Page 161 of Nash

“I’m sorry.” Jace sits on the sofa beside me, wrapping his arm over my shoulder and tugging me near. Not like a lover. Not like a friend. I can’t describe our bond. “I know it hurts. It hurts like hell when love lets us down.”

My lips smush against his pec.God, does he eat steel Cheerios for breakfast?“Who let you down?” I ask. “Because I’ll kill a bitch for you.”

Grant chuckles. “Spoken like one of our true queens.”

But Jace doesn’t answer, and usually, I’d dig to know his secret, but I don’t have it in me.

“Can we just have some time?” I sigh. “Just leave me and Alena alone tonight. She was supposed to get married tomorrow, and having you all here makes it worse.”

“Okay.” Sire rises. “Let’s give them some peace.”

The other kings rise, turning to leave. I close my eyes and fall back on the sofa, hearing their heavy footsteps before the front door closes, and I set a mental timer for when I’ll go check on Alena.

“You know, the other morning…” But a deep voice shocks my eyes open. It’s Axel standing over me. “After our mission. Before I drove Nash back to The Mercier. He told me to make a stop.”

Slowly, he sits beside me, tenting his inked fingers. Malice is written all over Axel’s skin, but it’s not in his eyes. They’re suddenly kind when he tells me, “Nash paid a visit to your father. He confronted him at his golf club and told him he’s a deadbeat dad. That he should be grateful to have an amazing daughter like you.”

“What?” Shock grabs my heart. “What did my father say?”

“That he agreed. That he fucked up and doesn’t know how to fix it with you. That he’s always been proud of you and ashamed of himself.”

Easily, I can imagine Nash fighting for me, but I can’t imagine my father. I can’t see his bloated ego submitting to any man.

“Did Nash punch him or something?”

Axel grins.God, he’s so beautiful when he’s not a dick.

“Never. Nash would never disrespect you like that. Instead, he told your father it’s his choice to have a future with you. But for Nash? He told him that he was going to ask you to be his wife. That he would be honored to have a future and a family with you, and it was up to your father if he wanted to be a part of it.”

I chew my lip so hard, I want to bite it. I want to bleed with the overwhelming rush of love I feel. This doesn’t erase my childhood wounds, but now, because of Nash … they can start to heal.

All we need is one person who will fight for our love.

Maybe my father will start fighting for mine.

But Nash never stopped.

I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do.

Axel’s wintery eyes glow warm while he teases, “I love the sound you make when you finally shut up.”

I punch his arm, and he rubs it, grinning, before his face falls, casting his stare down the hall. “Is she okay?” he asks about Alena.

“Would you be?”

“No. I know what it feels like to lose love.”

Axel loved someone? Someone not blindfolded and forced to kneel on a pillow for him? “Who?”

“That’s a story for another day. Just…” he answers, rubbing his hands together. “Just tell Alena I asked about her. Tell her we love her, and it will be okay.”

I nod, expecting Axel to leave, but he surprises me. Tenderly, he cups my cheek, brushing his thumb over my new piercing. It’s not sexy or disrespectful. I can feel the reverence in his touch.

“For so long,” he says, “Nash has loved you from afar while I watched him suffer alone. I always knew you were his queen. So please, don’t throw away your love because he loved his daughter, too.”

With a chaste kiss on my cheek, he rises and silently leaves.

He leaves my world spinning. My head, too. I flop back again and close my eyes, processing all Axel shared about Nash and my father, too. And all Axel made me feel as well. Like I belong with Nash, with all of the kings and queens.

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