Chapter 51 & Epilogue

Elena POVSpring had finally ended winter at Blackwood University. The air smelled of cherry blossoms.I sat in the leather chair across from Dean Miller’s desk. A year ago, I sat in a chair just like this one, twisting my hands in my lap, terrified that I would lose my scholarship for being five minutes late to a work-study shift. Today, I inspected my nails, a blood-red stiletto shape that Bianca had insisted on. I wore a cream-colored trench coat over a silk blouse, and the black Consort’s ring on my finger. Nico stood behind me, his hand rested on the back of my chair. He wore a charcoal three-piece suit that cost more than the Dean’s annual salary. Dean Miller looked terrible, she had aged ten years in three semesters. She shuffled papers on her desk, her eyes darting between me and Nico. "So," Dean Miller said, her voice trembling slightly. "I have reviewed the donations and the updated transcripts." "And?" Nico asked, his tone smooth and bored. "And it appears tha

Chapter 52

Book three of Owned by the king of blackwood A mafia's wedding dress doesn't just need to look beautiful it also needs to hide a gun.I stood on the pedestal, staring at my reflection while Bianca yanked the corset laces so tight I could barely pull air into my lungs."B, stop," I gasped, clutching the mirror. "You’re going to crack a rib.""Beauty is pain, Elena," Bianca snapped, her mouth full of pins. "You’re marrying the King of New York in two weeks. You aren’t walking down that aisle looking soft."Across the room, Sloane was sprawled upside down on a sofa, flipping a silver throwing knife. Flip. Catch. Flip. Catch. "It needs more pockets," Sloane said, pointing the blade at my thigh. "Where are you hiding the extra magazines? You can’t put them in the bouquet. It’ll ruin your aim when you have to toss it."I forced a laugh. "Matteo and Dante have six rings of security around the cathedral, Sloane. It’s the safest place in the city."Sloane sat up, sheathing the knife in her bo

Chapter 53

ELENA POV"Are you hit?" Nico demanded. His hands moved quickly, checking my arms, my chest, my legs."I'm fine," I gasped. I looked down at my wedding dress. The blood was red against the silk. "Nico, you’re bleeding."He touched the side of his neck. A sharp piece of marble had cut deep into his skin. He stared at the blood on his fingers as if it meant nothing."Get to the hallway," he ordered. "Crawl. Do not stand up."I crawled over the broken glass. The cold wind howled through the shattered window, freezing the sweat on my skin.Sloane grabbed my arm and pulled me behind the concrete wall of the corridor. Bianca was right next to her, pale and shaking.The private elevator dinged, the doors flew open.Matteo and Dante rushed out, their guns raised."Who did it?" Matteo yelled. His eyes searched the ruined living room. "Where is the shooter?""Gone," Sloane said coldly. "It was a sniper from the south tower."Dante looked at Nico. Nico was leaning against the wall, pressing a wh

Chapter 54

Elena’s POVI stared at the bloody silk on the floor, then turned to Nico."Wait," I said.He paused with his hand on the bathroom doorknob. "What is it?""The wedding," I whispered. "We don't cancel it."Nico frowned. "You just said we are planning a war.""The wedding is the war, Nico." I stepped closer. "If we stop, they win. They want us to be afraid, they want us to hide."Nico studied my face. "It will be a trap, Elena. Everyone will be there. My father won't stop trying to kill you.""I don’t care," I said. My voice was steady. "We do it on the exact same day, at the exact same church. We make them watch us take the throne."Nico’s eyes brightened. He pulled me in and kissed my forehead. "You are crazy. And you are perfect."I put on a clean black shirt and sweatpants. We walked out of the bedroom into the home office.Matteo, Dante, Sloane, and Bianca waited for us.The room felt heavy with grief. Dante sat in a chair, staring blankly at the floor, he looked completely broken.

Chapter 55

Matteo’s POVI sat at the kitchen island, the penthouse was dark. Three guns lay in front of me, I was cleaning them."It is three in the morning," a quiet voice said.I looked up. Sloane stood in the doorway. She wore my old gray t-shirt. Her bare legs looked soft in the moonlight."I know," I replied.She walked over and took a seat on the stool next to me. She glanced at the gun in my hands."You already cleaned that one," Sloane said. "Twice."I stopped wiping the metal barrel and set the cloth down. She was right."I am just thinking," I explained."About the wedding?" she asked."About the war," I corrected.Sloane sighed and reached out to touch my hand. Her fingers were cold, I intertwined my fingers with hers and held on tightly."We will win, Matteo," she said softly. "We always win.""This is different," I said. I looked into her eyes. "This is Massimo and Lorenzo. They know all our secrets, they know how we fight.""Then we fight differently," she responded.I shook my hea

All Chapters of Owned By The King Of Blackwood (De Luca Series): Chapter 51 - Chapter 55

Chapter 51 & Epilogue

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55