Chapter 45
Forty-Five
KAELEN
Adull pain lingered behind my right eye as I finally looked away from the computer screen I had been staring at for the last hour. No matter how long I reviewed the financials for the pubs, they never made sense.
Everything to do with the pubs was strictly legitimate, and as such, needed to be pristine. I trusted our accountants and Aidan, but I preferred to give them a look myself at least once a year after one of our managers had been caught funneling money from the Quincy location three years ago.
I sat in my office, the glow of the monitor the only light in the cavernous room.
It was late, and I hadn’t bothered to turn on a light.
Things had been quiet for the last month. Quiet enough for me to have time to go mad staring at reports where all the numbers and names blurred. With Massimo as the new head of the Italians, a tentative peace had formed with them.
Most of the men loyal to his father had been killed when we found Willow, leaving his ranks to mold as he wished. And as I suspected, Massimo remained true to his word, looking to forge new alliances between our families.
Sweeney doctored Sterling’s medical records, and no one questioned when the papers announced his passing after a heart attack.
The sound of quiet footsteps echoing down the hall pulled me from my thoughts. All the coiled tension in my muscles unwound as my omega’s intoxicating scent preceded her.
My wife’s shadowy silhouette stood in the doorway, illuminated by the hall lamp.
“Why are you sitting in the dark like a vampire?” she asked, flicking on the light.
I hissed for dramatic effect, grinning at the tight scowl on her porcelain face.
My wife was the most breathtaking creature in existence, especially when she was pissed at me.
I rather enjoyed pushing her buttons. Her dark hair skimmed the tops of her shoulders, the blue highlights fresh and twinkling.
Closing the laptop, I pushed back from my desk. I wordlessly tapped my thigh. My stubborn omega rolled her eyes, but joined me regardless. Her cute bum slid over my cock and I groaned, banding an arm around her stomach.
She wiggled and I swatted her thigh, enamored by the melodic sound of her voice.
“Be careful, mo chroí, vampires bite.”
I burrowed my face into the delectable curve of her neck, inhaling her honey-dipped scent. A quiver shook her slender frame as I kissed the delicate skin along my bite.
This was my peace. My sanctuary. My forever.
I bowed to no one.
Except with her. With her, there was no fight. Only surrender. An absolute, total, and willing surrender.
I belonged to her and she owned all of me.
“Why aren’t you in bed?” she asked.
“Wrapping up a few things. How was your day?”
While I had been busy with reports, she had only just gotten home, having spent all day at the rescue. She shifted slightly, getting more comfortable in my lap, tossing her arms around my neck.
“Exhausting. We had to dig a few more trenches for the drainage system in the north pasture. The rain last week made a mess of it. And we finally got the new fencing up. It’s a good six feet high, so the horses have a lot more space to run now.”
My heart swelled with her passion. There were more than enough people to dig trenches and mend fences, but my girl would not stand by while others worked. She loved being in the thick of things and wasn’t afraid of hard work. And I would spoil her, reward her for everything she did.
Every time I bought her a gift, she waved me off, begrudgingly accepting it. I never tired of the bright light illuminating her gaze whenever I did, however. She couldn’t hide how much she adored my presents. Even though she tried.
“We also got plans finalized for separate facilities. We’ll have a barn for the horses, with stalls that are a bit bigger. Then, on the other side of the property will be yards and kennels for the dogs. We also have three vets on staff we’ve hired.”
I listened, the thrum of her voice a balm to my weary soul.
With each word she said, I saw it all. The horses running free.
The dogs chasing balls. Cats curled up in the sun.
It was her dream. And I would give her all of it.
I would build her an empire of rescue animals for her to protect from the world.
“I’m so proud of you,” I said, scent-marking her cheek. “You must be tired.”
No matter how often I did it, she never got used to my compliments. Pale pink rose high on her cheekbones, and my fingers chased the flush.
“Thank you. It’s worth it. They deserve a second chance. They deserve to be safe and happy.”
The double meaning of her words were not lost on me. I had never been one to believe in second chances. Even if she never believed me, Willow Finnegan was my second chance.
A chance at the life I never believed I deserved.
The one my parents had that I thought I’d never find.
“Let’s take a bath and then go to bed,” I offered, taking her tiny hand in my much larger one.
Fragrant soaps filled the steamy water as I stripped, drowning in the beauty of my omega. She eyed me just as greedily, her nipples hard as she licked her petal-soft lips, her burning gaze making me harder than stone.
Water sloshed over the sides of the tub as I slipped in, helping Willow nestle between my thighs. Instantly, she relaxed in my arms. I gently trailed a soapy cloth over her arms, purring for my omega.
She was so delicate. And yet, she was the strongest person I had ever known. A survivor. She withstood the abuse and neglect of her father, and still somehow managed to come out on the other side.
I closed my eyes, focusing on her sweet little purr rumbling in time with mine. My entire life was condensed to this moment, with her in my arms. I only needed this. Everything else I had… it was meaningless without her.
Before my da died, he urged me to build something better than he did. And so I did. I devoted myself to building an empire. A kingdom built on blood and loyalty. I had believed it was my destiny. My birthright. The legacy my da wanted me to leave behind.
Except now, I realized I might have misunderstood what my da meant when he said, build something better.
Better was love. It was Willow.
An angel wandering through a world of demons. And I had captured her. Stolen her away to a place where the sun hid behind clouds and every kindness came with a price.
She changed me, her light illuminating the darkest depths of my soul. At first, I thought I had corrupted her, damned her to a life of shadows.
But I was wrong. She brought me into hers. A world of quiet strength, compassion, and love.
I was a demon who stole an angel, and I was never letting her go.