Page 21 of Graveyards & Greed

I slid around him, and this time he let me go. After filling a cup with crushed ice and water, I made my way back to Luna’s room, cursing under my breath for getting caught up in Drakos's gravitational pull. The fluorescent lights buzzed a little too loudly, and the smell of antiseptic was once again overwhelming. I pushed open the door and found Roman sitting on the bed next to a sleeping Luna. The room felt... different, and I detected a hint of aftershave or cologne that hadn’t been in the air before.

“Who was here?”

Roman glanced at me. “A doctor stopped by.”

My eyes narrowed. “Her physician went home hours ago.”

He stood and pulled his wallet, keys, and phone out of his pockets, then placed them on the bedside table. He slipped off his shoes and sat on Luna’s bed. “It must have been the on-duty doctor then.”

“When are you leaving?”

“I’m not, since Lionel Strack still hasn’t been apprehended. He’s the man who assaulted her. Don’t worry, you can keep the chair.” He lay on the bed next to Luna but didn’t get under the covers. I stared at him for a few seconds and sighed. It wouldn’t hurt to have him here too. I reclined the chair and finally drifted off.

A loud clatter in the bathroom woke me the next morning, and light stabbed at my eyelids. My body was a catalog of aches. Looking around, I noticed Roman’s wallet and phone were still on the bedside table. My back felt stiff, and I stood and stretched until I heard Luna’s raised voice in the bathroom. Knocking on the door, I stuck my head in.

“You okay in here?”

Luna turned to me, her face pale and her eyes wide. The bruise on her face stood out in sharp relief. “No. I mean, yes. God, I don’t know. Physically, I’m okay.”

Luna leaned heavily on the bathroom counter and raised her left hand. “It appears Roman and I got married last night.” I stared at the glint of metal on Luna's finger and realized it was a wedding ring with an enormous emerald.

Slowly, I pushed the bathroom door wide and stared at Roman. “What inthe fuckdid you do, Fowler? Son of a…” I trailed off, my voice a hoarse whisper. And then I started yelling. “Married? You fucking asshole. Why would you do that? You’re, what, ten years older than her? You are such abastard!”

The only thing that kept me from trying to rip Roman Fowler’s head off that morning was Luna. She clung to the bathroom sink with both hands and Roman, damn him, stood there and made a solid case for wanting to keep her safe.

Hours later, I was still fuming. “I hate your guts, and I want to castrate Drakos Creed,” I muttered to him as he tucked Luna into his vehicle to take her home. My heart hurt when I thought about my conversation with Drakos last night, and I wanted to call Fennick and dump this all on him because I could not be objective.

Frustration buzzed through me as I took Luna’s hands in mine. “I’m coming over to check on you—frequently.” Then I turned to Roman. “If you hurt her in any way, I’ll make your death slow and painful.”

He nodded. “Understood. She needs a safe place to rest and recover, and I can give her that.”

“There are other ways to cause someone pain besides just physically.Don’t hurt her.”

Before pulling out of the hospital parking garage, I took a few angry breaths and called FUCK, Legal. I lied about who I was, and the uptight receptionist patched me through to Drakos’s office phone.

“Creed.” He rumbled out his last name, and his voice was a smooth stroke of dark velvet even through the phone. But right then, I hated the man with every fiber of my being.

“You're going to tell me everything you know about why Roman Fowler wanted Luna as his intern, and why she’s nowmarriedto him.” My heart jackhammered in my chest, betrayal seething through my veins.

“Just breathe, sweetheart. It’s not what you think.”

“Breathe?Luna is my sister in all but blood. You think I'm going to let this slide?”

There was a pause on the line, and I could almost hear him plotting. “The man who attacked Luna is unstable, dangerous, and works for a drug cartel. Roman stepped in to protect her, and just like Luna is a sister to you, Roman is my brother. I’d die for that mean, grumpy fucker. I’m sorry I deceived you last night. Believe me when I say that, but time was of the essence. The marriage is a cover, a legal shield to keep her safe and under our protection. I detained you to give Roman time, but Lollipop, we both know that kiss hadnothingto do with Roman and Luna.” His words hit me like a gut punch, knocking some of the wind and fury out of me.

“You never answered my question about why Fowler wanted Luna as his intern.”

He exhaled, suddenly sounding tired. “Roman and Luna need to talk first, but trust us to keep her safe. She gets the benefit of our security team and his name. It's temporary, and you’re smart and savvy enough to know this is in her best interest. None of this changes my promise.”

“What promise?” I ground out.

“That I’m still coming for you.” Then he hung up.

Chapter 10

Sylvie

Drakos sent me another gift. When I returned from Roman’s house later that week after checking on Luna again, my phone beeped with a text. I checked it and saw our part-time driver, Hank, parked outside with a body delivery. He pulled into the garage, parked, and got out to help me unload.

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