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“Stay away from Juliet, Jagger. And the rest of my family too.” King rolls his shoulders and rubs at his hand, the knuckles red and swollen.
“You can have the traitorous little bitch. She’s dead to me.” My brother stares straight at me, his left eye puffy, almost swollen shut. A thin line of blood trickles from his nose. Then he screws up his lips and spits on the floor.
King springs toward Jagger, but he bolts out the door. We follow right behind, watching his every move to make sure he’s actually leaving and not planting a bomb or letting an entire rat colony loose.
“See you around, Prince!” Jagger mocks King as he jogs down the stairs, middle finger extended high in the air. He hops into the fancy Porsche, revving the engine so loudly it vibrates the entire building before he peels out of the lot.
“How’d Jagger get a Porsche?” King furrows his brow, staring at the trail of exhaust Jagger left behind.
I shrug. “Who the hell knows? Probably stole it on his way over here.”
“I can’t believe you’re related to that scumbag.” King shakes his hand, flexing and stretching his fingers.
“I know. Sorry.” I gnaw my bottom lip, the familiar wave of hot shame rolling through me. Much as I try to distance myself from my brothers, I can’t seem to break free of their toxic grip.
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that.” King wraps his arms around my waist, his hands resting on my lower back.
I swallow hard over the lump in my throat, the adrenaline rush fading, replaced with sour, acidic regret. Regret over my last name and all the bullshit that comes with me.
“Jules ...” King cups my jaw, tipping my head up to meet his serious gaze. “You don’t have to worry about them anymore. I promise you that. I’ve got you. What’s more, my entire family’s got you.”
Lightness fills my chest, tension seeping from my tight muscles as King holds me in his strong arms. I let his words sink in, penetrate the armor I’ve built up over the years as a Capelli.
“Thank you.” The quiet, simple words don’t feel like enough. Not big enough, strong enough, powerful enough to share the entirety of how I feel.
Protected. Safe. Wanted.
Loved.
King bends down, brushing his lips with mine, and I know this is right.
This is forever.
Nothing—and no one—is going to keep us apart this time.
A loud snap from the apartment shocks us back to reality. We sprint into the living room, high-pitched shrieks and squeals coming from the rat trap. Inside sits the furry gray rodent, his tiny pink paws raised, his beady little black eyes staring at us.
He bears a striking resemblance to Jagger.
“Well, we got one problem taken care of.” King walks over to the trap and kneels, making sure the door’s secure. “Don’t worry, little guy. We’ll let you loose. Just not in the apartment, okay?”
A shudder rips through me, followed by cool relief. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about rat paws running over me as I pack up my stuff.
“Thanks for catching the rat. I’ll get my clothes; then we can head out.”
King glances up at me, nodding. “Let me know if you need help.”
“No, just keep your eye on the intruder. I can handle the rest.”
King chuckles, his face breaking into a smile that reaches all the way to his eyes.
A smile I haven’t seen in forever, the same smile that melted my heart all those years ago.
I crouch down next to him, the rat right beside us. Our knees touching, I kiss King hard and fierce on the lips.
“I love you, King.”
“And I love you.” He tucks a stray hair behind my ear. “Now get going. We have a rat to set free.”
