Chapter 45
RORI
I refuse to allow my nerves to show when I walk into Nico’s house. I keep my head held high, my back straight, and Hades at my side. I wore a pair of black skin-tight pants, combat boots, and a maroon tank top covered by a black leather jacket. A blend of the me they know and the me I am.
Alonzo was clear with me when I was getting ready, and I wrap his words around me now as I look at the group assembled in the large foyer to meet us.
Aurora O’Brien is who you make yourself to be. Who they think you are doesn’t matter. You show them who and what you are now, and they accept it, or they don’t belong in your world.
I feel the weight of their stares as they take me in, but my eyes move quickly to Sienna. She stares at me, arms crossed over her chest. Behind her stands Alessio, hand on her shoulder, offering comfort. He shoots me a grin over her head, but it doesn’t ease my anxiety.
I move my eyes to the others, and I see Gia smiling warmly at me, Amara grinning, and Kida watching me cautiously. Alonzo already told me that Lucy and Massimo went back to Sicily, and a part of me is relieved at that. I’ll have to talk to her, but maybe space right now is for the best.
The men have varying expressions. Nico, Lazaro, and Zeno eye me distrustfully, but there’s no outright hate, so I guess that’s positive.
Pietro, Aurelio, and Urso all smile at me, surprising me.
Well, maybe not Urso, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not smiling outside of the fights we went through.
Before I can open my mouth to apologize, Sienna steps forward, and I already know what’s coming. I don’t try to dodge or block her. Instead, I ease away from Alonzo, and absorb the punch to the nose, and the one to my gut with barely a sound.
“Shit,” Alonzo bites out, and I can feel him reaching for me, but I wave him off. Alessio moves forward, concern on his face. The tension amps up, and I hear the other women gasp in shock. Hades whines, but he doesn’t try to intervene.
It’s not the first time he’s seen Sienna punch me and probably won’t be the last.
I swipe at my nose and unable to help myself, I smile. “That’s all you got, Harris?”
“I’m going to wipe the floor with you later, but Alessio will probably lose his shit if I hurt my hand too much yet,” Sienna huffs.
She shakes out her hand, flexing it, but her eyes never leave mine.
“I’m really fucking pissed at you for hiding that shit from me.
I know why, I’ve had time to process it, but it hurts that my best friend hid things from me. All because she didn’t trust me.”
I swallow hard, trying not to let her words hurt too much.
She’s angry, and she has the right to express those feelings.
My feelings on it are irrelevant. “It’s not that I didn’t trust you, Sienna, but that I couldn’t tell you.
Telling you, it would have meant your death.
There were people always watching, listening in.
I had bugs on me everywhere I went. Making sure I never did or said anything they didn’t like.
You’re a sister to me, and I was never going to risk you.
” I give a dry laugh. “Not that it really helped things in the end, but it was worth it.” I look past her to the others watching us.
“You found your family, and you have a man who loves you and worships the ground you walk on.”
“And you think I don’t want that for you?” she snaps, glaring at me. “You put yourself on the line for me, and then you just go with that crazy bitch? Do you know how scared I’ve been that I was never going to see you again, Aurora? Or Rayea, or whatever the fuck you want to call yourself?”
“Aurora. I’m going by Aurora O’Brien. Rayea Antonova was killed in Washington twenty-four hours ago.
No one is going to look for me, and there won’t be any blowback from this.
” How fucking good it feels to say that.
Like, finally, a weight has been lifted.
“As for her, well, she went about it all fucking wrong if you ask me, but what she did, it worked out for the best.”
“You can’t be seriously okay with all that?” Sienna sputters. “She’s a fucking assassin. She held a gun on us. She threatened to come back and kill us all if we revealed her identity.”
“And I’ll explain all of that, and yeah, it’s messed up, but you might understand when I tell you everything that happened.
You don’t have to like her, Sienna.” I sweep my gaze over the others.
“None of you do. And honestly, I think she knew what would happen when you found out about her, but that was her choice to make. All I can say is that I’m sorry for hurting you, for deceiving you, all of you, and that I hope in time you’ll forgive me. ”
I look at all of them, one by one, lingering on Nico and Pietro for a few seconds longer. Then I look at Nico. “I get that this isn’t going to put me in your good books.” He snorts, and I fight to roll my eyes. “But just know that I never meant to bring trouble to your doorstep.”
“I knew there was something with you,” Nico grumbles.
He lets out a soft grunt and glares down at Gia, who elbowed him in the gut.
He mutters something but then looks back at me.
“Don’t pull that shit again, because I won’t be so kind about it next time.
” It’s an ominous warning, but I just nod, accepting it for what it is.
I doubt Nico will ever fully trust me, but perhaps in time he might soften.
“Sienna, let your man tend to your hand,” Pietro says gently.
He looks at Alonzo pointedly, and I feel Alonzo reluctantly ease back.
Alessio pulls Sienna gently back into his arms, scolding her in a hushed voice.
I hold Pietro’s gaze, refusing to cower.
No matter who and what I might be, this man is the head of the family, and that means I need to give him the respect he deserves.
His dark eyes look into mine, seeing far more than I’m comfortable with him noticing, but I don’t look away. Let him see, let him judge. I’m done hiding.
Finally, he says, “You, Ms. O’Brien, are going to make life interesting when we get home.
” He gives me a warm smile. “And I, for one, am going to enjoy watching it. I expect you to keep this one on his toes.” He nods at Alonzo, and when I glance back at him, I see him rolling his eyes, but his lips twitch.
“Welcome back, cara mia.” He leans forward, kissing my cheek, and emotion thickens my throat.
How can it be that easy? I stare at him, blinking back tears, but he just smiles and winks at me.
“We’ll talk later. I understand my dog trainer wants your assistance, but I have a few things that I think will be right up your alley as well.
” Then he pulls away, and it’s Aurelio’s turn to step up to me.
I look up at him, and he simply leans down, lifts me in a big hug, and murmurs, “Welcome to the family, cara. And if you need help keeping him in line, you just let me know, yes?”
Damn it. I really am going to cry. When has anyone other than Sienna or Alonzo hugged me? I hug him back, unable to answer.
When he sets me back on the ground, he kisses my cheek, and steps back, grinning at his son.
He says something to him in Italian that makes most of the others laugh, while Amara, Kida, and I all share a look.
Yeah, we’re going to have to pick up on some Italian and quick if we don’t want to be kept out of the loop.
One by one, all of them come up to hug me, except Kida, but she gives me a cautious smile. I’ll take it.
I can’t help but laugh when Amara grabs my head and turns it every which way. “I’ll forgive you for butchering your hair, but we are fixing this before we go home,” she scolds me, even as she smiles. “And you will promise me now that you will never touch box-dye again.”
“Swear it.” She nods and hugs me again, before releasing me.
Alessio grins at me when he comes up to me. “Darling, the trouble the two of us will have to get into when we get home,” he jokes.
“Over my fucking dead body,” Alonzo growls, yanking me back into him. I laugh, winking at Alessio.
Gia steps forward and wraps her arms around me in a tight tug.
“I’m so happy you’re back,” she murmurs.
Then she grins and adds, “And I need you to show me a few moves. I want to keep Nico on his toes.” She laughs delightedly when Nico growls behind her, yanking her back into him carting her away, clearly done with the social pleasantry.
“If they’re not pregnant within the year with how often they go at it, I’ll be surprised,” Kida snickers. I smirk, glancing at Zeno and the intensity of his gaze on her.
I have a feeling she might be eating those words herself.
“Alright, that’s enough mushy stuff,” Sienna decrees loudly. “Gia had the chef whip up a spread, and now we want to hear all the details.” She gives me a wicked grin, before looking pointedly at Alonzo. “And that includes all the dirty, sexy details too.”
I glance up at Alonzo, who’s smirking, not the least bit ashamed or embarrassed. “Too bad Nico whisked away Gia,” I say with a wide grin. “She’d be jealous that I got to live out one of her favorite romance fantasies.”
“The one with the masked man?” Amara gasps, clapping her hands excitedly.
“Only he wasn’t the one wearing the mask.” Alonzo chuckles, and Amara and Sienna stare at me with wide eyes.
“Oh, yes, I need all the details.”
“I’m a little bit afraid to find out what you’re talking about, but don’t leave me out.”
I whip around to see Sofia standing there with Dante and two men I have to assume are his guards behind them. “Sofia!” Amara squeals excitedly.
“Hello, darling,” Sofia grins, hugging Amara when she moves in for a hug.
Then her gaze moves to me, taking me in.
There’s no judgment there, just curiosity.
“Well, you don’t look too worse for wear.
Are you back for good now?” I nod. “Good. This one needs a good kick in the ass now then.” She jerks her thumb at Alonzo who glares at her, but then turns his glare to Dante.
Dante ignores him. Seeing him as a Don fits. He carries the same power and intensity that Nico and Pietro do. “Welcome back,” he tells me simply.
“Thank you.” That’s going to be the most I get out of him for now, I imagine, but I allow myself to relax.
“Brother, are you going to stop glaring at my fiancée, or are you going to hug me?” Sofia demands.
Alonzo instantly lifts her into a hug, smiling at her. “If he hurts you, I’m still going to kill him and bury the body with Hades’s help,” he warns, shooting Dante a look full of warning. Dante holds his stare, unyielding.
“And like I told the others, I’ll let you finish whatever’s left of him when I’m done. Now, I’m hungry. All those orgasms on the way over here certainly made me work up an appetite.”
I snort out a laugh, as does one of Dante’s men, while the other looks exasperated.
Alonzo’s face contorts in disgust, and he sets Sofia on her feet quickly, practically shoving her back into Dante’s arms. Dante gives her an exasperated look of his own, but I don’t miss the way his lips twitch, or that he holds her close.
The man is smitten with her, and I’m glad that they figured out whatever was holding them back.
I step back to Alonzo, taking his hand as we all head for the dining room. “Are you alright, orsetta?” Alonzo murmurs before we enter.
“I’m good. Relieved. Happy.” And I really am. I’m sure there are going to be questions, maybe even points where that won’t be the case in the future, but for now I’m going to take this.
“Good.” He leans down to press a kiss to my mouth. “I love you, Aurora.”
“I love you too, Alonzo. Now, let’s go eat.
I’m starving.” Hades gives an excited whine at our side and I grin down at him.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure you get some too, baby.
You’ve earned it.” Then I grin wickedly at Alonzo.
“And we want to make sure that you’re up to full strength for when your new daddy pisses me off and needs a reminder. ”
I laugh when Alonzo lets out a low growl and spanks me on the ass before I head into the dining room.