Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 251(@200wpm)___ 201(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 251(@200wpm)___ 201(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
He was hanging from the statue’s spear.
Agony flooded through him—the worst pain he’d ever experienced. Blood started pouring from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. Darkness swarmed his vision from all sides, but Frankie clung to consciousness, refusing to give in.
This was not in his plans. He would not lose.
Titus winced as a mental command sliced through his thoughts.
Leave Enzo. He cannot die today. Titus wanted to argue with Alaric’s demand, but the Elder’s power compelled him to follow the order.
Darius and Bram have emptied all his accounts and left him with nothing. That will be enough for now. You do not want your chosen mate to see you kill her brother. That will not be a good beginning for you both.
Alaric was right, of course, as he always was. Redirecting his anger, Titus walked toward Frankie. He focused on the man who had threatened his mate as he put distance between himself and Enzo. He hesitated as Alaric spoke again, and his steadying voice echoed through Titus’s mind.
Do whatever you wish with that one.
Titus stood in front of Frankie, savoring the pain in the man’s eyes. When the man’s suffering had satisfied a bit of his need for revenge, Titus reached up to grab Frankie’s skull. He grinned at the dying man before ripping Frankie’s head off the man’s shoulders to end his life. This will have to do.
A faint smile of satisfaction curved his lips as Titus turned to see Enzo crawling from the gruesome scene. Conri hoisted the Costa heir off the ground by his crumpled and stained blazer. Enzo’s power suit was rendered into pathetic tatters.
Holding him easily in the air, Conri plucked a leaf from his tangled hair and asked, “What shall I do with him?”
Titus studied the mess around him. “Drop him by the front gate. I think he’s had enough for now.” He turned and made his way back to Alessia, stripping off his T-shirt to use the clean patches to wipe the blood off. He gathered her in his arms and held her close.
“You were to stay inside, Little mate. You didn’t need to see any of this.”
Alessia looked up to him with tears in her eyes. “I know, but I had to do something! Then Frankie grabbed me, and everything went wrong. I’m sorry, Daddy.”
Titus brushed aside her tears. “We will talk about this when you have recovered. I need to make sure you’re okay. Come with me, Alessia.” Turning her from the bloody scene below, he led her into the house. The others would take out the trash.
Chapter
Fifteen
Titus snarled at each tiny scratch or scrape that marred Alessia’s skin as he cleaned and treated her injuries. Her fingers smoothed over the wrinkles marring his forehead. Looking up, he met her gaze. She cupped his jaw and leaned forward to kiss him tenderly. The exchange seemed to reach into his heart, enchanting him.
“I’m okay, Daddy.”
“I should have killed him,” Titus snarled.
“No. You punished him more than a quick end. Enzo has no money and no men. Intimidation and violence formed the backbone of his power. He has nothing now,” Alessia said. She was surprised to feel sorry for Enzo. Not anger, but pity for him.
“That’s still too much,” Titus snapped.
Her Daddy wasn’t lashing out at her. Enzo had endangered her. Only Alaric’s intervention had kept him from killing her brother. Nothing she could have said would have swayed him from that goal. She hated what Enzo had become but remembered the relationship they’d had as kids. Alessia wanted to believe that part of Enzo was inside him. Somewhere.
On the other hand, the fact that Frankie no longer posed a threat to her was an immense relief. For years, her skin had crawled at the sight of him. That sensation had only gotten more sickening once he’d set his sights on claiming her for himself. The idea of being intimate with him had given her nightmares.
Shaking off those horrible visual images, Alessia studied Titus’s handsome face, now clouded with anger and concern. Wishing to pull him from the negative thoughts of the past several hours, she gasped theatrically as he dabbed at her next injury. Immediately, concern superseded his anger. Titus appeared to push away his plans for revenge as he focused on her.
“My apologies, Little mate. I hate causing you pain, but I have to clean these wounds so they don’t fester.”
She sniffed sadly as she nodded. “I know, Daddy. Thank you for keeping me safe.”
A knock on the study door drew their attention. Alessia turned in her chair to stare behind her. Marcus filled the doorway. “Can Carina and I come in?”
“You are always welcome,” Titus greeted him. He dabbed at one last spot before dropping the cotton pad into the trash bin. Alessia breathed a sigh of relief to have someone deflect her Daddy’s attention.