Page 171 of Monsters Wear Crowns
He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair like he was trying to pull the storm out of his skull. “You want me to say I’ll walk away? That I’ll leave you the fuck alone?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
He leaned in, forearms braced against the mattress, his face so close I could feel the heat of his breath. His voice dropped, low and rough. “That’s not gonna happen, little doe. I can’t unlove you. I can’t pretend you didn’t crawl under my skin and brand yourself into every fucking part of me.”
He paused, jaw tight, his eyes burning with something fierce. “You stayed with me. After everything I did. After I broke something sacred in you.” His hand curled into the sheets like he was holding himself back. “And still, you gave me your heart like it wasn’t the most dangerous thing I could ever touch. You made me feel human. You gave me something to lose.”
His voice cracked just slightly, and he let out a shaky breath. “That’s why I’ll do the work. I’ll face my demons. I’ll fucking drag them to therapy if I have to. Because I don’t want to be a monster in your eyes anymore.”
My jaw dropped. A startled, incredulous laugh bubbled out of me. “You? Therapy?”
He smiled, that dimple appearing on his cheek. “I love you, Adela. Of course, I will.”
My throat tightened. Part of me wanted him to walk away from me for good. But the other part...it couldn’t see a life without him. I’d never be free of him. I didn’twantto be.
Rafe had carved himself into my soul. And monsters didn’t let go of what they claimed. I reached up, curled my fingers in the collar of his shirt, and pulled him down until his forehead rested against mine.
“I know,” I whispered, melting under his icy gaze. “I love you, too.”
His hands came up, framing my face. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
I shut my eyes, butterflies wracking my chest at those words. “I’m glad for that.”
Outside, the rain kept falling. The city still belonged to us. And when he kissed me, I felt like I truly had survived the clutches of death and was saved. Not by an angel, but by the devil. Because loving him wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows. I knew that. There would be enemies and trouble at many turns in life. He was one of the most prolific criminals in New York City.
And he was mine.
***
The city spread before us, bathed in gold, rising as the sun melted into the horizon. The rooftop cocktail lounge was quiet at this hour, private. It was just us and the sky, a perfect ending to the war we had survived.
I took a sip of my drink, the crisp burn of whiskey warming my throat. Rafe sat beside me, his jacket draped over the back of his chair, his black shirt sleeves rolled up, the top two buttons undone. He looked like sin and sovereignty, power lounging on a throne of leather and steel. I grinned to myself, standing to walk over to our ledge. We had made good memories here. Our firstrealmeeting. The night we tangled in danger, when I let him get just close enough to ruin me. It was fitting that we had returned now that we had finally won. He joined me, leaning his elbows on the stone.
“This is where you stole my soul,” I said quietly, a soft breeze blowing my hair back.
He smiled, glancing down over the drop where he laid me out. “This is where you stole mine.”
I couldn’t help but nudge closer, nestling under an arm.
He lifted his glass, studying the amber liquid before smirking. “Since Moreau is gone, I’ve absorbed several of his clients.”
I arched a brow. “So the empire expands?”
He hummed, swirling his drink. “A necessary evolution. But I prefer the termunion.” His gaze flicked to mine. “Your empire. Mine. No lines drawn between us.”
There was a time when I would have scoffed at that. I had builtSinclair Solutionsfrom where my father left off and clawed my way to the top without help, without anyone to lean on. But now, with Rafe sitting beside me, the thought of ruling together didn’t feel like losing myself.
It felt inevitable.
A slow smile spread across my lips. “A union.”
His smirk deepened. “A formidable one.”
I leaned back, drinking him in, my Rafe–the Dark Monster I had feared, fought, and, in the end,chosen.He looked relaxed, but I knew the steel beneath his composure, the darkness that lurked just beneath his devotion to me. I had fallen in love with every part of him.
He reached for my hand, threading his fingers through mine. The sun’s last light turned his eyes into molten gold. “I’ve never committed to a woman before you,” he said, voice rough, sincere. “I’ve neverloveda woman before you.”
I swallowed, my pulse skipping.
