“What could she possibly have to say now that would make any difference in my life? The life she ruined?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
I tossed the packet to her. “Then you read it.”
She pushed it back to me. “It’s for you.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Don’t be so stubborn.”
“Not. Just don’t want to.”
“It’s okay to be scared.”
I jumped off the sofa. “I’m not fucking scared!”
“Then prove it!”
We glared at each other for several seconds and she backed down, raising her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. It’s your right to refuse.”
I sank back onto the sofa. “I’m sorry for being a dick.”
“Which time?”
I laughed even though I wanted to cry. “Every time.”
“Fair enough. I accept your apology.”
“You really don’t have to.”
She placed her hand on my shoulder, the tears in her eyes bringing tears to mine. “We both need to forgive each other and ourselves.”
I did cry then. And after she was gone, I read my mother’s final letter and sobbed some more.
CHAPTER 20
SIERRA
Two months later…
Enzo’s kisses were addictive and delicious, like dark chocolate and whiskey as his tongue swept through my mouth. Riley’s touch was possessive and urgent, and my body arched to press my breasts deeper into his hands. Torin thread his hands through Enzo’s hair and pulled him away from my mouth. He kissed roughly before crashing his mouth onto mine like a stormy sea crashing against the shore.
Our sweat-slicked bodies pushed against each other in a dance of power and surrender. Every stroke, every groan, every soft gasp made the others harder, their movements more frenzied, as the musky smell of their arousal filled the air, sending my senses into overload. Skin on skin, we reveled in our shared passion like an ancient orgy, gluttons for the connection that only grew stronger with each encounter.
We switched positions so that Enzo lay on the bed, filling my ass, his thrusts pushing my hips up to meet Heath’s cock as it slammed inside me over and over until he filled me with his hot cum, fully marking me as his. As Heath came, Enzo growled in his throat, his long fingers held onto my waist as he thrust deeper into me. Torin’s moan vibrated through my core as Riley took him from behind. The closer Riley came to finishing, the harder Tor’s fingers dug into my skin, leaving bruises that only made me want more.
Our limbs entwined, our fluids mingled, our breaths drew ragged. The air around us crackled with magic as if fueled by our passion. It was sensual, dangerous and raw. This was no sweet love-making; it was primal and intense, fueled by the adrenaline of ever-present danger and the fear of losing each other.
When the afterglow came, it was a blissful void where we clung to one another, our hearts racing, our bodies trembling from the exertion. I closed my eyes, taking it all in - the taste of their kisses, the feel of their skin, the sound of their hearts pounding. It was a type of heaven I’d feared I’d lost forever until the day Heath read his mother’s letter.
It was touch and go, according to him. At a first glance, it appeared just another copy of Daniel’s list, may the traitor rot in hell. It wasn’t until Heath accidentally had given himself a papercut and bled on the document that the list changed, revealing his mother’s letter and the true DNA database. The secret of her revenge, and the extent of Daniel’s blackmail and involvement with Maroni.
I touched Heath’s sleepy face, loving the feel of stubble against my palm and the warm smile that spread his lips as he nuzzled against my hand. I couldn’t stop touching him, loving the miracle that brought us out of a hell of pain, guilt, and constant nausea due to memories of what we’d thought were forbidden desires.
Helene’s revenge for her husband’s affair with my mother was to have one with a regular human of her own – Heath’s real father. Harold would never have known—though he suspected, but couldn’t prove it, thanks to Helene and Daniel’s deception.
I still hated her for that but was grateful she came clean in the end so that I could freely be with one of the men I loved – no ick in sight.
I stretched among them, warm and content. Although I wouldn’t be fully happy until we finally found Artemis and Apollo, got rid of Daniel and any remaining traitors and Dark Ones. Then, I could look forward to a lifetime of happiness in a fully renovated mansion with the rest of my family. I even planned on asking Mrs. Foust to join us. She deserved a great retirement. In the meantime, I was grasping any happiness I could get with both hands.
The sound of the doorbell made all five of us flinch and groan. Who dared interrupt our plans of marathon sex today?
“Who could that be?” Enzo asked what I’d just been wondering. His brows were drawn as he rose to jerk on some clothes.
“Only one way to find out,” I said as the rest of us joined him to see who had shown up.
I was just rounding the staircase when Enzo’s voice of disbelief came up the stairs.
“Artemis? Apollo?”
I ran down the stairs, two or three at a time, squealing and nearly bowling them over as they stood in the doorway.
“May we come in?” Artemis asked, her tone guarded, as she extricated herself from my crushing grasp. Her brother stood behind her, already having escaped, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Of course, of course!” I moved back to let them in, and wiped away happy tears as the other guys joined us in the hallway.
Heath’s words halted my overrunning excitement. “How did you get past the wards?” he asked.
