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I drag Gabriel from the car. “George will be in the study. I need you all there, too.”
It’s weird to return home after being away. The house feels alien. Or maybe it’s me who doesn’t fit any longer. I’ve never been away for long enough to miss the place before. As we move through the house, I find myself stopping at odd places to study the furniture. My skin prickles with unease.
Is that picture slightly askew? Did that vase always sit there? I swear I put those books away before we left…
I shake my head. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re still reeling from the break-in. Seven million people live in this house now, and they’re constantly moving stuff.
George looks up as the three of us crowd into Howard Malloy’s office. “You’re back, hooray.” Her face falls. “And you look serious. Go to bed. Don’t decide to murder anyone before you’ve had a decent night’s sleep.”
“We’re not murdering anyone.” I sag into one of the squishy office chairs. “Yet.”
Noah leans forward, cracking his knuckles. There’s a glint in his dark eyes that makes my panties wet. “Speak for yourself. You’re not the only one with a murder list. I’m going to eviscerate Cleo for that stunt she pulled on Gabe.”
“Cleo?” George’s lips purse with confusion.
“This isn’t about Cleo.” Eli stands at the edge of the desk, his fingers toying with George’s papers. Unlike Noah, he doesn’t relish the chance to spill blood. He looks worried, but determined – ready to wade in to fight for me if he has to. “It’s about what Claudia has to do.”
I glance at Eli in surprise. He dares a thin smile. I should’ve known that I couldn’t keep my thoughts secret from my Golden Boy. A protector like him will see the same in me.
Gabriel slouches against the wall. His hair flops over one eye. It’s criminal that he can look so damn fine after spending fourteen hours stuck inside a tin can.
Am I really going to do this? Am I ready to fuck up everything good in my life, to have them all walk away?
It doesn’t matter if I’m ready. This is for Antony, for family. For my father’s legacy.
I clear my throat.
“I’m going to stop my cousin from becoming the head of the August family,” I say.
“But that’s not what’s happening,” Noah frowns. “Antony said—”
“I know what he said, but he’s family and I know him better than he knows himself. He’s going to march into the Triumvirate meeting and announce himself as Brutus’ heir, and Nero and Constantine will either have him killed on the spot or they’ll let him do it, and I don’t know which is worse. He thinks it’s the only way to protect me and my secret. I won’t allow it.”
“If he wants to do it, then—” Noah cuts himself off when he sees my face. He won’t argue with me or attempt to talk me down. If it was his brother, he’d do the same thing.
I wring my hands. “I have a plan. It’s going to be fucking dangerous. We’ll be walking into the lion’s den without Antony’s protection. I may turn him into my enemy, but if I save his ass I don’t care.”
I swallow. My nails dig into the leather as I search their faces for an answer.
“This is my battle, not yours. I can’t say what will happen, but it won’t be pretty. Blood will spill, much of it by my hand. I’ve debated cutting you all off from this, casting you aside so that your association with me doesn’t put you in the firing line.” A glance at Noah’s wrathful eyes and Eli’s frown prove how well that would have worked. “But it’s too late. I’ll protect you and the people you love no matter what happens, but I’m giving you a choice. Are you with me? Are you my family?”
“You don’t even have to ask.” Noah’s jaw clenches as he pounds his fist into his palm. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
“Count me in,” adds Eli.
Gabriel grins. “Will there be cake?”
George rests her face in her hands. “You’re a terrifying person, Claudia August. But you’re also my best friend, and best friends stick together.”
I lift my head and meet the eyes of the four people who’ve just sworn allegiance. My throat closes.
Cicero once said that if you have a garden and a library, then you have everything you need. In Malloy Manor I’ve had a garden of weird succulents and more books than I could ever hope to read, and yet I haven’t known how barren I am.
I don’t have to do this alone. I have a family.
Three beautiful, broken princes. One best friend who’s too clever for her own good. They’re more than I could ever hope for, and I’m walking them straight into the den of the wolf.
They are mine, and I’ll fight until my last breath for their freedom. I swear it on my father’s grave.
