Page 226 of Salvatore

“And?”

Her nose scrunches in a mix of frustration and something deeper. “And I thought I was going to lose you, and as strange as that is—” She rolls her eyes, the sarcasm thick. “—because I don’t even really like you that much… it messed with me… alot.”

“You don’t really like me,mi reina?”

She shrugs, battling a smirk. “Not really.”

“That’s funny, because I could’ve sworn I heard you say you loved me in that bunker.”

“That was probably a hallucination from the blood loss.”

“Is that so?” I tug her toward me, drawing her close. “Funny, because it didn’t feel like a hallucination. It felt like heaven.”

“That must’ve been some wildly violent slice of paradise when you had more injuries than a war veteran.”

“Anywhere with you is heaven, Ivy. I don’t care what state I’m in.”

This time her smile reaches her eyes, the warm glow in her cheeks like a shot of pure fucking adrenaline into my veins. But it’s not enough to distract me from what I need to know.

I place our entwined hands to my chest, right on top of my charcoal-riddled heart. “What about our child, Ivy?”

She stills, the abrupt shift rattling me, until her face softens, the tension in her features dissolving into a quiet resolve. “I’m being monitored.”

“Meaning what?”

“My doctor thinks the pregnancy might still be viable.”

A sharp pang hits my gut. “But Gabriel—he forced you?—”

“After you were taken from the bunker I made myself throw up… Well, I actually made myself continuously throw up for ten hours, because I was paranoid about the medication still being in my system. But I was told the second pill is usually needed to complete the abortion, and so far nothing alarming has happened. Nurses have been running regular blood tests to check my hormone levels, and it’s… looking promising.”

Looking promising.

No better words have ever been spoken.

I wrap a hand around her neck and drag her closer, stealing her mouth with my own.

I kiss the life I almost lost into her. I kiss my love. My devotion.

Then I lean back and rest my forehead against hers. “You promised me marriage,mi bella reina.And hallucination or not, Iwillbe holding you to it.”

“Okay,” she whispers against my lips.

“Okay?”

She nods. “Only if you insist.”

“Oh, I fucking insist, troublemaker. I want my ring on your finger and your body in my bed until the day I die.”

“Given you’re currently on death watch, I guess the prospect isn’t all that daunting.” Her eyes gleam as she beams at me. “But.” She places a lone finger to my sternum, adding slight pressure. “Just as long as you realize I expect somewhat of a normal relationship—honesty, transparency, and most of all, fidelity.”

“That goes without saying.”

“I hope so. Because cheating on me is easy, Salvatore Costa. But learning how to walk again after I shoot you in the kneecaps will be hard.”

I grin. “Understood.”

“I’m serious. If you make me regret my decision, I’ll dig up your dead grandmother and use her as a Halloween decoration. I won’t go down a path that leads to a life similar to what Gabriel had planned for me.”

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