105
LUCIAN
The gentle, rhythmic sound of my daughter’s heartbeat soothes my tired soul, even if it is given to me through the electronic cry of the machines surrounding her. She was touch and go for so long, and my father’s taunts about Imro being here had brought me to the hospital with the fury of a hurricane.
The mess of bodies to be cleaned is going to haunt us later, I’m sure. There’s a lot the Bratva can get away with, but dead bodies in a hospital is a legal nightmare. I’ll take care of it, though. All of it. Once Selene is awake.
Breathing comes much easier now that everything has come to light. The deep betrayal of my father sits heavy in the back of my mind. I knew he hated me, but to this degree? To take my life and threaten my child?
He’s crossed a line there is no coming back from.
I shove those thoughts away and focus on Selene’s sleeping face, stroking the back of her knuckles with my thumb. I need her to wake up.
Please.
“Here.” Orion appears and presses a hot cup of tar-like coffee into my hand. The taste is disgusting, but the heat and the caffeine boost make it worthwhile.
“How is she?” Orion asks, slipping into the chair on the opposite side of the bed with his own cup in hand. Cassian follows, lingering at the foot of her bed as he waits for my answer.
“She’s strong,” I say after a sip. “I had the doctor run every test I could think of. Imro’s men were here, but I’m pretty confident they didn’t do anything to her. There are still a couple of tests that we’re waiting on results for but this is good.”
“Promising,” Orion nods.
“I uh…” Cassian clasps his hands together and clears his throat. His face is flooded with nerves, and there’s a quiet caution in his eyes when he speaks. I pray he isn’t about to deliver more bad news.
“I’ve been thinking.” Cassian wets his lips. “About everything. My time in captivity, my time with you, and being cared for by you, Lucian. And Aurora.”
Aurora. Her name makes my heart somersault against my ribs.
“It’s changed a lot for me. Mainly my perspective. Before this, I fought so hard for my family because I killed my father and no one knew. Then my mother, in her shame and grief, took her own life because she was ashamed of me.” His voice cracks slightly.
“I’ve been carrying that with me ever since, and I have done everything I can think of to try and make her proud of me. But in doing that, I think I lost myself in trying to live for my parents and what they would have wanted rather than living for myself.”
“Mm,” I hum softly. “I know that feeling. I’m sorry about your mother.”
“You tried to help her,” Orion says, his brows vanishing behind his glasses. “You can’t blame yourself for her reaction.”
“I do,” Cassian replies honestly. “And I always will. But I’ve decided this leadership thing is not for me. It never was. I reached out to my men now that I no longer need to hide, and I’ve seen how they’ve been struggling in my absence. Those people are still, somehow, loyal to me, and I don’t deserve it.”
Cassian sucks in a deep breath and locks eyes with me.
“But you do. So, I am giving myself to you. Me and my men and all the serving families under my banner deserve to be part of a bigger family that will save them. That saved me. So, Lucian. You have my loyalty. If you will have me.”
His offer takes me by surprise. With my father out of the picture and Imro’s treachery revealed, I expected Cassian to return to his family and become nothing more than a distant friend. Instead, he’s here. With me.
“I accept.” There’s no other answer. The pain he has been through at the hands of my father and still he tried to reach me through all that horrible pain. He fought for me and protected Orion. Cassian has my loyalty.
“It seems we have all faced such a heavy punishment for the crimes of our parents,” I murmur, turning my attention back to Selene. “Some of us still carry that terrible weight because of it.”
“Aurora included,” Orion points out cautiously over the top of his coffee.
Aurora.
“Yes,” I agree, my voice just above a whisper.
The pain that consumed me when I learned she was a spy intent on harming my family was a pain I can barely stomach to recall. But given Cassian’s returning memories and my father’s wicked story about her mother going to Imro with a terrible plan, it seems she was telling the truth.
She did not betray me.
I was too wrapped up in anger and grief to listen to her when she had more than earned that. I should have trusted her and given her space to tell me her truth. Instead, I cast her aside and sent her off to die at Orion’s hand.
Part of me, I think, was aware Orion would be unable to harm her. I think that’s why I agreed to it quickly.
Given everything that’s happened, I have no idea how to even begin apologizing to her. There’s been a terrible breach of trust but this world we live in means it can be repaired.
“We will find her,” I say, glancing up at the two of them. “And I will make it right. Not just because she carries our child. But because I love her and she…she never breathed a word about anything to anyone.” Given how wickedly evil that woman sounds, I can overlook Aurora telling her mother about Cassian.
My gaze drifts to Selene and I squeeze her hand gently.
“We will make it right.”
“Excellent.” Orion surges to life suddenly and scoots to the edge of his seat. “Because I finally found out where she might be.”
“Where?” Cassian demands.
“Imro has a private island. It’s buried under a lot of documents and really old files but after digging through all of Vincent's stuff, it came to light. I don’t know what he did to get an entire fucking island written out of every history book but the fucker’s so old I wouldn’t be surprised if it was removed before he even got his hands on it. If he wants to hide someone, especially a person, it has to be there.”
Orion busies himself with his phone as he talks.
“We’re already launching a full assault on every territory he owns. His businesses will burn, his estates will crumble, and with the help from Cassian’s men, his entire little empire will fall.”
Suddenly, Selene’s hand flexes lightly under mine, and my heart soars. The sting of exhausted tears rises behind my eyes and I clutch at her tiny hand.
Is it a sign that she’s okay, that she’s well enough for me to leave and save the love of my life?
There’s a lot of pain to heal but we will make it right. I will make it right.
“Then we go get her. None of us should be blamed for what we were forced to do. Aurora included. If she lets me, I will make it up to her.”
“We all will,” Orion says, his mouth twisting. “I just…I hope he hasn’t hurt her.”
“If he has, I’ll skin him alive and hang him from his own fucking castle.” Rising, I lean over Selene and press a gentle kiss to her warm forehead. Then I step away but pause a few feet from the door.
“Wait a second—you said he’s on a private island? How the fuck do we get there unnoticed?”
“Well, as it happens,” Cassian smirks. “I have a few boats and other toys gathering dust. Let’s go get our girl back.”
