Alessio"How the hell did you find out about the vineyard?"He gives me a confident smile and I realize I'm right."I have a special penchant for getting information. I might be on a par with your lady friend there, or slightly better. She left a trace here and there but I cleaned it up."I raise my brows. "You can hack?" Or maybe it's a little more than that if he can detect Gytha's traces. She's not messy in the least."It's my thing but I don't announce it. Sometimes it's better when people don't know everything about you. That way you can keep more things to yourself.""Do the others know?""Malik. Not Richard."I could have guessed that. Zakh seems closer to Malik than to Richard. It was just something I picked up on when we were at the wedding."Leif knows too," he adds."I guess that's why he wants me to get to know you guys.""I suppose so. He wants us to get to know you too.""What's your take on that?" I've never cared one way or the other about being a part of them. I alway
AlessioI rest my hands on the windowpane, gazing at the beautiful, platinum-haired Valkyrie sitting by the poolside.I'm standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor and she's completely unaware of my presence.I'm home in the breath of a break to see Camille for two reasons.The first is my dick misses her mouth. The second is to give her my engagement ring. Jayce is on his way with it now.I've used the ring as the perfect excuse to come home and kill two birds with one clever idea. As I'm heading out to L.A. within the hour, I needed to get my fill.Camille is reading what looks like a boring-as-fuck textbook. The sight of its thick pages turn my stomach, but the woman holding it makes the whole studious bookworm look sexy. Especially while wearing those black-rimmed fuck-me-I'm-a-hot-librarian glasses.A blue skater dress clings to her body, lifting her tits and showing off smooth thighs. The only thing I don't like is that bun on top of her head.She wears her ha
Alessio"Need I remind you that everything is mine?"Her eyes blaze and I can see she wants to tell me to go fuck myself, but by Odin is she holding back."What do you want, Alessio?""You know what I want." I give her a shit-eating grin that makes her cheeks flush and her ice-blue eyes darken with desire."This is ridiculous.""Bad girls deserve to be punished, don't you think?""You never said how long this stupid punishment would last.""No. I didn't." I give her a measured stare. "I figured we have so much fun, why stop now?""You're such an asshole.""Yes, I am. Anyway, before we get down to business, we have another matter to tend to."She swallows hard. "What is it?""Come here to me."She thinks for a moment, then moves, her steps hesitant.I swivel my chair to face her and retrieve the ring box from my pocket. Her eyes round when she looks at it, then her gaze drifts up to meet mine."What is that?"I flick the box open, revealing the ring inside.Surprise washes over her fac
CamilleI'm at Raventhorn University, sitting under the oak tree near the quad with Lorelai and our friends Willow and Eilish, who we met at the start of our freshman year.We've just finished our classes for the day and are hanging out like we usually do until it's time to leave.With the radiant afternoon sun beaming down on us, this could be the perfect day.Three weeks ago, I would have done anything for this oh-so-normal opportunity, with normal conversations like the latest campus gossip Lorelai is filling us in on. But I have so much going on in my life, my head could implode.Everything has come at me in a vicious circle—Alessio, Dad, the crest, Richard, and the wedding, which is now eleven days away.In the sea of so much chaos, I've been thinking about Alessio more than anything. And I can't get him out of my head.He's been gone now for twelve days. His trip ran over, and he's expected to return in a few days' time.Instead of the break I thought I was going to get from him
CamilleOur conversation is interrupted by the loud roar of a motorcycle engine ripping through the air. The sound commands the attention of everyone around us, and we give it because motorcycles aren't allowed on this section of the campus.There's a massive sign saying so right at the entrance of the driveway.Despite that, the biker dressed in full black continues up the path, not caring who he's upsetting or which rule he's breaking.Lorelai smirks when he guns the engine louder and tears up the hill like he's riding out of a Mission Impossible film."Someone's asking for trouble." She laughs."I think it's more the case of begging for it." There are a ton of badass guys who come here, but they know that the kind of trouble they'd get in with the dean or even the Pakhan isn't worth it.This guy clearly doesn't care.When he gets closer and I take note of his familiar muscular build, my nerves spike.The bike stops at the edge of the hill, a little over twenty feet away from us.My
CamilleAt the sight of Richard, my throat goes dry and panic rattles my brain.Although Gytha is standing next to him, I don't really see her.All I see is him.Him dressed in his usual attire which, minus the leather, isn't that much different to Alessio's style. Like Alessio, Richard wears dark clothes, but he looks like my Richard.The same one I loved all my life and counted down the days to marrying.That familiar air of authority and desire to protect me emanates from his presence, and he still looks at me with the same adoration."What the hell are you doing here?" Alessio's angry voice rips into my daze and I shudder from deep within. The playfulness we shared moments ago is gone and the ruthless devil is back once again.He drops my hand like a steel weight and when he marches up to Richard, I instantly realize this is my fault. My one and only text weeks ago resulted in this visit. This is around about the time Richard said he would drop by. I just never had a date or hour,
AlessioI can't remember the last time someone pushed me to this level of rage.I'm furious Richard is here. And I heard what he said to Camille.He told her he loved her and sold her a vision of the future any girl would give her soul for. Dreams, children. A life.A nomad like me who came from an unstable home, watched his mother die, and prefers the company of the sea couldn't offer a girl like her anything of the sort.I don't have dreams, and I can't see a future. When I try to, all I see there is darkness and doom.I know, in whatever is left of my heart, that's because his father—our father—took my mother away from me. She was my home.Richard stands and stares at me head on, squaring his shoulders like he's ready for the fight I want to give him, but he doesn't know there's no way back when you fight me."Like to see me try? Really?" His nostrils flare. "Well I already am trying.""She's mine and you're not getting her back." I move forward and Camille shoots up to step in fro
AlessioCamille's grip tightens on my arm and the feel of her desperation sinking into me is what makes me the loser, and I lower my gun.Richard's unwavering smile becomes triumphant and he straightens, hardening his stare."Get the fuck out of my house." I don't know how I can speak. "And don't contact Camille ever again. Stay the fuck away from her.""As you wish, brother." That's the first time he's called me that and his words were dripping with poison. He looks at Camille and I hate, hate, hate the sparkle that enters his eyes. "Baby, remember what I said. I mean it. I'm still fighting for you."With that, he walks out, and she lets my arm go.The sound of the front door closing moments later pierces the tension and I turn to face Camille, who looks pale and frail like she might pass out.The two of us are filled with so much indignation it's hard to believe we're the same guy and girl who walked into this house not even half an hour ago.Her gaze falls to my gun still hanging l