14. Apollo
A fter brushing my teeth for the tenth time, I stomped downstairs where the others had gathered for breakfast. I couldn’t help but glare at Bear with a rage of a thousand suns, praying I might be able to melt a hole in his face with my anger. Sadly, it didn’t work, and the bastard had the balls to fucking grin at me.
“My goodness, Piero, I'm surprised you didn’t take the stairs down with all that stomping,” Edda scolded. “Now, sit down and eat. You’ve made us wait on you long enough.”
Confused, I looked between Von and Beppe, unsure if it was best to play along or point out I was not who she thought I was. With the slightest shake of her head, Von told me not to comment, so I settled in the last open chair between Edda and Erik.
Beppe leaned forward and kept his voice low as he spoke. “Piero is our youngest son who died twenty years ago. You do resemble him a little, especially your eye color.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, and I hope I don’t cause Edda any undue sadness,” I said, placing a hand over my heart. “Would it be better to correct her?”
“We’ll see.” Beppe sighed. “My Edda has good days and bad days when it comes to her fading memory. If she comes back and still thinks you’re Piero, I’ll handle the matter.”
With a nod, I let the matter drop and focused on the ginger giant next to me. Slowly, I placed my hand on his thigh, closer to his knee because I’m a gentleman, and gave a slight squeeze. “Tell me, copper top, if I’d decided to slip into your bed last night, would you have rejected me and trussed me up like some hunk of meat?”
Erik froze at my touch, then gagged on the forkful of eggs he’d just put into his mouth. I thumped him on the back as any good harem brother would and handed him a glass of water.
“My my, I had no idea the thought of me in your bed would cause such a reaction,” I teased.
The man was a fine specimen and not someone I would typically go after. Military men who were or are special ops didn’t tend to be swayed by a drink and a smile like many others. No, they were trained to be suspicious and while I found the challenge fun, it was too much work if all I wanted was a quick fuck. That being said, Erik wasn’t just any challenge, nor would he be a one-off romp. He was Von’s, which meant he wasn’t going anywhere unless she sent Erik away or killed him. Neither of which I found likely.
Being part of a harem presented me with new dynamics to navigate and I chose Erik to be my baseline. He was the proclaimed beta of this so-called pack filled with alphas. So far, I’d learned Von was at the top of the pecking order for most things, but shared some responsibility with Bear. As the right-hand man to our feral leader, it was clear Bear knew when to step in and when to back off. Erik’s value was obvious in his medical skills, yet I’d also seen how he dealt with the darkness that sometimes threatened to overtake my treasure. Even as a lowly beta, Erik provided invaluable stability neither Von nor Bear could manage. Hence why I chose him to be my ticket into this harem.
“Poe, remove your hand before I fucking break all your fingers,” Erik threatened in a low growly tone.
I did as he asked, only I made sure to let my fingers glide up his thigh and winked before tucking my hand under my chin, waving my pinky finger. “Speaking of broken fingers, how long do I have to keep this hideous contraption on my finger?”
Erik had been kind enough to realign my finger and splint it before we took off in the helicopter. He also patched up my side but warned me I might need a few stitches. Unfortunately for me, the bastard got shit-faced and passed out before fixing me up.
“If you’re lucky, three to four weeks to remove the splint, but I’d still tape your last two fingers together for another week or so to be safe,” Erik informed me.
I frowned at the bulky metal and foam splint taped around my finger. “Surely there is another option to use besides this?”
“It’s your own fucking fault it got broken in the first place, so shut the hell up and be grateful I let him fix your fucking finger,” Von snapped, glaring at me.
“Children, no fighting,” Edda cut in, using a tone every child knew not to question, and set a bowl in front of me. “Here you are, dear, eat up so you can grow big and strong like your brothers.”
My brows shot up at the sight of fregola porridge with cinnamon and caramelized apples. “H-how did you know this was a favorite of mine as a child?”
Edda smiled widely which caused her eyes to almost get lost in the wrinkles. “Like I would forget my fussiest son’s likes and dislikes. Thankfully, we had a wonderful apple harvest so I’ll have plenty to get you through the winter.”
Beppe reached for his wife, and by his expression, I knew he was about to correct her. “My love?—”
“Dad, I know she’s spoiling me, but there's no need for you to scold her. It’s not often all of us can be here for a meal together,” I interjected, giving Beppe a warning look.
“Ah…” Beppe started, unsure what the right move was, then he gave in. “I see your point, son, and I’ll let it go this time. However, tomorrow you’re going to eat what your mother made for everyone else. She works hard enough as it is without the extra cooking just for you.”
Edda shooshed Beppe and kissed him on the lips. “Enough, dear, let’s just enjoy this meal as a family.”
Beppe took his wife’s wrinkled hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “For you, my love, I’d do anything.” Edda blushed and waved Beppe off with her cloth napkin before settling it on her lap.
I’d always admired people who could remain so in love after spending years together. It wasn’t something I ever expected to have in my life. For Poseidon and myself, our lives had never been our own even after we disappeared. While we were free to be who we wanted, there was always the need to watch over our shoulders should our father or Serena send people after us. Yet here I sat at a table with the woman my soul was tied to and the other men who felt the same way I did. By no means was I eager or pleased to have to share my treasure, but in a miraculous act of selfless love, I’d allowed them to live and stay by her side.
My attention was snapped back to the present as chairs were pushed back and Von started to collect dishes off the table. Instantly, I shoved to my feet, almost knocking my chair to the floor, and gathered the remaining dishes. Erik glared at me, but I just gave him a saucy wink and followed Von into the kitchen.
“Wash or dry?” Von asked without looking at me.
“Whichever one you don’t want to do, I’ll happily take,” I answered.
Finally, she glanced at me over her shoulder. “Do you even know how to wash dishes?”
“Treasure, I’m wounded.” I gasped. “Of course, I know how to wash dishes, and before you ask, I’m a master at laundry as well as ironing.”
That caught her attention enough to fully face me as she leaned against the sink, arms folded. “How domestic of you.”
I knew her words dripped with sarcasm, but I preened under her attention. “One cannot lead a life where you might need to disappear at the drop of a hat if you have hired staff doing everything for you. So I took it upon myself to master cooking, cleaning, and even some sewing so I could repair buttons and what have you. It’s a good thing I have such a skill because I’ve been losing a lot of buttons around you.”
Von snorted and a hint of a smile played at her lips. “How good is your sewing?”
“Good enough to stitch myself up with a mirror in a terribly lit bathroom,” I shared, lifting my black button-down for her to see.
Curiosity got the better of her as she leaned in to get a better look at my needlework. “Not bad,” Von commented with a bob of her head. “Looks like you might have some value after all.”
Hearing my treasure admit such a thing had me smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. “There are many more skills I possess which you might find could come in handy.”
“Is that so?” Von said as she tipped her chin up in a silent challenge. “Let’s see if you're telling the truth about your dishwashing skills. Edda is a stickler when it comes to her kitchen and everything in it being spotless.”
I took a step back and bowed. “As my treasure wishes.”
Von grunted and tossed a pair of rubber washing gloves at me. “Yeah, yeah, now get a move on. We need to leave here soon, and it needs to look like we were never here.”
As I plugged the deep sink and began to fill it with hot water, I let my mind wander. My interest had been piqued by how protective Von was over this elderly couple. She’d mentioned something about Beppe being the closest thing to a grandparent she’d had. I knew for a fact her paternal grandfather was in Mansara offering his support to Astin Caprioni as he’d done for her father. It’s possible they hadn’t had much of a relationship before he left the country, and his wife passed shortly after Armond, Von’s father, was born.
When it came to Von’s mother Gia, there wasn’t much I could find on her. Armond fell for her despite the fact she didn’t have money, power, or connections to offer. What I found incredibly interesting was the fact all traces of Gia’s family vanished right after the wedding. Was it an act of love to keep Gia’s family safe by hiding them away? Logically, it made sense, Armond’s in-laws wouldn’t have the first clue how to navigate the twisted web of the mafia world. Not to mention, they’d be considered the weak link in Armond’s armor, making them an obvious target.
“Well, would you look at that, not only can you wash dishes, but it happened in complete silence,” Von quipped as she finished drying off the plates.
“I’ve simply been struck silent by the beauty of your domestic side,” I said as I scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew them at her.
Tragically, my treasure wasn’t amused and whipped her drying towel so the bubbles popped before reaching her. “Make a mess if you want, but you’re the one who’s gonna be cleaning it up. Oh, and I might give you a cloth to use or I might not, so play at your own risk.”
A dark chuckle escaped my lips as I turned back to the dishes. “I simply can’t wait for you to meet my brother, he’s not going to know what to do with you.”
“Right, where did you say your brother was hiding again?” Von inquired as she pressed her body against my back. “You did promise to tell me anything I wanted to know as you held me in your arms after the bombing.”
Fuck, she heard that and remembers it ? Shame on me for underestimating a woman like Von. The second you forget to keep your guard up around a predator, you pay the price.
Carefully, I set the mug down I’d been washing and turned to face my treasure. The sight of her honey-brown eyes glinting with excitement, had my cock hard and aching to be inside this magnificent woman.
“You’re right, I did say something along those lines,” I admitted. “I’m a man of my word when it comes to you and you alone, Evonnia Zuccaro. That being said, I would like to request a trade so I’m getting something out of this.”
Von moved quickly to pin me against the kitchen counter as she pressed a blade to my throat. “Really, because to me, it looks like you’ve already gotten something since you’re still alive.”
“True, but I offered up the information about the moles and your mother’s swift decline,” I countered. “What I propose is a final offer to end this back and forth between us.”
“All right, I’m listening, but it had better be good,” Von said as the tip of the knife dug further into my skin.
“I will give you full transparency about everything I own, all my knowledge, skills, and connections to use as you wish. Furthermore, I’ll draw up the papers to surrender any claim I have to the Accardi name and all that comes with it to Astin Caprioni-Raffa,” I explained, trying to be as detailed as possible so Von would understand the magnitude of what I was offering.
Von narrowed her eyes as she listened, but I couldn’t read her expression to see even a hint of what she was thinking.
“And what do you want in return?” Von questioned, her tone full of skepticism.
Slowly, I reached up with a hand and grasped her wrist holding the blade, then dragged it down my neck. I tried not to hiss as I felt the burn of the knife cutting my skin, but I had to prove I wasn’t simply trying to knock away the weapon. Once I reached my heart, I shifted her grasp to wrap my hand around hers.
“Mark me as yours, right here, right now, or end it all while I can gaze upon your face,” I stated, my voice firm and confident.
If Von was never going to trust me or even consider us being together, I’d rather end things now. The longer I was by her side, the more likely I’d do something drastic and lose her forever in the end.