted to see you.” She lifts her hands and signs,I love you.

As much as I hate not touching her, I do, signing back,I love you too.

“If you do, you’ll do one more thing for me.”

“Anything,” I reply with the complete truth. This woman can request anything from me, and I’d do it.

“Fuck me over your desk.”

“Happily. Because you command it.”

Her giggle is her final sound before I have her panties shoved down, dress hiked up, and my cock in her tight, wet core, making her moan.

La mia sirenais all-consuming, exactly like the water she adores.

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