Fallen Love (Sinful Truths Book 5)

by Ella Miles

  I didn’t realize I was still broken. I was still hurting. I wasn’t healed yet. I needed this.

  “Why the fuck did I wait six weeks to do this?” Zeke howls as he thrusts in again in long, deep strokes.

  “Seven weeks. It was fucking seven.”

  My nails dig into his flesh.

  He hisses.

  “I’ll never let you go more than seven hours again without my cock.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fuck, we should have put that into the vows.”

  He rocks again, and I feel him everywhere—all the places I need him.

  “Good thing we still need to have another wedding in a courthouse, we can say them then,” he grits out. I know he’s holding his orgasm back, trying to make this moment last forever.

  I rock forward and reach behind, grabbing his balls and squeezing, just enough to punish him.

  He bucks like he can’t decide if he wants to buck me all the way off him, or if he wants to pull me closer.

  “I don’t think we can put those in the vows before God.”

  “Why not?” He breathes deep, his voice so fucking strained.

  I open my mouth to speak, but I can’t think. My voice doesn’t work anymore.

  “Exactly,” he growls.

  And then we are coming. So. Damn. Hard.

  We both scream so loud that if the room wasn’t soundproof, everyone on the ship would be racing down, thinking we’re under attack.

  In a way, we did do battle. We both died. And we are now reborn.

  This was what we needed.

  We needed time.

  We needed our bodies to mend.

  We needed all our vulnerabilities and shame.

  And then we needed to fuck each other dirty and sweating on the floor.

  “Thank you,” Zeke whispers as I lay on his bare chest. My body is aching for food, for water, for sleep, but I’m not going anywhere. I want Zeke. I want more. One round wasn’t enough to satisfy what I’ve been missing for weeks.

  “Thank you,” I exhale back.

  Zeke strokes my hair, and I grip his.

  We breathe a peaceful breath in sync. We did it. We survived. Our horrible past is over.

  “My little siren…” Julian says in my head.

  I freeze.

  “Kiss me like you want me,” Julian says, and then I feel his hands on me, touching me…

  “Baby? You hungry? Your stomach is growling like I haven’t fed you in weeks.”

  “No, I’m okay,” I try to shake Zeke off, but Zeke grabs his shirt, and dresses me in it. He slips back into his boxers. Then he’s lifting me, taking me to the kitchen, most likely to feed me.

  I shiver, but Zeke just laughs, thinking it was my stomach growling again.

  “I’m sorry, little one. I should have fed your mother sooner,” Zeke chuckles as he sits me down on a barstool in the kitchen while he goes to work pulling food out. No one is in the kitchen. It’s dark outside, probably the middle of the night.

  No one sees the moment that Zeke was healed, and mine was torn apart. No one sees the pain I’ve been fighting down all this time finally got free. No one sees, not even Zeke.

  And I won’t let him.

  I am strong. I am enough. I sing the song I sang to Zeke over and over in my head, but when I hear Julian and Bishop’s voice in my head again, goosebumps line my arms, and I know I’m not enough.

  22

  Zeke

  We are all sitting out on the top deck—all six of us. The twins are down for a nap in their room.

  There are maps and documents spread all around. Laptops on several laps. Guns in most of our waistbands. Ammunition in the corner. Knives hidden beneath our clothes.

  This is our world—weapons and strategy. Most people will never see war, but we go to war every day.

  Siren is sitting on the loveseat next to me. She’s not staring at any of the documents, maps, or laptops. She’s barely spoken so far as we discuss how we are going to take down Julian and Bishop, and ensure Palmer will never come after us.

  Siren seems tired, there are circles under her eyes, and she looks paler than usual. It’s not surprising since she spent most of yesterday fighting my demons for me. She also spent most of last night puking in the bathroom. I’ve tried to get some food in her, but her body can only handle a few saltines at a time. Kai reassures me it’s normal, but I don’t know how she’s going to grow another life only eating a few crackers a day.

  “You okay?” I ask. Genius, my words are.

  She looks at me and nods, but she isn’t really looking at me. She’s looking past me, like I’m a ghost to her.

  I frown.

  I take her hand. “Are you upset you can’t fight?” I ask, hoping saying the word ‘can’t’ will stir her up.

  “Can’t fight? Really? I’m only two or three months pregnant. No one can even notice yet. I sure as hell can kick everyone’s ass here,” Siren roars.

  Enzo laughs.

  Beckett snickers.

  Both men think I’ve messed up, saying the wrong thing to egg my wife on. Really, I just wanted to bring her back to life, so my plan worked.

  I lean over, grab her neck to keep her from pulling away, and whisper in her ear so only she can hear me. “There’s my Siren. I thought I lost her.”

  Her eyes gleam, but then she kisses me tenderly on the lips. “You’ll never lose me.”

  I nod. We both turn back to Kai, who is leading this meeting. Enzo may have more physical skills than Kai, but my stingray has become the master at strategy, and the men follow her better than they ever did Enzo.

  “Where are we on Bishop? We have all this information on Julian. We know where he lives. We know how many men work for him. We have his bank accounts. We know he has one of our yachts. But Bishop is like a ghost. We don’t even know if that’s his first or last name. He doesn’t just go by Bishop.”

  “You go by Black,” Enzo says.

  Kai sighs. “Have we found anything more?”

  All heads shake.

  “Dammit. I really wish we knew something about the man.”

  “It doesn’t matter what we know,” Siren says. She’s been mostly silent, but since she’s the only one who has met Bishop, she’s the one who we should be listening to when it comes to him.

  I take her hand and give it a squeeze, telling her to continue.

  “Bishop isn’t a good man. His soul is dark. His heart is broken. He has nothing to live for. He doesn’t believe in love. He doesn’t believe in goodness. He’s evil. And he won’t hesitate to torture you, not in the physical way you are all used to being tortured, but in a psychological way that will stay with you forever. He’ll get in your head, shoving a dagger into your brain, and then twist until you bow to him,” Siren’s voice falls heavy. Her eyes gloss over, and I know Bishop is in her head again. There is nothing I can do to get him out.

  She blinks, clearing her head. “When you see Bishop, you kill him. That’s what got Zeke and me in trouble with Julian. We hesitated. He offered us something we thought we needed. He struck a deal with us we thought would save us. Instead, it allowed him time to destroy us.”

  Everyone nods, hanging onto all of her words.

  “I need you all to promise me. When you see Bishop, you’ll kill him. You won’t hesitate. You won’t ask questions. You won’t try to save him; he can’t be saved. Promise me,” Siren says.

  Everyone nods again.

  “No, with your words. Promise me you won’t let Bishop’s charms win. Promise me you’ll shoot and deal with the consequences later,” Siren says.

  “I promise,” Enzo says.

  “I promise,” Kai says.

  “I don’t know how to shoot a gun, but I promise if I learn, I’ll kill the bastard,” Nora says.

  “I promise,” Beckett says.

  And then Siren is looking at me, like my promise holds more weight than all the rest.

  “I’ll do
whatever you want, but don’t you need Bishop to fix you first?” I ask so only she can hear.

  “Yes, but I’ll take care of that soon.”

  I frown but trust her. I don’t have any other choice.

  “I promise,” I say, the words feeling ominous.

  Siren seems satisfied with all our answers and quiets, giving Kai the floor again.

  “We need to get the twins far away from here for a while,” she says with pain in her voice.

  Enzo takes her hand, agreeing. They both look at Beckett, who they seem to trust with their kids more than anyone else here.

  “Of course,” Beckett answers with as few words exchanged as possible.

  “Nora, can you fly them wherever they want to go? Your plane won’t be tracked as easily as if they fly commercial,” Siren says.

  Nora gives Siren a tight smile. Nora knows Siren is just trying to get her away from here and the impending fight. Nora doesn’t have the experience fighting like the rest of us do.

  “Yes, I’ll go with them.” Nora looks to Beckett like she’s asking permission to tag along, but he doesn’t glance her way.

  “Where is the box?” I ask Kai. I feel weird not knowing where they are. I was the one who originally hid the box in the Black vault. I was the one Lucy gave the task to. I feel like this is important, like I should know where the box is now. It’s the only way I can protect it.

  “Hidden,” Kai says.

  I frown. “Tell me later?”

  “No,” Kai and Siren say at the same time.

  Enzo and I frown at the two strong-willed women in our lives knowing we’ve already lost, but not stopping us from fighting anyway.

  “Why the hell not? We should all know. If one of us dies, the others should know how to protect it,” Enzo says, staring at his wife like she’s his insubordinate and not his wife and leader.

  “It’s not safe. The fewer people that know, the better. That way, the information can’t be tortured out of any of us. That way, I’m the only one who they can use in that way,” Kai says.

  “But—” Enzo starts.

  Kai gives him a look, and I know she’s playing her power card over him. She’s the leader of the Black organization. Normally, Enzo and her run the organization together as equals. I’ve seen them work together well. But every once in a while, when it really matters, Kai uses her power. She won, after all. Today is for her using that power—for her wielding it like it was always meant to be hers.

  “I’m the one who should know. Only me. It’s not safe. Bishop knows how to play with our minds; if he captures one of us, he could pull the information out. It’s too dangerous in the wrong hands. Only I know,” Kai says.

  Siren exhales a breath and gives a slight nod of agreement to Kai. I don’t know why both women feel so strongly about this, but I trust them both. Even though I think this information should be shared, I won’t push it.

  “So the plan is to gather every last man and woman willing to fight. To call Langston and drag his ass back here from chasing pussy. Then what?” I ask.

  “Then I call Julian or Bishop, and tell them where to find us,” Siren says.

  I grit my teeth, hating the plan, hating that Siren is the one with the closest connection to the two dangerous men. But it’s the best plan we have. It gives us control. We get to decide when and where instead of waiting. And neither men can resist the call of a siren.

  The meeting adjourns, and we all go our separate ways. All of us have to start preparing for our different tasks. Nora and Beckett to pack to leave. Kai and Enzo to spend every last second with their twins before they leave. And Siren and I to spend every last second together until I convince her to hide somewhere safe.

  It’s a monumental task, because even though she’s pregnant and has our child to worry about, I know she’s going to want to be close. She’s going to want to do her part to help kill Julian and Bishop and end this war forever.

  We get back to our room, and Siren undresses wordlessly, getting ready for bed. She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t flirt, trying to get me to kiss or fuck her. There will be none of that tonight. The mood is too somber.

  I get undressed and brush my teeth silently next to Siren. Me standing in my boxers. Her in her panties and tank top.

  We both spit at the same time.

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?” I ask.

  Siren turns on the water, rinses her toothbrush off like she didn’t hear me, but I know she did.

  “It’s time,” she says.

  I know exactly what she means. It’s time to complete whatever task she promised Bishop in order for him to set her free, to fix her.

  I want to ask her what task Bishop asked of her, but it doesn’t matter. Whatever task it is, I’ll support her. I want her to be free of him, and if this is the only way to do it, then so be it.

  “The fight is coming, and when I call Julian and Bishop to tell them to meet us, I need him to tell me how to fix me on the phone. I know you don’t want me here when the fighting starts. This is the only way to ensure I can get fixed and that you can kill Bishop without hesitation when the time comes,” Siren continues.

  “What do you need from me?” I ask, knowing the only reason she’s bringing this up instead of just doing the task is because she needs my help. I don’t ask her what she’s doing, or how much pain she’s about to bring into our lives. It doesn’t matter. Our marriage and love can survive anything. We’ve already proven that.

  “I need you to take Kai away for a couple of hours. Wait until after the twins are gone,” Siren says.

  I suck in a breath, knowing I’m about to choose my wife over my friends. Siren has to do something to hurt them.

  Her eyes are sad and heavy staring at me. Her eyes hold the weight of everything she is about to do.

  I step toward her, resting my hands on her hips by her growing belly, holding our child. My eyes stare her down, showing her everything I’m feeling.

  “Whatever you need, I’ll do it. It’s no longer a choice between you and everyone else. I’ll always choose you. You’ll always come first. Don’t ever hesitate to ask of me. Don’t worry that you’re making me choose—you aren’t. When it comes to you and our baby, it’s never a choice. You are first. You will always be first.”

  Her lips press against mine softly, and for a second, I feel like she’s poisoning me with her lips, putting me under her spell, softening me to her, bending me to her will. Her lips are that of a siren’s.

  She’s about to use her powers to hurt someone I care about, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve been in love with her from the start. She didn’t have to use her powers on me, I’ve always been her’s.

  Tomorrow, I’ll realize just how deep her talons have a grip on my heart.

  23

  Siren

  Everyone is gone.

  Well, everyone I need gone is gone.

  Beckett and Nora took the twins far away. I don’t know where, and I absolutely don’t want to know. I don’t even know if Kai and Enzo know where they went. I don’t know if Beckett and Nora had a plan when they left, other than to take them far way, to hide them. To keep them secret from Julian and Bishop. I’m sure they already know about the twin’s existence.

  Both men are devils, but I don’t think even they would stoop to involving the kids unless they had no other choice to get what they want.

  Kai left with Zeke this morning, to make the rounds to all the yachts and prepare them for the upcoming battle. It took zero persuasion from Zeke to convince Kai to go with him. No explanations were needed to convince Enzo as to why the two of them should be the ones to go instead of Enzo and Kai.

  Everything has been set up for me to do what I need to do, but instead of getting to work right away, my stomach has been more upset than usual, like my body knows how much this is going to hurt me. How this is going to hurt everyone. Relationships are going to change after this. I’m about to do something unforgivable, something I don’t ever want
to ask forgiveness for, but something I have to do for my unborn child. My child deserves to have a mother who isn’t controlled by a mad man. I can’t risk that Bishop could put thoughts in my head that could tell me to hurt my own child. I won’t let that happen. I won’t.

  That’s what I think about as I kneel on the tile floor of the bathroom hunched over the toilet. My stomach is twisted, my mouth burns with the taste of my vomit, and my head is sweaty—the complete opposite of what I need to feel and look in order to complete my task.

  “Zeke, please forgive me,” I say before I push myself off the floor.

  I should have already started my plan, but even now, I continue to put it off. I decide to shower first. I spend at least a half an hour scrubbing every inch of my skin, arguing it’s important to get all of the vomit smell off, not because I’m stalling.

  Then I take another twenty minutes blow-drying my hair.

  Another fifteen painting my face with blush and red lipstick.

  I waste another thirty minutes finding just the right outfit, even though I end up picking the outfit I started with—a tight-fitting red dress that my black lace bra peeks out the top and that can easily be hiked up. I strap my gun around my thigh, just in case.

  Finally, I stare at myself in the mirror—this time the act has nothing to do with me stalling.

  This is the last time I’ll be able to look at myself and not truly see the siren inside me. It was one thing to use Zeke. I did it out of love for him, and it turned out for the better in the end.

  This.

  This isn’t like that.

  This is cementing my place in hell.

  I know I chose my outfit correctly from my sharp heels, my skin-tight dress, the color of my lipstick. My hair is stick straight, and when I run my hand through it and flip it so the part is no longer perfectly in the middle but off to one side, I’m a she-devil ready to pounce.

  “You’re a siren. Aria is gone. You claimed to enjoy being a siren. This is what comes with it. I have to take the good and the bad. My skills can be used against me.”