by Vance, Ally
The orgasm hits me swiftly, and I cry out as his tongue and fingers work me over the edge again.
“Seth, take me. I’m fucking yours. Take me,” I plead.
He lowers my leg and licks his way slowly up my body until he reaches my lips. I can taste myself on his tongue, and I moan into his mouth.
He breaks the kiss and looks into my eyes with raw passion as his dilated pupils swallow up the green of his irises.
His voice is rough with desire. “Turn around, pretty girl,” he orders, and I obey.
Then he runs his hand down my spine, and I let out an involuntary shiver, arching my back toward him. As I turn my head, he captures my lips again, and placing one hand on my face, he uses the other to guide his hard cock to the entrance of my pussy.
“Beg me again, pretty girl,” he murmurs, and I suck in a breath when he teases me with the tip, which he’s barely pushing into me.
“Fuck me, Seth. I want it…I want you,” I whimper, and when he sinks into me with a powerful thrust of his hips, I moan…long and loud.
The sound of our harsh and brutal fucking fills the small bathroom: the slapping of skin, heavy breaths, and our groans of pleasure, mixing with the running water. It’s so fucking perfect, and so raw. Two wild and reckless souls coming together in passion and hunger, and I love every minute of it.
* * *
When I go upstairs later and stand in the hallway, I watch while Seth pours bleach on the wooden flooring where my brother bled out hours earlier.
“What happens now?” I ask.
“I have to go back to New Orleans,” he says, not meeting my gaze. “I have to see Arthur...and Lance. I’ve got questions I need answers to, and I have to give my report.”
“Where did you go earlier?”
Seth looks up at me, and his eyes harden. “I paid Caryn a visit and finished the job I was ordered to do. There’s nothing to worry about anymore.” he says soothingly.
But I can see the thinly veiled fury in his eyes and hear the hard tone of his voice. His words of reassurance can’t quite mask the fact that there’s clearly more to this than he’s admitting.
“Something else happened there, didn’t it?” I press, and he drops the now empty bleach bottle into the bucket and stands.
He looks older all of a sudden, and I’m suddenly unsure about pushing this, but I decide not to let it hold me back. “Tell me.”
“Caryn told me some things. Stuff that could just be the lies of a woman spewing shit to try and distract me, but so much of it makes sense.”
I cross my arms and wait for him to continue.
Then suddenly he says, “Come with me.” I’m taken aback by the change of direction in the conversation, but I nod.
“No more questions right now, okay? I’m going to fix the front door, and then we’re leaving.”
* * *
About an hour later, he’s straddling a shiny black motorbike while I’m standing next to him with my eyebrows raised and wearing my best ‘You’re fucking kidding, right?’ look on my face.
“Pretty girl, get your ass on this bike,” he orders, holding out a black helmet for me to take, and when I scoff at him, he scowls.
“This is much faster, and I promise you’ll love it almost as much as you enjoy riding my tongue,” he smirks, and I feel myself caving even though I’d much rather be in his car.
I roll my eyes at the smug look of triumph on his face when I reluctantly take the helmet from him and awkwardly place it on my head. Seth then fastens a helmet on his head, kicks the stand, and twists the throttle to start the engine.
After about half an hour of clinging onto Seth for dear life, I start to relax and enjoy the rush of air whipping past us, and the vibration between my legs. It’s definitely not my favorite way to travel, but I’m loving it with him.
We eventually pull up outside a house, and Seth kills the engine and lifts his visor. I awkwardly get off the bike and remove my helmet, but he makes no move to dismount; he just sits there staring at the house. I can still feel the vibrations of the motorbike shaking my body as I stand on unsteady legs.
“Are we going in, or are you just going to just sit there?” I ask, and with a heavy sigh, Seth kicks the stand down and leans the bike on it before dismounting.
He practically rips the helmet off his head and slams it on the seat. I get the feeling that pushing him to tell me what’s wrong, right now, would result in him biting my head off. Some battles are not worth fighting, and I can tell this is one of those times where it’s best to remain silent until he’s ready to tell me what’s bothering him.
Seth strides up the front path, and pulling out a key from his jacket, he unlocks the front door.
“Wait here a minute, okay,” he says, and for once I don’t argue.
Within minutes, he emerges from the house, and locks the door behind him. Without a word, he grabs my hand and pulls me back to the bike.
“Get on, we’re going to the heart of the Tabella. Lance isn’t here, so that’s where he’ll be.”
Seth
I was hoping to be able to speak with Lance before heading back to the Tabella to see Arthur. But maybe having him there will make this easier. Who knows? I just want answers because the story Caryn spun is too fucked up to believe.
I feel deep down that some of what she said was the truth, but I’m not so sure whether I want to believe Arthur would go to such lengths to preserve the integrity of the legacy he’s created. Threatening a pregnant woman? Taking everything away just to hide a child he found inconvenient and keeping the truth buried to suit his own ends? Who am I kidding! When I think about what he did to his own daughter…of course he would.
Leeann’s arms are tightly wrapped around my waist, and I smile at the way she’s clinging onto me like she’ll fall if she loosens her hold. I don’t mind though; I’m enjoying having her so close even with the death grip she’s got on me.
When we reach the beginning of the estate the mansion sits on, I’m filled with a mixture of emotions. I feel excited to learn the truth but also apprehensive about what awaits me here. The furious desire to find out the truth has me accelerating, pushing the Shadow harder, and maneuvering more sharply. Leeann’s arms squeeze harder around my body, and her front presses more tightly against my back, but I can’t still the storm raging inside me.
When we get to the front of the mansion, I hold the bike steady while fighting back the grin that threatens to erupt as Leeann struggles to dislodge herself from behind me. I decide then and there that I need to have her riding pillion on the Shadow more often.
My chest is heavy, and I have to force myself off the bike. I hate coming here. I loved training and sparring with the other men in the Cavalieri when I actually stayed at the mansion, but I always found the luxury of it more oppressive than comforting.
I also got the feeling Lance felt the same way I did although he never shared that with me. I know why he chose to spend so much time here, even when we weren’t training, and I’ll admit she was a beautiful girl, but rather him than me. At age sixteen, Arthur scared the shit out of me. It’s something I both admired and loathed about him.
Leeann’s standing there, gaping open-mouthed at the mansion, and her eyes are darting left and right, trying to take in everything. Considering the shithole she was renting with her brother, I can understand how overwhelmingly different this is.
I pull out my phone, and firing off a quick text to Lance, I wait for his response, not wanting to enter the building yet. My phone vibrates, and when I pull up the message, I let out a heavy sigh of relief. He’s here, but at the outside training area. Thank fuck he’s not in the house.
“Come on,” I say to Leeann and grab her hand. “Stay close and don’t wander off. I know you get curious about shit and like to do your own thing, regardless of what I say. However, here it could get you killed.”
“Okay,” she says, squeezing my hand and walking quietly beside me. I’m surprised because I expected t
o get the usual feisty response from her, but I’m sure she can tell this is no ordinary place or situation.
The sounds of sparring reach my ears, and I see two of the men fighting with each other. Their knuckles bloody, and both are sweating with huge grins on their faces. I nod at them in greeting, but I don’t stop to talk. I can always catch up with them later, and I need to find Lance.
“Lance!” I call out when I see him leaning against a wall with Giuliana standing next to him, watching the guys. They both look up when they hear me and wait for us to get to them.
“Seth, what’s up man?” Lance questions when he sees the serious look on my face.
“Giuliana, will you stay with Leeann?” I ask. “I need to speak with Lance about something important.”
The girls stay put, and I walk away with Lance following close behind me. No doubt he’s wondering what the fuck is going on. I haven’t got a clue where to start, so I tell him everything: about the assignment, Leeann, her brother, the body, Caryn, all of it.
My throat feels like it’s about to fucking close up when I begin to divulge everything Caryn revealed before I silenced her forever.
“My latest mark, Caryn, had my mother killed. Her own fucking step-sister, and it was all because she was jealous,” I bite out, and my heart thuds heavily in my chest because I know my next words are probably going to change everything.
“Caryn told me that while my mom was still pregnant with me, Arthur supposedly paid her money to leave and make a new life on the proviso she never came back and never told a soul who the father was. She said Arthur was annoyed that a little bastard like me threatened to tarnish his golden boy’s reputation,” I tell him, and I can practically see the wheels turning in Lance’s head while he waits for me to finish.
“She said you’re my dad,” I blurt, the words tumbling out.
The silence is deafening as we both stand there staring at each other. I know we’re both seeing everything we’ve previously refused to acknowledge. On some level I think we both knew, and months ago when I told Giuliana that Lance was more to me than just a mentor, I wasn’t lying.
“The old bastard is more twisted than I thought,” Lance growls, and I nod in agreement.
“Caryn is dead, and the fucker who killed my mom is too, but Arthur kept us apart and until recently I didn't even know you existed. He should never have made that deal with my mom, and the fact he waited until after her death before he brought you into my life is unforgivable,” I spit.
“Acting against him isn’t going to make a difference, Seth. You know he’d kill you before you had the chance to get near him,” he warns.
“Arthur knew all along what we were to each other and didn’t say anything,” I hiss, and I clench my fists angrily, trying to keep my calm before I storm in there and do something which will result in me leaving in a fucking body bag.
I knew there was something connecting us. However, with all the lies surrounding Lance’s family, I figured we were more than likely brothers or some shit. I’ve always considered him an older brother, but this is different. I don’t know how the fuck to go on from this.
“Seth, don’t be a fucking idiot,” Lance says sharply, and I stare at him as he continues, “Knowing this doesn’t change shit. You’ve always been family.”
My head is all kinds of fucked up right now, but I needed to hear him acknowledge it and to say that things won’t change.
I stare at him, bewildered when he chuckles suddenly before saying, “Jesus, no wonder you’re a little shit.”
I shrug. “It had to come from somewhere.”
Epilogue
Leeann
Lance comes back, but Seth isn’t with him, and I raise a questioning eyebrow.
“He’s gone to see Arthur. He’ll be back in a minute,” he says, wrapping an arm around Giuliana. He pulls her close and whispers in her ear.
I didn’t really talk to Giuliana much. I wasn’t quite sure how to strike up a conversation with her. She seems sweet, and it’s plain to see that she and Lance are completely in love. It makes my heart ache a little, but I push the feeling down.
A short time later Seth comes storming out of the mansion, looking like he wants to murder something or someone, but when his eyes meet mine, he smiles, and I feel my stupid heart jump.
“Pretty girl,” he greets, and I slap his arm playfully.
“What happened?” I ask, but he shakes his head.
“Nothing,” he says, and I can tell he’s trying hard to remain calm. “I’ll tell you everything later, okay?”
I nod, sensing that this is not the time to or place to try and get him to talk about the meeting with Arthur, or why he came out looking so murderous.
He looks over at Lance and says, “In case you’re wondering, I kept my fucking cool. Now let’s go back to your place.”
* * *
I’m glad to be away from the mansion, especially since Seth seems calmer now and more himself. Giuliana invites us in and leads us through the house to their living room where we all sit down. We wait for Seth to speak since it was his idea for us all to come here.
Seth stands and looks at each of us in turn before he announces, “This is Lance Knight.” I frown at him in confusion because I already know who Lance is.
Seth continues, meeting my gaze directly, “He’s going to be your father-in-law someday.”
Both mine and Giuliana's hands fly up to our faces, covering our mouths in shock. I’m hiding my face completely from view.
I’m overwhelmed, but it’s just like him to say something so impulsive. Seth is laughing, and Giuliana is giggling, but when I peek through my fingers, I can tell by the look on Lance’s face that he’s not sure whether to be amused or frustrated with the way Seth just dropped that little surprise on us all.
I look between the two men. It’s so fucking clear Seth is like a younger version of Lance: their eyes, hair, and even the way they move is so similar. I’m surprised they haven’t made the connection before. But I know how blind people can be when it comes to family…and love. I will always miss the Arron I once knew; the one I grew up with. The man who cared for me like a big brother should. I’ll never be able to understand how things went so wrong, nor will I ever forgive him for what he did when he ripped apart our family and tried to kill me. But I’m also strangely grateful because without his selfishness, I would never have met Seth...
The Cavalieri Della Morte Series
Beautifully Brutal - Dani René
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Martyris - Yolanda Olson
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His Salvation - Claire Marta
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Ivy’s Poison - India R Adams
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A Cruel Love - S.M. Soto
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Darkest Deeds - Cora Kenborn
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Scarlet Mark - Lexi C. Foss
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Delinquent - Ally Vance
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Redemption - Anna Edwards
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Valor - Measha Stone
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Sorrow's Queen - Ashleigh Giannoccaro
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Inexorable - Jo-Anne Joseph
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A Sneak Peek at Redemption
Prologue
Megan
“Do you want another drink?” my friend Lena shouts into my ear over the Swedish House Mafia track. We’ve been dancing for the last half hour to a special re-mix playlist from my favorite band. It’s the first time I’ve been to a club in ages. I was lucky enough to land a prestigious job at a top architecture magazine here in Stockholm, shortly after leaving university. I wanted to concentrate on settling into the job, so for the last six months, my social life has suffered. However, tonight is my twenty-fourth birthday, and Lena wasn’t going to let it pass without a proper celebration. I’m glad I agreed to come although I’m absolutely exhausted now and really need my bed.
“No, I think I’m going to head off,” I say, motioning for us to move to the side of the dance floor where it’s quieter, so we don’t have to shout as much. “I don’t want to stay out too late. I’ve got to go through one of my articles tomorrow to ensure I’ve got everything I need in it.”
“But it’s only one in the morning,” Lena complains, giving me puppy dog eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I pout back at her. “I’m out of practice.”
“Ok, but we have to make this a regular date once a month, from now on. You promise me?”
“Pinky promise,” I swear and hold my little finger up to allow her to shake it with hers. We both grab our coats and head out into the night. It’s cold, and the air smells like it’s going to snow—it will be the first of the winter season. Lena flags a taxi down. She lives farther away from the club than I do, so she needs the transport to get home.