24. Pedro
Pedro
I don’t even get a chance to open the car door after Abert parks by our building, and Alin is already leaping out with excitement. I glance out the passenger window, and it quickly becomes clear why.
“Oh, for God’s sake. It’s barely been a day since we left. You’d think they hadn’t seen each other in months,” I mutter in frustration as I open the door. It only gets worse with time.
Bay’s soft laugh dances through the air beside me as she steps out of the car, her eyes lighting up with that irresistible smile that always leaves me breathless.
“A bit jealous, are we?” she whispers teasingly, leaning closer to my chest. The warmth of her presence is magnetic, and for a second, I forget everything else—until her gaze shifts to the overly affectionate couple in front of us, breaking the spell.
My body tenses as my brother’s eyes lock onto mine. The last thing I need is for him to start reading too much into me and Bay before we even make it to his office. Especially not with Abert standing right there—still suspicious after questioning my freaky new eyes on the way here. Shit.
Before I can muster up any excuse, my brother’s deep laughter booms through the parking lot, shattering the tension I didn’t realize had settled between us.
I blink, caught off guard, and then it hits me—it’s not Bay.
It’s the damn dress. Another thing he’ll mock me about for the next decade.
I flip him off without hesitation, the motion sharp and automatic.
“I’d like to see you survive what I went through,” I mutter, annoyance lacing my tone as I quickly try to steer the conversation. “We’ve got important updates. Where’s Mariano?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t take you seriously when you’re dressed like this,” his voice is thick with laughter as Alin buries her face in his chest, trying to stifle her laugh after all the threats I made on the way here. But, of course, Bay has no sense and breaks into laughter right away.
“I’m sorry,” she says, struggling to suppress her laugh, “it’s just, this is the first time I’ve ever seen Luca really laugh like this. The sight of you even cracked the capo.”
Now Abert’s snorting with laughter behind us, and I throw my hands up in defeat. After everything we went through underwater, this damn dress is the least of my problems.
I make my way toward the elevator, muttering curses under my breath, not waiting for them. I press the button for the fourth floor—dress or no dress, Luca’s office is where we need to be right now.
“Wait for me!” Bay calls, catching up just before the elevator doors close, cutting us off from their wave of laughter. That’ll die down soon enough anyway.
“Are you planning on telling Luca and Mariano about their mom?” she brings up the one topic I’m dreading the most.
“I’m not hiding it from them. They need to know,” I say honestly, my eyes fixed on the elevator buttons, avoiding her gaze.
“We don’t have all the answers yet. Do you really think it’s smart to bring it up now?” she presses, asking questions I hadn’t even considered. Regardless, I’m not hiding anything from the capo.
I finally turn to face her before answering, and immediately regret it when I meet those amethyst eyes, sparkling with curiosity. Fuck. I keep forgetting how much she still has to learn about our world. Why do I take so much pleasure in knowing that?
The elevator doors slide open before either of us can say another word, and Mariano stands before us, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a large paper bag. Seems like he’s been waiting just for us. Good, no time to waste. I grab Bay’s arm gently, guiding her out of the elevator.
“When Abert told me, I thought he was joking, but damn, bro, pink is definitely a color you should consider,” he jabs, and I roll my eyes.
My middle finger is getting sore from the number of times I’ve flipped it today.
I shoot it in his direction as he tosses the bag my way.
“Change into this,” he orders. “And what in the name of potions side effects is wrong with your eyes?”
Finally, someone with a practical approach. Ignoring his question, I move forward with Bay toward Luca’s apartment, Mariano following close behind.
With a rough yank, I pull the dress off, and a few more stitches pop as it drops to my feet in the entrance floor of Luca’s place.
“You’re lucky Cora’s in the office right now, or I’d cut your dick off for that lack of decency,” my whipped brother throws at me. The women in this family have them wrapped around their little fingers.
“Idiot,” I mutter back, losing patience with all the digs I’ve been getting since we got back on land.
I quickly slip into the gray sweatpants and white tank he brought me.
I’d thank him for the comfort if I wasn’t still covered in sand, itching in every crevice.
I need a shower. Wait, how do I even shower with a tail?
“Bay!” Cora squeals as we walk into the office, pulling Bay into a tight hug. “I thought I wouldn’t see you aga—”
“Where’s that blind faith in Alin you had before we left?” I cut in with a smirk, now earning myself a middle finger.
“I won’t lie; I also thought I’d never see any of you again when we left,” Bay admits into Cora’s hug, before Cora releases her and leads her to the conference table.
“So this is Luca’s famous office,” Bay comments, her eyes scanning the room from her seat.
My body, as if having a mind of its own, sits in the chair next to her, Cora taking the seat on Bay’s other side.
Mariano settles down beside Cora. Now we’re just waiting for ‘His Majesty’ to grace us with his presence.
The last thing I need is for my brother to start strutting around with a king title on top of his capo status after Alin’s coronation. It’ll go straight to his head.
“Great, everyone’s here!” Alin skips into the office, still buzzing with the excitement of seeing her husband since we arrived, stopping behind Cora’s seat and placing her hands on her shoulders as if making a royal declaration.
Yep, definitely ‘Her Majesty.’ That title is starting to suit her behavior lately.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Princess Alianna,” I tease with a smirk, and she stifles a chuckle as Luca glances between us, trying to figure out if there’s an inside joke he’s been missing. Do I see jealousy in his eyes? He can’t be serious.
“And here I am, Pedro of Mal-El. Soon, you’ll have to call me your queen,” Alin jokes as she moves toward Luca, who’s now seated at the table.
I’m really not comfortable with this whole thing, and I’m even less comfortable with joking about it.
I sigh and decide to let her take the lead. That’s the safest route.
Bay chuckles beside me, leaning closer to my ear.
“You’ll get used to it, don’t worry,” she whispers, her lips brushing lightly against my ear, sending shivers all the way down to my jaw.
I clench my teeth, trying to maintain a composed expression, but my hand—acting on its own—slides under the table to rest on her thigh, my fingers trailing upward beneath her dress while my eyes stay fixed on Luca.
A soft moan escapes her lips into my ear, and damn it, my cock reacts instantly.
This is not how I’m supposed to be focusing right now.
Reluctantly, I pull my hand back to where it belongs, and Alin wastes no time getting started.
“I don’t even know where to begin, so I’ll just start by saying we didn’t manage to break Bay free from the dragon guardian,” she says, and all at once, Luca, Mariano, and Cora’s gazes lock onto her, surprise evident in their eyes. Surprised by that? The real show hasn’t even started.
“Before you ask, we got what we needed, but Bay got injured along the way and needed time to heal, so we’ll have to wait until next month to reach the drago—”
“Injured? Are you okay?” Cora interrupts, turning her attention to Bay and scanning her body with concern.
“I’m fine, the wound is healed,” Bay assures her, standing up from her seat. Without a second thought, she lifts her dress, showing off her bare lower half. What. The. Actual. Fuck?
Anger flares inside me, and I rise quickly, pulling her dress down in one swift motion.
“Don’t you dare show your body like that in front of everyone!
” I growl in her ear, leaning in close, my hands firm as I straighten her dress.
She turns her head slightly, meeting my furious eyes with a defiant look. Shit. What am I doing?
I push her back into her seat, feeling slightly calmer now that my brothers were too terrified of their women to even glance in Bay’s direction.
“Yeah, jealousy really doesn’t suit you,” she teases, looking all too pleased with herself, and now Luca is glaring at me. Great. I wanted to save this part for later.
Alin, as if reading my thoughts—more likely, my desperate prayers—steps in, drawing everyone’s attention back to her. Thank you, sister-in-law. I let out the breath I’ve been holding and refocus on her.
“I’ll keep it short. The price Bay paid Jocelyn for what we needed was much higher than expected. She gave her blood,” she explains, and their confused looks are not late to come. Obviously, they don’t get it. Hell, even I’m still sitting here with a million questions, and I was there.