“She’s our souls,” Kai adds, glancing my way briefly before looking back at my grandfather, who nods, then looks towards Jax.
“And we’re hers,” Jax states in that gruff voice of his, and I’m nodding, my cheeks wet again. Fucking hell, I’m surprised there’s any water left in my body at this rate.
“Well, all right then,” Harold confirms, his head bobbing. “I would have hated to have had a chat with my friends down in Vauxhall,” he adds, still looking at the guys. Ash gives a respectful nod, although fuck knows what the old man is waffling about.
“Harold!” my grandmother chastises, whacking him in the chest. “Don’t threaten Lilly’s beaus with MI6!”
Oh shit. My grandfather has connections with the British Secret Intelligence Service. Good to know, and possibly, dare I say it, may come in handy too?
“Well, now we all know where we stand, Petunia,” my grandfather reasons, patting her hand, my grandmother rolling her eyes at him as they walk back to me. “Let’s have some tea, shall we?” he asks, holding out his spare arm, and I slide my hand into it, a sense of lightness filling up my entire being at being here with them, my blood family.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
LILLY
Although I desperately want to stay a few more days to get to know my grandparents better, they insist that I head back to Colorado and back to school, stating that education is the key to success. So reluctantly, I get back into the car after hugs and promises of meeting up again soon.
I clutch my rolling stomach as we get off the plane some hours later, nerves leaving a sour taste in my mouth and tiredness making my eyes feel gritty and my limbs heavy. I’ve no idea what to expect from school come Monday, luckily it’s only Friday—actually Saturday—morning, so I have the weekend as a reprieve.
“Daughter,” a snake’s voice sounds as we approach the waiting cars, the balmy, Colorado night air teasing my damp hair. My head snaps up, my feet freezing on the tarmac, and adrenaline waking me up in an instant as I’m transported to the night of my wedding.
“Enjoy your honeymoon.”
I start to pant, blackness edging my vision as I stare into the hard, grey eyes of Julian Vanderbilt, his devil’s smile firmly in place, his arms opened wide and a calculated look of concern all over his lying fucking face. He was the one to whisper that to me before everything went black that night. He played an active role in my kidnap.
Spicy ginger washes over me as Ash pulls me to him, his long, beautiful, inked fingers grasping my chin and turning it so that I face him, breaking his father’s curse.
“It was him, Ash. he was there when I was taken,” I tell him in a broken whisper, nausea whirling in my stomach. His jaw clenches.
“You don’t have to talk to him, Princess,” he assures me, his own grey eyes just as hard as Julian’s, but full of a raging fire that I know is aimed at the older man. “Or look at him, or even let him fucking breathe near you.”
My lip trembles as his words leave the air rushing out of my lungs, my skin tingling with relief.
“Take me home, please,” I beg my husband, my Knight. He gives a sharp nod, flicking his gaze behind me briefly. “Take her to the car.”
Vanilla and lemon surround me as Ash steps away, and Loki and Jax sandwich me between their hot bodies, Jax wrapping a huge arm around my shoulders and pulling me close into his warmth. Loki grasps my hand, and they lead me to the car awaiting us, Jax’s huge form blocking Julian from my sight as I hear Ash murmur to him in a tight voice.
“How did you know she was going to be with us?” Ash asks, his voice clipped and completely emotionless. Julian’s dark chuckle scrapes across my skin like an unwanted caress, and a revolted shiver takes over my body. Both boys gather me closer, and their mingled scents are a comfort and help combat the way my skin itches around Julian.
“Oh, son, you really should learn that I know everything that concerns me. Especially when it concerns my missing daughter-in-law. It was lucky you boys were there to help, fated some might say. And poor Adrian, dying in that horrible fire. They still have yet to find the body, apparently, it burned so hot that only dust remains. I did warn him that old English manor houses always had faulty electrics. Does Lilly know?”
My heart thumps in my chest, and I’m straining to hear Ash’s reply as Loki opens the car door, releasing my hand to get in, then waiting for me to follow.
“Yes, Lilly is aware and has been through enough, don’t you think?” Ash bites out, clearly aware of the insinuations of Julian’s tone and little speech. Jax releases me and places a hand on my back, leaning in to whisper in my ear.
“Ash will tell you everything later, Baby Girl. Let’s get out of here.”
Deciding that he’s right and that I just want to be as far away as possible from that fucking cunt, I step into the car, scooting next to Loki as Jax gets in behind me.
“Good evening, Mrs. Vanderbilt,” I hear from the front, and I look up to see Tom smiling warmly at me in the rearview mirror. “Welcome back.”
His kind words and the genuine look of concern on his face make tears spring to my eyes, and I have to swallow hard to be able to reply.
“Thank you, Tom.”
He gives me a nod and another warm smile, the divider screen moving up into place as the car starts to pull away. My breath catches, my stomach suddenly dropping.
“Wait!” I yell. “What about Ash and Kai?” I ask, looking frantically behind me to see Ash still talking to his father and Kai waiting off to one side.