Chapter 42
Chapter
Forty-Two
BLOOD TIES
Azariel
“I didn’t fall in love—I sank, slowly, into your darkness.” — P
I didn’t like asking for permission. I never have.
Yet here I was.
About to ask another man for the one thing I always wanted.
I could give one single fuck if the world was against me and Poe but I knew her family was everything to her and so here I was.
I stepped into the dimly lit tattoo shop, the low hum of machines and the faint scent of ink filling the air. The place was a dark maze of exposed black and red brick walls, faded fucked- up art, and the distinct buzz of a needle at work. It was a far cry from the sleek, cold walls of the world I usually moved in. But here, among the ink and art, I felt the familiar weight of family—Poe’s family.
My eyes scanned the room, searching for the man who stepped inside about twenty minutes before I arrived.
I saw them in the back corner. Enzo, Poe’s uncle, was bent over a tattoo gun, working on a customer’s sleeve. His broad shoulders and dark tattoos were a clear testament to years of crime and punishment. Valentino, Poe’s father, stood with arms crossed, watching with that unmistakable intensity that made even the toughest men think twice. The twins looked just as they did when I was a boy—like two thugs, each covered in tattoos that mirrored the other’s, the same cold, unspoken understanding between them. The resemblance was uncanny, down to the way they both carried themselves. Valentino used to dye his hair the same shade of blue as Poe’s when he was younger, but now he wears it black, cropped into the same buzz cut as his twin.
They are so alike, it was almost terrifying.
I lingered on Valentino Nicolasi a moment longer. Most people say Poe looks like her mother—and it’s true, they share the same green eyes and warm skin tone. But to me? Everything else is her father. The shape of her nose. The arch of her eyebrows. Even her quiet, watchful nature. Their gift of creating beautiful stories. That she also got it from her father.
Enzo looked up first, his icy blue eyes narrowing when he saw me standing in the doorway of his shop. Then Poe’s father shifted his gaze, and the air seemed to thicken around us. There was no mistaking the hostility in both their expressions. I’d seen that look before, and it didn’t intimidate me. I wasn’t here for pleasantries. I was here to make a point.
For her.
For the woman the three of us share love for.
“Solonik,” Enzo said, his voice rough, like he’d been smoking since the age of twelve. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
I didn’t flinch. I barely even blinked. “I’m here to talk to you both.”
Valentino took a step forward, his black combat boots making a heavy sound on the concrete floor. “Whatever it is, no,” he said, his tone low, the kind of warning only someone who’d lived through enough shit like he had could give.
I expected this. Too bad I don’t care.
“I’m not leaving until you hear me out,” I replied, my voice cold and blunt. “I came here to make something clear.”
Enzo chuckled, leaning back against the counter, tattoo gun still in hand. “So you’re not here to get a tattoo.” His eyes flicked to his twin, then back to me. “What’s this all about, boy?”
The youngest twin is the one who my father can’t stand. I share the sentiment.
My jaw tightened, but I kept my expression neutral. “I’m here because of Poe. She’s mine. She has been since she was a kid.” I stared at both men, my gaze unwavering. Let them see the truth in my eyes. His daughter is my heart and I’m not leaving here until they both understand that. “I’m not asking for permission to make her mine. But I’m telling you both right now that if you don’t agree that I am the man for her then stay out of my way. You can either help me give her the life she deserves, or you can step aside and let me handle it myself. Because there’s no chance in hell, I’m giving up on her.”
The words hung in the air like a dark promise. The room fell silent for a heartbeat, and even the buzzing of the tattoo machines seemed to still. Enzo’s expression shifted from one of amusement to something darker. Valentino’s eyes narrowed, the kind of look that said I’d crossed a line.
Enzo’s lips curled into an evil smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ve got fucking balls, kid. I’ll give you that. But you think just because you walk into our city, and claim her, we’re gonna let you waltz off with my niece? Poe’s not some possession you get to own on a whim.”
Asshole.
I didn’t even flinch. I was unbothered, my posture still rigid and sure. “Poe’s not your concern anymore, Lorenzo,” I said, using his given name and my words sharp, cutting through the air. “She’s mine. Always has been. I’m here because I want to do right by her.”
Valentino spoke, his voice quiet but deadly. “You’ve hurt my baby once. Why should I trust you with her heart again?”
Fuck, that cut deep.
Still, I won’t give up.
Never when it comes to her.
My eyes never left Poe’s father. “I was a kid who didn’t believe he was worthy of her heart. That fear stuck with me for years. I know I don’t deserve her heart but it’s mine regardless.”
The silence between us stretched long, heavy with the weight of unspoken truths. My face was cold, emotionless—like a man who had no fear and no patience for pissing games. But the twins weren’t backing down either.
Enzo broke the silence with a rough laugh. “You’re your parents’ child, Azariel. I fucking like that about you. You didn’t think that we would make this easy for you, did you?”
No.
I just didn’t think it would be this obnoxious to have to deal with Poe’s uncle.
Valentino gave a curt nod, his gaze steely. “How far are you willing to go for my child?”
I stood there for a moment longer, the tension thick in the room. I didn’t respond. I didn’t need to. My message had been made clear. And if they thought they could stop me, they were in for a rude awakening.
“I’m never letting her go, and I’m not backing down,” I said, my voice unwavering. “So, make your choice.”
I could feel the weight of Valentino’s stare, his gaze sharp and piercing, as he took a step closer. He crossed his tattooed arms, his expression hard, eyes never leaving mine. The tension in the air thickened, and I knew he wasn’t done with me just yet.
“Why should I trust you with my daughter’s heart?” His voice was low, controlled, but there was a quiet threat hidden in the way he asked. “What makes you think you’re worthy of it?”
I didn’t blink. I didn’t flinch. I looked him dead in the eye, my voice unwavering. “No one has ever and will ever love another person the way I love your daughter,” I said, my words clear and absolute. “I would sacrifice the entire world if only that made her smile. I know I’m fucking broken but she puts me back together every fucking time. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her safe and happy. Nothing— even dealing with you two. That’s why.”
Valentino didn’t say anything immediately. His bearded jaw tightened, his blue eyes narrowing as he processed what I just said. For a long moment, he didn’t speak, his silence thick with unspoken thoughts.
Then, without a word, he turned and walked toward an empty desk. He grabbed a worn, leather-bound book from the top of the pile. It looked old, the pages slightly yellowed, the black cover scratched and bent.
Valentino didn’t look at me as he handed it over, just extended it in my direction with one slow, deliberate movement. “This is the first book she has written. She wrote this when she was a teenager who thought the world of you even when you treated her like she wasn’t worthy of your time,” he growled like a father offended on his daughter’s behalf.
Fuck .
I looked down at the book, guilt consuming me even when I tried hard to right my wrongs.
“You hurt my little witch,” he said, his voice low but filled with quiet menace, “I promise that’s the last thing you’ll ever do.”
The threat hung in the air, but there was something else in his eyes— a sadness that meant that a father was letting go of his little girl.
With a nod, I took the book from his hand, my fingers brushing against the worn leather, feeling Poe’s heart beneath my touch. I didn’t say anything in response, I didn’t need to. My promise to love his daughter was already made, and I intended to keep it until the day I die and even then I’ll still keep it.
So yeah, more words were not needed.
I said everything I needed to say.
There was only one last thing I needed before I headed back to Poe.
I turned to Enzo, who was still watching the exchange with amusement and wariness in his eyes. “I will ask you to tattoo me now.” I said, my voice flat.
He blinked, clearly surprised by the sudden shift in mood. His eyes flickered to his twin, who stood there with his arms still crossed, looking bored. Enzo’s grin stretched wider, like a psych ward patient who’d just been handed a new killing toy. “Well, well…” he said, letting out a low, amused laugh. “You really are full of surprises tonight, huh, boy? Where do you want it?”
Without hesitation, I lifted my left hand and extended my ring finger, the one I haven’t inked yet. I wanted her name inked there. It was a gesture that meant something in my world, and I wanted it on me forever.
She was already inked into my soul, so it only felt right to have her inked on my skin too.
Enzo’s grin faltered for just a second, his eyes flicking to his brother to make sure it was okay with him— but there was a gleam in them that almost looked like pride.
Valentino, however, had a different reaction. I saw his eyes darken, his lips pressing into a thin line. He shook his head slowly, his gaze sweeping over me like he was deciding whether or not he should step in. His voice was quiet, almost resigned. “You won’t give up, will you?” he asked, his tone edged with that same warning from before. He knew, just as I did, that I wasn’t going to give up on the dream of making his daughter my wife. Getting her name inked on my ring finger wasn’t just a statement— it was a claim, a vow, a way to make my love for her permanent.
I didn’t answer him.
The look in my eyes was enough.
The silence stretched and the air between us felt thick with tension, like the calm before a disastrous storm. Enzo glanced between me and Valentino, still grinning like a psycho.
But then he stepped forward, rolling up his sleeves, ready to start.
“Alright, boy. Let’s get this shit done,” he said, his grin widening again as he moved toward the tattoo station.
Poe’s father didn’t speak another word, just watched as I took my seat, his face unreadable. I didn’t care. I was already focused on what I needed to do. My life’s mission.
I was going to make sure my little fox had the life she deserved— a life filled with magic and unconditional love— and I would let nothing, no one, stand in my way.
Not even her hero.
The buzzing of the needle started, and a few minutes later when it was done…it was official. I had the woman who owned my soul inked in my heart and now in my skin all the while two of the men she loves most in the world watch. When Enzo finished, I got up, tried to pay which he refused and then with one last look at Valentino, I turned and walked out, Poe’s book clutched in my hand and another tattoo. The ink with the most meaning.
I stepped into the cold night and opened the book. As my eyes fell on the first page, my heart stopped— the title hit me like a punch to the chest.
Sweet Venom by Poe Vaeda
Fuck, baby.
I stood there in the cold, reading the first chapter.
She was young, and she felt rejected by me.
And still, she wrote the most beautiful story. A story of a boy with hate in his heart, and the sweet, shy girl who stole it… one kind word, one precious smile at a time.
She wrote our story.
The one she hoped for.
Fuck, I love her.
I’m obsessed with her.
I can’t even breathe without her.
Written in all my scars—she was always there.
Even when I didn’t deserve it.
She loved me.
And now? I only breathe for her.