“Because you won’t give up being the wolf,” she finished quietly for him.
“Not won’t,” he corrected sharply. “I can’t. You can’t leave this life. My father left Yegor Yolvoski and you know how that ended. Getting in is easy, but you never leave. Not unless you’re dead.”
She drew in a breath even as her heart cracked all over again. “I guess that answers my question, huh?”
“Juliette…”
Shaking her head, Juliette turned and hurried through the doors of the conservatory. Her heels clicked loudly despite the chatter and music. No one paid her any attention as she hurried towards the entrance.
It was only when she found herself standing on the sidewalk overlooking a packed parking lot that she realized she had no car and her great escape was ruined by having to wait for a cab, which she couldn’t call, because Killian still had her phone.
“Fuck!” she snapped to no one in particular.
The glass doors behind her flew open and Killian jogged out.
“Juliette, wait.”
She rounded on him. “Give me my phone back!”
“I will, but let me explain first.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Explain what? What is there to explain? We can’t be together. We can never be together. No matter how much we want to or how much it hurts to be apart, a fish can’t live with a bird.”
“You can if you have a sister like me.” Maraveet followed Killian out, a wide, sneaky grin on her face. “Just say the words and I’ll be your Redbull.”
Chapter 35
“That is the worst idea ever!” Juliette paced away from the group. She’d taken her shoes off—Killian had no idea what became of them—but she padded around the empty shipping container with her skirt trailing after her in the thin layer of dust. “I’m pretty sure that’s not even legal! And why are we in this box?”
“It’s the only way I can guarantee you can live the rest of your lives as normal and boring as humanly possible,” Maraveet argued. “And because we can’t trust that someone won’t overhear us anywhere else. My family owns this cargo dock so I know we’re safe to talk.”
“Okay, but this idea of yours…”
“The decision is entirely up to you, obviously, but I promise it’ll work.”
The idea was disturbingly ingenious. Killian could find no flaws no matter how he turned it over in his head. It was perfect, too perfect, the kind of perfect that came with years of planning.
“And this idea just came to you overnight?” he asked, eyeing his sister.
Maraveet looked away. “It’s something I’ve had in the works for a while, okay? It’s a one time showstopper so either we do it all the way through or not at all.”
Juliette shook her head. “I don’t even know how you’d ever pull this off.”
“It’s all about timing and commitment,” Maraveet answered.
Next to Killian, Vi stood silent and pensive. She hadn’t said a word throughout the entire exchange and her silence worried him.
“What do you think?” he asked her. “I know Juliette won’t do this without you and neither would I, but it doesn’t have to happen if you don’t want.”
Juliette ceased her pacing and turned to the girl. “He’s right. I won’t do it without you.”
Vi shrugged. “I’ve got nothing here. No reason to stay.”
“Are you sure?” Juliette demanded. “You have to be sure, because if we do this, we can never come back here. You’d leave your school, your friends … Mrs. Tompkins.”
Vi pushed off the wall she’d been helping Killian hold up and stood. “There are other schools. I haven’t got any friends and Mrs. Tompkins is with her family. Like I said, nothing here worth staying for.”
Killian studied Juliette. Even in the dull light, her eyes were enormous with fear. Her face was pale and drawn. She’d begun to cut a gash along her bottom lip with her teeth and it was the sight of blood that had him going to her.
“Juliette.” He took her cold cheeks between his palms. Her brown eyes lifted to his face, dilated with fear. “It’s all right, love.”
“I’m scared,” she blurted. “It all sounds so risky and final and…”
“Are you afraid you’ll change your mind about me later?” he wondered out loud.
Her head rocked wildly. “That you’ll regret it. That you’ll look back one day and realize it wasn’t worth giving up for me.”
“I’m not giving it up for you.” He smoothed back a lock of hair caught at the corner of her lip. “I would never have taken on the business if it wasn’t for Yolvoski. I never wanted it. But I need you. I need the rest of my future with you.” He kissed her lightly. “And I need those babies you mentioned. I want them with you. Lots of them. As many as you’ll give me.”
Tears and apprehension shone in her eyes as she searched his. Her hands settled over top of his, holding his palms to her cheeks.
“But what about your house? Your mother’s garden? The fountain and all your businesses and money?”
A grin turned up the corner of his mouth. “I promise I’ll keep you well cushioned in all the nothings you allow me to shower you with. I already told you what will happen to the business and the property. Charites mostly. As for the rest, stuff. Lots and lots of stuff tainted with memories I don’t want anymore. I lived in that nightmare long enough. I want new ones with you. But if you want to stay here, then I’m okay with that too. I’ll figure out another way.”
A tear slipped and he caught it with his finger. He smoothed it away gently, but kept peering into her eyes, willing her to see just how much he needed her to take this step with him. How much he needed her to help him forget.
“Okay,” she whispered at last. “Let’s do it.”
He kissed her lightly. “I won’t let you regret this,” he whispered against her mouth.
She peered up into his face with a small smile. “I won’t. I want this.” She touched the side of his face with cool fingertips. “I want you.”
“All right now.” Maraveet moved forward. “That’s enough of that. There’s only so much I can stomach. Besides, we’ve got work to do if everyone’s in agreement.”
Vi nodded before anyone else. “I’m in.”
“Me too,” Juliette murmured.
Killian only nodded when his sister caught his eye.
“Lovely.” Maraveet clapped her hands once and rubbed them. “Well, that’s our meeting for tonight. Everyone off to bed. We’ve got a full day tomorrow.”
Pulling out of his arms, Juliette hurried to Vi and tugged her out of the metal container. Killian watched them a moment before turning to his own sister.
“How long have you had this in the works?” he asked.
Maraveet shrugged. “A while. Every great escape artist needs a final act.”
“Does this mean you’ll be joining us?”
Her nose wrinkled. “Not yet. I’ve got plenty of plundering left in me before I take the final plunge.”
Killian went to her, stopping when she had to tilt her head back. “You know what that’ll mean if you don’t.”
Her eyes lowered, but he saw the pain in them. “I know, but it won’t be forever. I’ll still find ways to see you.”
“Come with us, Mar. Hang up your hat. This could be a second chance for both of us.”
Her gaze went to where Juliette and Vi stood. “Not sure I’m ready for that.”
He knew pushing would make no difference, so he relented. “Don’t take too long.”
There were tears in her eyes when they rose up to his. She gave him a lopsided grin. “Think you’d be getting rid of me that easily, little brother?”
He pulled her into his arms. “Better not.”
They stood that way for several minutes before she drew back, sniffling and rubbing at her cheeks.
“Do something for me?” At his nod, she pressed on. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay? I can only make you disappear once and if you screw it up…”
&
nbsp; “I won’t,” he promised. “I’m done with all of this. I just want her.”
She expelled a sharp breath. “Good.”
She hurried past him to stand with Juliette and Vi in the filmy shimmer of twilight. Killian watched the trio with a sense of tightness blossoming in his chest. Fear and uncertainty coiled beneath a plume of excitement and joy. He could feel himself shedding tens of thousands of pounds as the weight of the world shifted off his shoulders. He felt no loss at the prospect of never having the things he now possessed. He felt no sadness for walking away from the chains binding him to the past. If anything, the anticipation made him want to break down and sob like a baby.
It was over. The nightmares were gone. He was finally free.
“Hey you.” Juliette crossed over to him, a teasing smile making her eyes twinkle. “What are you looking so happy about over here?”
Without missing a beat, he took her hand and spun her in a flawless twirl straight into his arms. Her squeal echoed off the metal containers around them, followed by the sweet chime of her laughter as she collided with his chest. Her arms went around his neck and she peered up at him with so much love shining in her eyes he felt momentarily dizzy.
“Are you sure you want this?” she asked him softly. “I’m so afraid you’ll come to hate me later for—”
“I could never hate you,” he broke in. “And I have never wanted anything more than I want this.”
She exhaled. “Okay, good, because I want to be with you for the rest of my life and the thought of you not feeling the same—”
“You are never getting rid of me.”
Her head rested on his shoulder. “I’m holding you to that.”
He made love to her that night in his bed. He held her close through every thrust, every delicate bow of her body, and every gasp of his name. He held her long after she’d fallen asleep curled up in his arms. It would be the last time they’d be in that bed together. The last time their joined satisfaction would fill those walls. He waited for some shred of regret, a whisper of uncertainty, but nothing came. If anything, he felt like a prisoner finally getting out of a twenty two year long sentence. He couldn’t wait for dawn.
Stroking a kiss to Juliette’s mouth, he slipped out of bed. He pulled on his trousers and quietly left the room. Silence followed him through the familiar corridors, but it rang differently. It felt foreign and complex. He ignored it all the way to the conservatory. The cold stones nipped at his bare feet as he padded to the heart of his mother’s pride and joy.
Three urns greeted him. One for each of the people he’d lost. Unlike his mother and father’s, Molly’s glinted like a shiny coin.
“I’m leaving,” he told them quietly. “I’m going to marry Juliette and have as many babies as she’ll give me and I am never coming back.”
He couldn’t see it, but he felt the shift in the air. While he didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, he liked to think his parents were happy with his decision. That they supported it.
Carefully, he gathered the three pots up and took them with him from their stand. He tucked them away inside the hallway closet; he’d promised Maraveet he wouldn’t bring anything with him, but he wouldn’t leave those behind.
That done, he returned to his room, to Juliette who hadn’t moved in his absence. He shut the door and padded back to the bed. The rustle of his pants sliding down his legs had her stirring. She turned her head and squinted through the predawn glow at him.
“Why are you out of bed? Something wrong?”
Kicking off his trousers, he went to her. His fingers hooked in the sheets covering her and he tugged them free. Immediately, her eyes darkened. Her breathing quickened. She was reaching for him even before the condom had snapped properly in place.
“Nothing.” He climbed between her legs and cradled her to him as he pushed inside her. Her low groan pulsed through him as her willing body gripped him tight. “Not a damn thing.”
He took her with slow, even thrusts, working her the way to the very brink before letting her tumble over with a quiet whimper of his name whispered in his ear. Her heat engulfed him, sucking him deeper into her folds. He took his time building her up a second time. Building her up only to demolish her all over again. Only he went with her this time. He let himself get lost in the silky confines of her beautiful body as dragged the very last shudder out of both of them and collapsed in her arms.
“I’m going to miss this bed,” she whispered, her fingers lovingly stroking his hair as he nuzzled into her chest. “It holds so many good orgasm memories.”
Killian burst out laughing. The sound echoed through the room and tangled with hers. He raised his head and peered down into her partially shadowed features.
“We’ll make new orgasm memories in a new bed,” he promised. “And in the showers, floors, and all the walls and tables.”
“Wow! You’ve really thought this through.”
Lowering his head, he kissed her lightly. “I am always thinking of ways to get inside you.”
She giggled and caressed the side of his face with gentle fingers. Her eyes searched his as her body stayed firmly closed around him. Killian did not mind. Being enclosed in her arms, her legs, her sex and lips was the only place he ever wanted to be again.
“How does it feel knowing you’ve tamed the wolf, little lamb?”
He expected her to laugh or tell him great. That she was done with the beast. But she kissed him softly and whispered, “I don’t want to tame him. I fell in love with him first.”
Chapter 36
As nerves went, hers were shot. Every second thrummed with a rigid anticipation that made her want to be sick. The late spring morning was bright with so much possibility it hurt to even look at. The breeze was cool as it whispered around them, encouraging or deterring, she wasn’t sure, but it danced through her unbound hair, sending the curtain across her face. She shoved the strands behind her ear and went back to cradling herself.
“It’ll be all right, love,” Killian whispered into the back of her head. His arms tightened around her from behind, compressing her already queasy stomach with his clasped hands. “Just a few more minutes.”
He’d been saying that for nearly an hour. She was beginning to think he didn’t know she could tell time. But she didn’t push. She let him hold her as they stood far below his home, hidden from view in a tucked away road surrounded by trees, watching as the sun rose over the top of his hill. It crashed into the walls of his home and pooled into the fountain of his mother. The whole thing made Juliette want to cry and it wasn’t even her house.
In the car, a non-descript two door Coupe in an unassuming white, Vi was peering up at the estate through the back window. Her face was set, but Juliette could just make out the tense lines around her mouth and the slight twitch as she nibbled on the inside of her lips. She hadn’t said a word since they loaded the car in the pre hours of butt crack dawn, other than to assure Juliette that she was fine. Juliette really wanted to believe her, because if she wasn’t, then it would be Juliette’s fault. She wasn’t entirely sure Vi even fully understood what was happening. What if she regretted it later and resented Juliette for tearing her away from the only home she’d ever known? The thought made her sick. They’d finally begun to make progress. They were finally as close as sisters were supposed to be. She honestly didn’t think she’d be able to handle it if the girl hated her.
“Vi—”
“If you ask me one more time if I’m okay, I will cut you,” Vi muttered, without taking her eyes off the hilltop.
“That isn’t what I was going to ask!” she protested, but the false cheer in her voice made her a liar. “Not only,” she amended.
“Uh huh.” Vi sighed. “How much longer now?”
“Five minutes,” Killian said, preoccupying himself by nipping lazily at the column of Juliette’s neck.
They couldn’t leave. At least, that was what Maraveet told them. They had to wait for the exact right moment, which
seemed like it would never arrive. But that wasn’t even remotely the least odd command they’d been given as Maraveet shooed them away from the property and told them not to come back.
“Are you sure no one’s home?” she asked anxiously. “Did all the men leave last night when you told them to?”
“I watched them all leave,” Killian promised. “By the time they return, we’ll be gone.”
“What about Frank?”
“Frank left too. He wasn’t happy about it, but I told him I wanted the house to myself and he was to return the next morning.”
Juliette lifted her eyes up to his face. “He’s going to be devastated when he arrives and—”
“Frank’s smart. He’ll know and he’ll be okay. It’s time for him to retire anyway. Move to the Bahamas or something and find a girlfriend.”
“Does it have to be your house?” She sighed. “Mine is—”
The explosion ripped through the silence with a deafening boom that rocked the entire hill. Chunks of debris burst from the head of the great, crimson cloud and rained below. Black and red tangled together against the flawless blue in a war of fire and smoke clashing for dominance. Killian’s beautiful manor crumbled like a house of cards to the ground, leaving nothing but hungry flames to devour what was left.
Juliette cried out. Her hands flew to her mouth to stifle the rest. Killian’s arms tightened around her. His heart remained steady against her back even while hers raced. He nuzzled the side of her head with his face.
“Come,” he murmured into her ear. “Let’s go.”
“Maraveet … she was up there…”
“She’s long gone. Trust me.”
He pulled open her door and gently tucked her inside. He never even paused to glance back as he circled the hood and got behind the wheel. They set off without speaking a word as everything he had ever known burned in the rear view mirror.
It was hours and miles later as they abandoned the steel and glass of the city for the flat nothing of the country that Juliette finally turned to him.
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