He poised it as a question, but I knew it wasn’t something I could refuse. I did the same shit on my own turf.

  “You can come with me,” Cobra said to Lilith.

  When neither of us replied or moved, Romero laughed. He stared at Lilith, whatever he was thinking unknown to any of us standing here sweating our goddamn asses off.

  “I know how this goes. I’m not going to kill him. I like him. And his dad wouldn’t approve.”

  “Lilith,” Cobra implored.

  “Okay. Let’s go,” she replied. “Don’t die, and don’t do anything reckless,” she tacked on for me, walking away with him.

  Did she forget who she was talking to? I wasn’t carelessly reckless. I was always calculated with it.

  The stares took me back to the old days. I didn’t give a fuck—the circumstances weren’t anywhere near the same. I’d find it more offensive if they didn’t watch my every move. Jin shadowed me, unbothered about the attention or the two acolytes on either side of him.

  “I was wondering when you’d show up,” Romero said.

  “I wasn’t going to.”

  “Women change everything.”

  I interpreted that as his way of letting me know he knew how important Lilith was to me.

  As we approached the grey stucco building in the center of the compound, I took in how large it was. The landscaping around it was immaculate—the greenest grass I’d ever seen in the Badlands with neatly trimmed shrubs full of bold, blue flowers.

  “What is this place?”

  “My house.”

  “It’s more like three houses,” my dad said.

  It was the first time he’d spoken since I’d gotten here. His observation wasn’t wrong. This place was fucking huge.

  “You could’ve had one just like it,” Romero replied dismissively.

  We went up a wide set of stairs, entering through a pair of double doors. Cool air surrounded us immediately.

  Everything in his house screamed luxury and Savage. I looked at the high ceilings and swirled marble floor. In the center of the foyer was a massive Baphomet sigil. Another one hung in the center of the upper balcony in the form of a black and white tapestry. The dark fixtures were all adorned with symbolic Savage details.

  I can’t lie, I was envious. Not of the way he proudly represented his faction, but of this house. Just like I knew a large part of him going this route was for my Aunt Calista, Lilith deserved something just as nice.

  “We can head to the drawing room.”

  Fucking drawing room.

  The sound of light footsteps had me glancing to the left. Where did he come from? A small kid stood near the bottom of the large staircase. If it weren’t for the black hair and uncannily familiar blue eyes, I wouldn’t have known whose kid I was looking at.

  Even without those traits and the fact that he still had chubby cheeks, this kid had my uncle’s whole fucking face.

  “That’s my Nero,” Uncle Romero introduced casually.

  “You had another kid?”

  “Age hasn’t made me any less of a man. I still fuck my wife every morning and sometimes twice at night.”

  His wife was my aunt, so I wasn’t going to dignify his oversharing with a response. I was still stuck on him having another son not a soul seemed to know about. There wasn’t a single fucking whisper or hint that this kid existed.

  “You two go ahead and talk. I’m going to take him to his mom.”

  He broke away from me and my father, leaving us at the doors of his drawing room. My dad pulled them apart, revealing an area that had my uncle’s aesthetic anywhere you looked.

  “Are you okay with him waiting outside?”

  I glanced back at Jin and nodded.

  “That’s fine.”

  I stepped around him and went to sit on a deep red baroque sofa. The doors clicked shut and then my father joined me on the loveseat opposite a coffee table. He rested his elbows on his denim clad knees and looked at me thoughtfully.

  “Your mom wants to see you. Your sister’s coming too. I thought it’d be best if we spoke first.”

  “I agree,” I replied.

  “Do you hate me?”

  This wasn’t a question I was expecting. I had no reason to lie or bullshit, though.

  “I’ve never hated you or mom. I hated the way you looked at me.”

  “I—”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore,” I cut him off.

  “It does matter,” he responded tersely. “I’ve waited a long time for this moment. I have a long list of things I want to say and twice as many to ask, but now that you’re right in front of me all I can think to say is that I’m sorry, and that I couldn’t be prouder of the man you’ve become.”

  I leaned back, for once in my life at a loss for words. His emotion caught me off guard—mine made me uncomfortable. I didn’t feel this type of shit. I could hear the sincerity in his every word. It almost made me want to apologize too, but I didn’t know how to do that.

  My father wasn’t a bad man. In our beautifully cruel world, he was a damn good one. Mom was great too. If they were pieces of shit, I’m sure I would have turned out somewhat fucked up.

  I’d never be ashamed of where I came from or who raised me. The problem? I wasn’t happy, so I chased my own happiness. I wanted an empire of my own, so I built one.

  There were deep-rooted issues I had with him, no doubt, but I couldn’t consciously blame me feeling like shit on him.

  “I’m not good at emotional chit-chat. But I can’t put what I did on you or Mom. It was something I needed for myself.”

  “And I can’t accept that right now. I know we can’t make this right in one day, maybe not in five years, but no matter what decision you make with your uncle…” He trailed off with a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “Savage blood—my blood—runs through your veins. You will always be my son, and this will always be your home.”

  I held his gaze for a minute, swallowing around a foreign object in my throat.

  I didn’t think I gave fuck about the relationship we had, but maybe that was more me being a stubborn asshole.

  What the fuck did I say back to him?

  Romero himself saved me from having to come up with a reply right then and there.

  The drawing room doors opened, and he stepped in, a thick fucking packet in his hands.

  “You two can hug it out later. I think it’s time we get the proposition out of the way. What do you think?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  He was happy I was alive.

  That was the first real thing he said to me. It both broke my heart and angered me. He was one of those who thought Samael was cruel and merciless. He was. Not to me, though. Not in the way he would be thinking.

  I ignored the countless number of stares I was receiving and walked alongside him.

  We were approaching a decent sized bungalow when he suddenly stopped and turned towards me. With no warning whatsoever, he hugged me.

  “I didn’t know if we’d ever see you again.”

  His voice cracked.

  My chest tightened so painfully, I closed my eyes and hugged him.

  “I was always going to find a way back,” I swore.

  He looked practically the same, but I could tell by his eyes that he’d been burdened by too much weight of the world. He still felt the same too. He was strong and warm—like he could protect me from anything. But that wasn’t his job anymore. I didn’t expect him to do so. I was here to try to make amends.

  He stepped back and placed his hands on my shoulders. “You’re as beautiful as I expected you to be.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled awkwardly. It was weird being praised by him after so long.

  “You ready to see your mother?”

  “No, but I need to.”

  He gave me a lopsided smile and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, guiding me the rest of the way to the bungalow. I barely made it up the porch steps before the door was flying open. If my dad hadn’t been holding onto me, I would’ve been tackled to the ground below.

  Suddenly, all I could smell was my mom’s signature fragrance. I knew she was crying from the wetness against my cheek. Or maybe that was from me. She was so small I felt as if I could lift her right off the ground.

  “Let her breathe, Mavi,” Dad advised with a light laugh.

  When she let me go, she still didn’t let go. She latched onto my hand and dragged me inside.

  I felt mentally exhausted.

  I knew tomorrow would be more of the same. Cam was supposed to arrive then, and he was really who I wanted to see most.

  I walked with my parents to one of the extra dwellings, replaying everything in my head. My mom had asked a lot of questions. Some I couldn’t answer; others I wouldn’t. The offer to sleep in their home must have visibly made me uncomfortable, which is how we wound up where we were now.

  “You love him?”

  I withheld a sigh, eyeing the place I’d be sleeping that night. I had been waiting on this question. Both she and my dad had danced around the topic of Samael, being as indirect as possible. I wouldn’t lie to them about this. There was no need to.

  “Yes, I do. He’s different from back then, but the same too.”

  My mom grabbed my hand and squeezed it, the laugh lines around her eyes deepening with the sad smile she gave me.

  “All you needed to say was yes, baby. You don’t have to validate your love to us. We know what it’s like more than anyone. None of us began as a fairytale. I don’t know him well, and I can’t lie and say I forgive him either, but if he makes you happy, he treats you right, and he keeps you safe in this hell, what more could I ask for? No one knows your heart better than you do.”

  What the hell? Was she trying to make me cry? I squeezed her hand back and diverted my gaze to the ground.

  If I started crying, she would start again too. They saw me off with a promise to come to their home for breakfast in the morning.

  I watched them until I couldn’t see them anymore. I’m glad they understood that I needed time to re-coup without me having to come right out and say it. Still, their generosity added to the guilt I’d always felt from leaving. I think I could have handled their anger better than this compassion. I expected them to hate me and blame me for so much that went wrong. And for Brax.

  Everything was the opposite.

  What had I done to deserve this?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  I was mortified when I looked in the mirror. I’d forgotten all about the bruise around my throat. It had faded significantly, but if you looked hard enough you could still see it.

  I’m sure Mom and Dad had.

  Romero and Grimm, too.

  Was there a hole I could crawl into?

  Hearing the front door open, I stepped out of the bathroom, keeping my towel cinched tightly around my body.

  Samael walked in and immediately frowned. “The fuck are you doing?”

  “I just got out the shower.”

  “I could’ve been anyone.”

  I rolled my eyes and went to sit on the bed. “No one in their right mind would randomly walk in here without knocking. Except for you.”

  He kicked his boots off, then removed his shirt.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m getting comfortable. You thought I would sleep without you because we’re here? Not happening.”

  I was pleased with that. It already felt strange being here; I didn’t care to be alone too. He removed his jeans next, remaining in only his black briefs.

  “How did it go for you?” I asked, patting the bed so he’d come sit.

  “I learned a lot.”

  I pursed my lips. “That’s not what I meant.”

  He sat beside me on the edge of the bed, and then maneuvered my body so that I was essentially straddling him.

  “Mal,” I chided, trying not to laugh.

  “I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Tell me what happened with you.”

  Of course he wasn’t. I couldn’t expect him to be a ball of sharing and emotions all of a sudden. Whatever he felt, he would process it in his own way. I said I’d give him time to open up to me. I’d meant it. I knew sex was a coping method of his. I wouldn’t withhold that either.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and began to relay what happened. As I was talking, he pulled the knot in my towel loose, placing a kiss between my breasts. I paused and smiled at him, completely comfortable with him seeing every part of me.

  His hands slid around to the globes of my ass, and he began to softly massage the flesh, pulling my body flush against him.

  “Be careful,” I warned, leaning back some.

  “They fixed me,” he replied, kissing my neck.

  I cupped his face and made him look at me, teasing his lips with mine. His tongue swept across, demanding access I gladly gave him. His hands moved up my back, fingers splayed across my skin as he pulled me close, pressing my breasts to his warm chest. Feeling his hard cock against my apex, I lowered myself down, grinding against him. Arousal built, enough that I could leave a damp spot on his briefs.

  “You know I love you, right?” I broke our kiss to ask.

  “I told you that a few days ago. I love you too. I’ll love you even more after you take my dick out and sit on it.”

  “You’re such an asshole,” I retorted with a laugh.

  Reaching between us, I worked him out from beneath the elastic band of his briefs, running the pad of my thumb around the smooth head of his dick, careful with where his piercings sat.

  The vein on the side pulsed when I gently squeezed. I rubbed the head of him up and down my slit, causing my pussy to clench in anticipation, releasing another trickle of arousal.

  “Lilith you have two seconds to quit toying with me.”

  “Oh, and what happens after two seconds?” I taunted, pretending I was going to put him inside me.

  “I’m going to drag you outside and fuck you hard enough that every Savage on this compound knows exactly who’s being dicked down. I’m sure your dad would love that.”

  I bit my lip and slowly lowered myself onto his cock. He gripped my hips and thrust up, forcing me to take all of him at once.

  A moan tore from my throat. He cursed and began controlling my movements, bouncing me up and down on his dick until I found a steady motion and took over.

  I rode him slow, then fast, reaching around to cup his balls as I aligned myself to make his dick hit my G-spot. We fucked until we were both covered in a sheen of sweat, even with the AC on full blast.

  When my thighs couldn’t take it anymore, he stood up with his dick still inside me, keeping my legs wrapped around him. Placing me on the bed, my legs now up on his shoulders, he gripped my ankles and pounded into me with zero inhibitions.

  The pressure from this position was overwhelming. I swore his dick was going to split me apart. His piercing had my pussy contracting, juices coating every inch of him down to his balls.

  “Samael,” I called his name, balling up the lavender sheets we were saturating.

  “Keep screaming my name,” he demanded, dropping my legs down to wrap around his waist.

  He thrust faster, reaching between my legs to play with my clit. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, choking on moans and his name.

  “Come for me, Lils.” He rolled his hips, seating himself deeper inside me.

  At his rugged command, a pressure burst in my lower stomach, sending a pleasurable heat racing through every part of my body. I reached for him in a state of ecstasy, wrapping my arms around his neck when he lowered down to kiss me, his fingers digging into my slickened thighs as he continued fucking me.

  He came with a groan that built within his chest. I swallowed it with a kiss, threading my fingers through his soft, damp hair.

  We stayed entwined for the rest of the night, only separating when he went to find a rag to clean us up with.

  Once we were safe from stroking out from exertion, I laid my body on his so I could get away from the wet spots. While lying with my face on one side of his chest, I examined his newly patched-up wound with concern.

  “Are you okay? Are you sore?”

  “I’m the one that’s supposed to ask you those questions right now.”

  “Mal.”

  “Romero gave me a proposition.” He switched the subject, running his fingers through my hair.

  “What kind of proposition?”

  “The alliance kind.”

  I placed a light kiss on his cheek. “Is that something you want?”

  “Its not a want. More a necessary stepping stone.”

  “Then do it,” I replied offhandedly.

  He didn’t say anything else. With one arm holding me close, he rolled so we were on our sides. facing each other.

  “Thank you,” I heard him say as I was dozing off.

  I didn’t know what he had to thank me for. I was the one who should’ve been thanking him—for never giving up on me and remaining my best friend.

  Epilogue One

  Someone was touching me.

  It wasn’t Samael.

  The fingers were too dainty and soft.

  “Thought you said no one in their right mind would walk in here without knocking?” His deep voice came from beside me.

  I peeled my eyes open and immediately squinted. Long snow-blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes, skin as pale as a moon. Clearly, I was looking at an angel.

  She laughed and waved a hand in front of my face.

  “Most people refer to me as the devil’s spawn. I like your first impression better. It compliments my beauty.”

  “Bella?”

  “Guess it’s time to wake up.” Samael sat up beside me, carelessly allowing the comforter to fall away as he climbed out of bed.

  “Malum! What is wrong with you?” Bella shrieked, covering her eyes.

  I shook my head as his toned, bare ass vanished into the bathroom. As the door clicked, so did something else.

  “Did you just call him Malum?”

  She turned and looked at me, then hurriedly glanced away, shielding her eyes. “Can you please cover those?”

  I glanced down, laughing at sight of my naked chest. “You’re the one who rushed in here guns blazing.”