Page 82 of Vow To The Devil

Burn's hand settles on my shoulder, grip warm and steady. "We protect our own."

A surge of gratitude fills me, easing the last of my tension. Together, we've overcome every challenge. We always will.

I smile down at Solana. "Let's go home."

Solana nods against my chest, her hair tickling my chin.Home.

The word resonates within me as we leave the bar behind, Tristen covering our backs in case Felix attempts anything else. But he won't. His thirst for power and control has been quenched by a bitter dose of defeat.

Burn's hand remains on my shoulder, a comforting weight. "Remy hasn’t officially stepped down from Morgan Drilling yet. But I'll get started on the paperwork transferring partial control of the company to you. You might be penniless, but you’re a penniless man who is going to inherit a billion dollar company. Don't worry about that for now."

I glance at him in surprise. "You don't have to do that."

"I want to." His lips curve. "And I want to sign over my parental rights, too. Consider it an early wedding gift."

"But—"

"Hush. No arguments." His eyes glint with humor and affection. "You've more than proven you're ready, and it's what Mom would have wanted."

My throat tightens. If only Remy could see how far we've come. How, despite all the odds, we overcame his poisonous legacy to forge something better. A family based on trust and support rather than greed and betrayal.

By the time we reach the car, Solana has drifted to sleep in my arms. I cradle her close as Burn and Tristen slide in on either side of me, flanking me like the brothers they are.

"To the manor?" Tristen asks.

I shake my head. "To the Windsor hotel," I reply softly.

I stare out the window as the cityscape blurs past, Solana's even breathing a balm against my neck.

We did it. We won.

And yet why does victory taste so bittersweet?

Perhaps because the price of success was too dear. Perhaps because for all the wrongs Felix committed, he was still my uncle. Perhaps because in the end, we were all orphaned boys craving a father's love and approval, even if it could never truly be given.

"You're brooding again." Burn's voice is gentle.

I glance at his reflection in the glass. "Am I so obvious?"

"To me." A wry smile. "I've had a lifetime to learn your tells."

I huff a laugh. "And here I thought I was inscrutable."

"You are to most. But not to us." Tristen leans forward to squeeze my shoulder. "We know you, Dare. The good and bad and everything in between."

My throat tightens. How did I get so lucky to find not one but two men who would stand by me through thick and thin?

"Thank you," I say roughly. "For today."

Burn's eyes soften. "Always."

ChapterThirty-Four

TALIA

The door bursts open and there she is. Solana, pink dress dirty and torn, wrapped in Dare's arms. When Dare puts her down, I drop to my knees and pull her into a fierce embrace, sobs wracking my body.

"Oh, honey. You're home, you're safe." I run my hands over her hair, her arms, needing to feel the solidness of her. The bone-deep terror and grief of the last twenty-four hours melts away and I'm left trembling with relief.

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