I get home and climb the stairs, my body feeling sluggish. Ignoring the few guards in my house, I make my way to our bedroom door. Opening it slowly, I find the bed empty. I practically throw the door open, only to find my wife sleeping on the window seat, dressed in just her bathrobe. As I approach, I see the stains of the tears she shed from the weight of the last day.
Damn, it destroys me to see her like that. If it wasn’t for the tears, she’d look like a goddess sleeping there, similar to her painting where she waits for her lover.
Scooping her up in my arms, I carry her to our bed. Slowly she adjusts in my arms and sighs my name. “Domani.” She snuggles into my chest, and I feel for a brief moment that there’s a chance she’ll forgive me.
I regrettably set her down onto the mattress so that I can undress. She turns slightly, waking up just enough to notice I’m home. “You’re home. What time is it?” She sits up against the headboard, rubbing her eyes to wake completely up.
“It’s only been a couple of hours. Nearly two in the morning.”
“Thank you for rescuing me.”
“Don’t thank me for doing what shouldn’t have been necessary.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For everything I said. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. My father’s the one who kept me sheltered, even if it was to stop a war, but from what Peter said, it’s clear you two were only trying to protect me from being abducted.”
“Well, we didn’t do a good job because he got to you anyway.”
“Yes, but you were able to save me.”
“Just barely.”
“How were you able to find me?”
I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “Your ring. I made sure to attach a tracker in there.”
“Were you afraid I’d run away?”
“No. I was worried someone would steal you from me. You’re the most important person to me, my biggest weakness. From the first moment I made it known, I’d made you a target. Although when it came to that asshole, I thought he had no interest in you when questioned years ago.”
“You questioned people?”
“It was when the attempted abduction almost occurred. What they didn’t know is that I was so obsessed, I was stalking you every chance I got. You were on your way to school when I saw the bastard trying to swipe you up and my men apprehended him. He refused to tell us who hired him, but he had a southern accent, so our men went on the search. After that, no movement was made, so we concluded that he’d been working alone. We also uncovered that he was a serial killer, targeting young, beautiful women from sixteen to twenty.”
“Oh my goodness, so if you hadn’t been following me…”
“I don’t know if he would have been successful, but that was a chance your family and I didn’t really want to take. I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you—give you a choice.”
“Don’t be. When I think about it, I’m glad you both did what you did. I would have lived in fear, looking over my shoulder if you’d told me the truth. Knowing that he was a serial killer makes it worse, but Peter said that he tried to abduct me and he missed his opportunity.”
“Maybe you had two animals on you, but he hadn’t made his move before we stopped the other one. For years, I know I blamed myself for putting a target on your back, but I knew if I didn’t make my moves, then I’d be going to war with the other families. Your father promised I could marry you if I promised to not make contact with you until you were of legal age, so I did.”
“For real?”
“Amore, I’m a criminal, just like him. Laws don’t mean much to me, but respect does. Your father wanted me to prove my loyalty to you without trying to influence your choice.”
“Wow, so you’ve been in love with me for years?”
“Yes, amore. I’ve loved you from the first moment you crossed my path.”
“There’s something I must confess. I’ve been thinking about you even longer. I was thirteen when I got my first look at you. You were with your cousin. I wasn’t sure where you were going, but our vehicle and yours were at a light. You couldn’t see me behind the tints, but I saw you. I’d been looking for images of you for years on the internet. Then, when you were in the meeting two years ago, I felt a change. It wasn’t just a crush anymore. I hoped that you wouldn’t marry by the time I’d grown up.”
“You have, amore?”
“Yes. I love you very much. Why do you think I didn’t put up much of a fight? I wanted to be your wife, but I loved the gruff, sexy way you reminded me I was yours.”