KILLIAN The knock on the door jolted me out of the haze of pleasure that had me in a chokehold. And as if that wasn't enough, I heard the sound of her voice. Rue's."Daddy?"I swear, every neuron in my brain flatlined in an instant. My heart skipped several beats, my soul nearly leaving my body. Sera froze, still hunched between my legs. Her lips were parted in shock, her eyes wide. My cock, which was currently throbbing and dangerously close to exploding, had never felt more tragically disrespected."I..." I cleared my throat, which suddenly felt like I'd swallowed sandpaper. "J-Just a second, princess."Sera immediately scrambled off me, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and snatching the sheets up to cover herself. I shoved the waistband of my pants back up, wincing at the painful ache still raging below. Fucking hell, I couldn't even think straight.Sera tossed me one of my shirts, and I threw it on in record time, tugging it low to cover the damn tent still very muc
SERA "I know what you're thinking, Killian. You're probably planning on canceling the marriage license application or ignoring it completely. But if you do that, I'll make sure you'll never see Rue again," Arabella said, and Rue whimpered, burying her face against her father's chest. She probably didn't understand what was going on. But I was certain she understood that Arabella had threatened not to let her be with her dad."Say what you want, Arabella. But do you really think you will get away with it?" Killian said. His expression had changed from outright fury to a calm one. But his eyes... they gleamed with a psychotic sparkle. He was definitely plotting something.Arabella couldn't hide her annoyance at this point. She stormed towards Killian and tried to pull Rue away from him. He only had to push her off him with one hand while Rue burrowed closer to him."You really should stop testing me, Arabella. Or you're going to learn the hard way that you can't get away with thre
SERA My throat was tight as I watched Rue sleep. The doctor said she was okay now. Her IVs were done, and so were the transfusions. They just wanted to monitor her for one more day.It was strange how I suddenly felt so attached to her even with my memory loss, but I couldn't help it. I let my fingers drift through her curls, marveling at how they mirrored Killian's. I couldn't even begin to imagine how my husband was feeling at the moment.During the few minutes after I'd shown him the photo on my phone, I'd seen what a man looked like when he was losing his mind. And it had terrified me. But, when I'd seen Arabella hugging him earlier, even if it was for barely a few seconds, I'd felt an ugly emotion twist in my chest. I'd felt...jealous too. It was silly of me. But I wished I had a child with Killian too."You know, no matter how long you touch and fuss over her, she'll always remain my daughter. Not yours."I looked up at the sound of the venomous voice that had just spoken,
KILLIAN The moment Sera's gaze met mine, I knew bad news awaited me. A lump lodged in my throat as I forced myself to breathe through the dizzying rage tainting my insides. Trembling, I moved over to her side, and she handed her phone over to me. And there she was. My baby girl. My lungs constricted, straining for air as all of the worst-case scenarios flooded my mind. I took a step away from her, my lips parted as fury detonated in my chest. I didn't need any confirmation. Matteo had taken my daughter. But why? Why would he drag my little princess into our feud? Why would he do this to me? She was just a baby. Matteo wasn't the petty type. How had he stooped so low?My worst fears were beginning to come true, and now, I was losing myself. I could feel it. I could feel myself drowning in my rage and despair. Words were tumbling from my lips, but I couldn't hear them. Was this some sort of blackout?Sera was speaking to me, but all I could hear was the pulse roaring in my ears as
SERA I hated hospitals. The sterile air, the too-bright lights, and the mechanical beeping that never stopped. It all set my nerves on edge. But right now, none of it mattered. The only thing I could focus on was the tiny body lying motionless behind that glass.Rue.She looked so small. Her sparkly pink dress had been replaced with a hospital gown two sizes too big, her curls flattened against the pillow. Her cheeks were pale.I stood outside her room, my arms crossed tight over my chest. Killian stood next to me, as stiff as stone, his jaw clenched hard. No one had said anything in ten minutes. Not since they rushed her in. "Ms. Cross?"I turned quickly. Dr. Mendez was back. The look in her eyes told me this wasn't just a fainting spell."Rue's stable now," she said gently. "We've completed the first round of tests."I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until I felt my lungs burn."She has aplastic anemia," the doctor continued. "It's a rare disorder where the bone marr
SERA He ducked just as a bullet cracked through the air, ripping past where his head had been less than a second ago. Screams erupted in the room. Juliet hit the ground, shrieking like a banshee.Killian was already moving, stumbling back inside, dazed and sluggish but alive.And I ran toward him."Stay down!" I shouted, throwing myself at him as another shot fired and glass exploded behind us.Killian hit the ground hard, and I landed on top of him, shielding his body with mine."What the hell is happening?" He gasped, disoriented."Sniper," I hissed. "You were tagged. And if I hadn't shown up when I did, your brains would be all over the marble like modern art."His eyes locked on mine. "You saw it?""Yeah. Lucky me. It's almost like I have PTSD X-ray vision now."Another crack echoed. Security was already pouring out from every direction.Killian reached for me, pulling me close, panting hard. "Did you see where the shot came from?""Rooftop across the street," I said. "North