Page 32 of Dragonfly

She’s not the first. I doubt she’ll be the last. But, usually, when one of my enemies tries to take me out, I at least understand why. Either because they’re a rival, they want to move in on my territory, or it’s an attempt at revenge because of something the Dragonflies did.

What’s Savannah’s story? I saw the look in her pretty brown eyes before she stabbed me. They went from heavy-lidded and seductive to full of hate in a heartbeat. In that moment, she wanted me dead more than anything else in the world.

At first, I thought she might be a hired assassin. The mysterious man behind the snowflake might’ve put her up to it. I doubted it was Lincoln; that’s not his style. But there are countless wannabes who think that, if I’m gone, they can step into my shoes. Putting a woman in front of me who’s that stunning… I’m only human. I’m only a man. She’s just my type, and when she went for blood, I was done for.

She’s already occupied my thoughts these last few months just because she was watching me so closely. I hesitate to call it an obsession, but when I stroked my cock to thoughts of who she might be, why she was always there… I was already attracted to her.

Then she tried to kill me, and she handed me the perfect opportunity to finally make her mine.

I meant what I told her before, though. This battle between us, it’s between us. If she targets Vincent of Genevieve? She’s dead. If she tries to escape me and her punishment? She’ll regret it.

But if I can wear this woman down, find out what it is that had her willing to throw her life away if only to take mine… that’s exactly what I’m going to do, and that’s no business but my wife and I.

My cousin doesn’t get that yet.

“That’s my point. This girl knifed you with your own fucking knife and you marry her? You know I’ve never once doubted you, but?—”

My cousin doesn’t get that yet—but he will.

I give Vin a small smile. “Then I’d suggest you don’t start now. I’m still the head of this Family. I make the decisions. I give the orders. I expect you to do what you’re told.”

In the entire Family, there are two people who get a pass on talking back. Both have Libellula as a surname, but I mean it when I say that I’m in charge—and they know it.

Vin nods sheepishly. “Yeah. Sorry.”

Better. “I have a couple of arrangements to take care of. Stay here. Make sure she doesn’t leave this room. You can head to bed when I get back.”

“You don’t want me to help?”

Normally, I would. Vin is the one I rely on for everything—but, right now, the most important thing to me is for him to keep an eye on Savannah.

Genevieve is upstairs, annoyed with me and probably still thinking it’s hysterical that I married Savannah after she proved to be one of the first people ever to stand up to me and get away with it. Inside my room, my wife is probably already plotting her escape. I need my cousin right where he is.

“Trust me, Vin. You already are.”

ELEVEN

BED AND BREAKFAST

SAVANNAH

Inever meant to fall asleep, and when the careful clearing of a throat somewhere above me has me jolting awake, I want to curse that I was caught so unaware.

Because there’s Damien. His suit fresh—and no longer bloody. His black hair with its silver streak is damp yet perfectly combed. He smells of a musky cologne that goes right to my head, and he’s crouched down so close to me, he could’ve slit my throat and I never would’ve seen it coming.

“Good morning, ragna mia.”

Good morning, asshole.

I rub my eyes, hoping it’ll make him look more like an ogre instead of a distinguished mobster. No dice. He looks too good, giving me one reason to add to the ever-growing list of reasons I have to kill this smooth motherfucker.

The fact that he’s smiling happily as I glare at him is another.

And it’s all my fault.

Last night, I didn’t know what to do. Escape seemed pretty fucking obvious, especially when he left to go after his sister. I mean, I can’t stay here. There are a thousand reasons why, but having my new ‘husband’ fuck my mouth, then leave me behind to chase after another woman… I still wanted to kill him, but torn between feeling embarrassed and furious, every instinct inside of me was thrumming to get the hell out of here while I might be able to.

Assuming he’s not full of shit when he calls her his sister, I figured that might be my chance. Then they actually had the world’s most awkward conversation to overhear before she went to bed and my fucking wonderful ‘husband’ set a guard dog at my door.

---