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“Who took him? You’re not making any sense! You were attacked at Mateo’s estate, and someone took him? Who attacked you?” I reach forward and pull his chin in my direction in a bruising grip.If this asshole is playing games with me, I will murder him.
Diego’s green eyes, almost identical to Mateo’s except Diego’s are filled with untold horrors both suffered and committed. He’s pale and sweating; I can feel the fear coming from him in waves. He stares back at me with a strange look on his face. What is the look? Is it fear? Pity? Why would Diego pity me?
“He’s gone, Mia….”
My legs tremble below me, and they almost give out from underneath me. The only thing keeping me upright at the moment is my rough hold on Diego’s face. A loud sob leaves Raegan behind me at the same time I hear Carter’s anguished filled shout.
“Gone? How the fuck can he be gone? Gone where, motherfucker?” Theo grabs Diego’s shoulder and yanks his stare away from me.
“They took him, the men that came and attacked the house. My piece of shit uncle surrendered him to them. Mateo tried to fight back, he took a few of them down…then tried to break free of the two asswipes that were holding him…but they shot him.”
Bile races up my throat, my legs falter, and I almost hit the hardwood floor. The only thing stopping my nosedive is Carter grabbing me from behind and pulling me into his hard chest. I try to process the information I’m hearing. Someone attacked the Cabano estate, Mateo’s dad handed him over to the assailants, and he was shot trying to break free…he was shot.
“Is he…is he alive?” The words struggle to leave my mouth.
It’s like time stands still; my heart is pounding in my chest. I watch as a bead of sweat trickles down Diego’s hairline and leaves a dirty track down the side of his face.I can’t breathe. I CAN’T BREATHE!
“He’s gone, Mia. The shot was to the chest, near his heart…he went down hard…he wasn’t moving. They dragged him off….”
“Mia, we need to talk.” Mateo comes around the back patio corner, and I release a deep sigh. All I wanted was a moment of peace, so I could try to clear my head and steady my thoughts. One of them always finds me, though. Will it always be like this? Will I never get a moment to myself away from these kings of Casbury?
“What do we need to talk about, Mateo?” I smile at him, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. I’ve been tense since he and Finn announced they were heading home to their parents for the holidays. I don’t know what is wrong with me. You would think I would be overjoyed, two fewer kings in my home, but I’m not.
“Mia, what were you doing in Diego’s room the other night?”
His question has me immediately on the defensive. How did he know I was in Diego’s room? Did that fucker tell him? Does he know that I’m Amelia? No, If Mateo knew, the other kings would know too, and there is no way they wouldn’t have confronted me.
“I went to talk to him about Isabella.” It’s not a lie; I did go there to threaten him about Isabella.
“Isabella? That’s all you went in there to talk to him about?” A questioning look crosses his features. “Are you sure you don’t have feelings for him, Mia?”
A harsh laugh leaves my lips at just the thought. The only feelings I have for Diego Cabano are loathing and rage. I want to see him lose almost as much as I want to see Vincent Saint-Lambert die. I reach up and swipe my thumb between his furrowed eyebrows. Mateo is jealous, and I think I kinda like it.
“You have nothing to worry about, Latin lover. Your cousin is repulsive to me, inside and out.” A genuine smile graces my lips, and I lean up and kiss his high cheekbone.
He turns his face until my lips are on his, one of his hands finding its way into the hair at my nape and pulling me closer to his body. My lips part for him, and he sweeps his tongue into my mouth. The kiss is tender and sweet; Mateo always holds me like I’m precious to him.
He breaks the kiss and stares down into my eyes. That questioning look reappears across his features. His eyes shining with hope and … fear? “No one has ever cared about me but the guys, Mia. I need to know if you have real feelings for me or if this is just some game we are playing.”
I try to step back from his hold, needing some distance to breathe. I know everyone that was supposed to love him has treated him like shit. His parents are neglectful bastards, and I know he suffers from abandonment issues, thanks to them. His mental health issues stem from how they treated him and the fact that he had no one. Even when we were kids, he looked lonely. He was always the only kid whose parents never showed up to school for any parent events.
Mateo suffers from anxiety and depression; I know he self-harms and self-medicates with drugs and alcohol. The only people in his life who genuinely care about him are Carter, Theo and Finn…and now me.
I watch as he takes a shuddering breath and looks away, not meeting my eyes. My stomach drops, and a sharp pain fills my chest. I’ve hurt him without intending to.
“You know I care about you, Mateo; I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”
“I know you care, Mia, but that’s not what I’m asking. The four of us want you. We are willing to share you, despite it not being in our nature. I want you, Mia, not as a plaything or as a power play. I just want to be with you.”
“Mateo…I can’t deal with this right now.” The words almost choke me, leaving my lips.
“Is it because you only love Theo?” He holds his body rigid, waiting for the answer. The one I can’t possibly give him because I don’t know the answer myself. Do I only love Theo?
“I love you, Mia; I’ve never loved any girl before in my life, but I love you.”
Oh my God, did those words truly just leave his mouth? He loves me? I don’t even know what to say. Do I love him back? I care for him. I more than care for him, but is that love? Are you supposed to fall in love with your enemies?
I can’t breathe right now, I can hear the blood rushing in my ears and my sweat pouring off my body, even though the temperature outside is brisk. Only two men have ever told me they love me: my stepfather, Jared, and Raven. Jared, I believed wholeheartedly. Raven, I knew, was more of an infatuation than love.
