Page 120 of Monsters Wear Crowns
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RAFE
I stood on the edge of the patio, watching her. My chest still ached from the way she’dlookedat me during dinner like I was something special. Something real. And now here she was, bathed in gold, laughing like her heart had never known grief.
The stars fell above us, burning wildly through the cosmos. And for a second, I couldn’t fucking breathe.
She wasso alive.
She spun, arms out, hair flying. Light caught the curve of her smile and the tips of her lashes, and I knew–I’d never forget this.
Not even if the world came for me tomorrow. This woman… she’d let me inside her in every way. She’d begged for it. And still, somehow, she remained untouched by my darkness. Or maybe she wasn’t untouched at all–maybe she’d simply survived it. Maybe she’d chosen towantme anyway.
That thought undid me. I moved toward her without realizing it, drawn like a tide to the moon. My arms wrapped around her waist from behind, her warmth folding into mine like she was made to fit there. Her laugh echoed against my throat, light and breathless.
“You’re beautiful,” I said, because anything more honest would’ve wrecked me.
She leaned into me, soft and trusting. “I never thought I’d feel like this again. Like I can actually let go.”
That made me go still. Because I knew what her walls were. I’d seen them in her eyes the first night, when she’d worn red lipstick and loneliness like armor. I’d heard them in the sharp edges of her voice. And now… she was handing me the keys.
I didn’t deserve it. But fuck, I was going to keep them anyway. I turned her in my arms and kissed her. Not to take, for once. Not to consume. But tofeel.
Her mouth opened under mine like a night-blooming flower. She tasted like wine and wonder and a kind of hope I didn’t have a name for. The patio lights blinked around us, catching in her hair in flickering gold.
I pulled back just enough to see her.
She wasglowing. And somethingcrackedinside me.I loved her.It was a truth that rang through my ribs like a gunshot.I fucking loved her.
And for the first time in my miserable, goddamn life… I wanted to be better. Not for me. But for her. For this. For stars, late-night kisses, and how she looked at me like I wasworthsaving.
“Come back inside,” I whispered against her mouth.
She nodded, her blue eyes widening in a way that made me want to kneel before her. But I took her hand and led her back toward the glow of the patio lights. My life had been built on blood, silence, and ruin. But tonight, I held something so lovely and pure.
Chapter 23
ADELA
The past week had beenquiet. Almost too quiet. No messages from Moreau. No surprise attacks. No signs that the storm circling us was about to crack open the sky again.
It felt unnatural.
I had gone to work each day, handling high-profile clients, security upgrades, and board meetings that left me exhausted by the time I came home. Rafe had been around, butdistracted. And for the past few nights, he’d been gone late–out at mysterious meetings that he refused to elaborate on.
Tonight was no different.
I leaned against the kitchen island, swirling my glass of water as Kieran stood by the stove, finishing off his own late-night snack. He was relaxed, black hair tied into a messy bun, dressed down in a simple black tee, his gun still strapped to his side–because, of course, even in casual moments, he was prepared. Whenever Rafe wasn’t around, I was being guarded.
“Where is he?” I asked, keeping my tone casual.
Kieran didn’t look up as he set his plate in the sink. “Business meeting.”
I rolled my eyes. “Obviously.But with who?”
His lips quirked. “Ask him yourself.”
I sighed, crossing my arms. “They always go late. And he doesn’t take the usual convoy.”
