SeraMy world had shattered. Any hope of seeing the light of day again slipped through my fingers and turned to ash at my feet. Looking into Killian’s eyes, the lack of sympathy behind them sparked something in me, but it wasn’t warmth. It wasn’t that strange, misplaced longing of him I’d been fighting either.Anger. Wrath. Desperation. That was all that was left of the innocent girl I used to be—someone I would never be again. Going back to my old life was no longer an option. I would never see my students again. I would never walk the halls of my school or sit at the corner deli eating pastrami sandwiches with Emma. I would never be free. Not from Killian. Not from this world or this life, if I could even call it that.My father had been right about one thing. Anyone who is born into this life will die in it. Nothing exists outside of the confines of the family for those unlucky enough to be born within its reaching, gnarled branches.I might as well already be dead. But then, being

Sera“Faster,” I panted, my head pressed against the headrest as the lights of downtown Philly sped past me in a blur. Killian’s hand gripped my thigh, his fingers so achingly close to where I needed them to be.I definitely felt those four dry martinis I’d guzzled down like water at the club. My mind swam on a turbulent tidal wave as his car hurtled toward home.Home.That mysterious behemoth of a mansion was the only home I had now. All the buzz from the alcohol left me as I realized I could never go back to the way things were before, not now that I knew the truth.“Killian.” His palm warmed my skin. Despite everything, my body reacted to his proximity. Hitching my skirt up higher, I exposed my thighs. His gaze locked on the thin sliver of wet lace banding my crotch. Was it the alcohol making me feel this way or the memory of his fingers on my skin?“Keep your dress on.” The smoke in his voice cut through my drunken thoughts.“Touch me,” I pleaded, but he only squeezed my thigh. I

Sera“Close the fucking curtains, Olivia.” My tongue stuck to the top of my mouth, dry as sandpaper. Light poured into the room and set my head throbbing like someone was beating me to death with a hammer.Olivia snorted with mirth as she ripped open another set of curtains, this time directing the unforgiving light of day right over my eyes. I winced, shielding myself from the sun.“Don’t worry,” she sang as she moved about the room. “I brought you the cure. My nonna loved her brandy, you see. But she had to be well for Mass every morning.”Something clinked against the bedside table, and I peeked through my fingers to find Olivia measuring some sticky, smelly liquid into a silver spoon.“Get that away from me.” My nose wrinkled at the stench. A rich, herbal scent hit me and settled deep in my gut.“Open up,” she chided, reaching down to pinch my thigh as I clenched my jaw.“You bitch!”She shoved the spoon into my mouth, and I jerked off the bed, swinging out an arm. I missed her co

KillianThe men in my office were all lower bosses of families that had enterprises between Philly, Boston, and New York. None of them had the kind of sway or business I’d acquired over the years, but they had enough power in their own territories that allying with them against the De Luca family would make an actual difference. The real work would be in the aftermath. The destruction of one of the most powerful families on the eastern seaboard would have a ripple effect, and we all knew it.Turf wars were common after a power struggle. Bosses would fight for the freed-up resources left behind in the wake, and I couldn’t let that happen. Chaos was bad for business.While they all stood to gain something from taking out Giuseppe, several of the men were still hesitant to work with me.Like they had the option.I had Sera to thank for the sudden shift in the dispositions of the outliers standing in the room when I returned to my office. The murmured whispering done while I was trying to

Killian“Stupid bitch.”My mother’s voice was the only sound in the foyer when I rushed out of my office and looked up just in time to see her shove Sera from the top of the stairs.Sera’s arms shot out, but she didn’t manage to grab anything. Her body sailed through the air in slow motion, like a kite riding the breeze but quickly losing the current and heading to the ground in a rush.Instinctively, I dove with my arms out, reaching for her, praying I could cushion the fall. My knees bit into the cold, hard floor, cracking the mosaic marble. I gritted my teeth against the silent scream of pain radiating through my legs. Sera’s head landed on my shoulder, my arms beneath her back, holding her off the unforgiving floor.Pulling her to my chest, I looked up at my mother, who stood at top of the stairs with a fucking smug look on her face.A choked sob escaped Sera that cut me so deeply I found it hard to think rationally for a moment. I turned her in my arms to face me, still holding o