“Good.”
I watch as he lowers himself down to the floor, lifts my leg up, and tosses it over his shoulder. I bury my hands in his hair as he licks me from my inner thigh, right up to the center of my pussy.
This isn’t another thing that’s at stake. But god, he is pretty good at it.
“Meraki, venez ici!”
I swirl my wine around and watch as red liquid stains the glass goblet. I keep my eyes locked on the abundance of food that’s laid out in front of me. Hot meats, freshly baked bread, crisp salad, and aged wine.
His footsteps become clearer as he rounds the high concrete archway into the dining room. Blond hair flops to the side when his eyes meet mine. Eager and hungry, but so damn alluring.
“Tu vas bien, bébé ?”
After his actions last night, I reminded myself that he will come around with Ares. That if he loved me enough and as much as he says he does, he will accept Ares too, regardless of who his father is. I could be happy with Preacher. Content, happy, and all will stay good in our world with my father. When it’s time, I will take the throne and do everything I need to do, but by then Ares will hopefully be off to college and I won’t have to stress as much about him… right?
A smile spreads over my face. Calm. Safe. “Oui, toujours.”
His widens, and the sun beaming through the stained glass in the Cathedral room hits the color palette of his hair. He gains another step. As soon as he’s right in front of me, he presses a finger to my lip and whispers, “I’ll love you forever. Is that enough?”
I want to say yes, but truthfully, it’s not. And it’s not that he’s a bad person, because he most definitely is not. He’s pure, good. Him coming into my life was a savior I never knew I needed, but would he be enough? Without being me, would he still be enough?
I graze my lips over his. “I—” Something sharp sticks to my chest, over my breast, and I lean backward, searching Preacher’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Color drains from his face, and I watch in slow motion as blood spills out of his rosy lips and his body turns limp, falling into me. I step back with my hands on his upper arms, and that’s when I notice the blood spreading over his white linen shirt.
“Preacher?”
He coughs wickedly, liquid gurgling around each one as he falls to his knees in front of me, squeezing my legs. That’s when I see Niko standing right behind him, knife in hand and hoodie covering the outline of his face.
“So cute, baby.” His blood-sodden hand flies to my throat, pulling me into his chest while stepping over Preacher. “You thought you could live like a saint.” Niko leans in closer, the corner of his lip curling up into a sinister smirk while still flashing that stupid dimple. His lips hover over mine. “But forgot that you’re already claimed by an Antichrist.”
“Nik.”
He backs me up against the wall with his hand, the blood from Preacher sliding down my throat. Tears prick the corners of my eyes. No. No. No.
“You don’t get to talk.” His eyes close and he takes deep breaths. I watch as the hoodie slowly falls to the back of his neck, exposing his face. I hate what seeing him does to me. My body turns into a damn psychopath as frenzied emotions take charge.
He pushes off me and falls backward, his eyes glassing over when they fall down my body. He starts from my feet and moves all the way back to my face. “You fucking hid him from me all this time?”
I cross my arms in front of myself. “You weren’t exactly easy to get a hold of!”
He tosses the knife down onto the chair. The same fucking knife he’s used all along.
Niko shoves through the doors that lead to the other side of the house and I slide down the wall, my vision blurring as I stare blankly at a dead Preacher. Sadness sweeps through me. Our “marriage” may have been arranged, but I could have been happy with him. Boredom aside.
Blood spills from his body and I watch as it slowly expands, a complete contrast to the white marble. I can’t bear to watch it any longer, so I make my way to the main door, swinging it open to find none other than Ari standing on guard, talking with my fucking security.
“Excuse me!” I snap my fingers in front of Romanov, my chief security personnel. “You’re fucking fired!”
Romanov stops, his eyes flying to me. Romanov is about as big as he is tall, and by no means is he a kind man. I know for a fact that if he didn’t work for me, he would have no problem killing for a job. Since Niko, I’ve come to recognize death and who it clings to—it sticks to Romanov. It made me feel safe because I knew he would do what he needed to do to keep my family and me safe.