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Especially his cousin.
According to Angel, he was greedy and desperate, and if what he told me about his family was true, then it was enough for me to believe him.
The library was the easiest to find, so I figured it was as good a hiding place as any. Caylen started to become restless without Lucas and Z to entertain him, so I skimmed the unending sea of spines until I found what I was looking for. Reading to him before his nap felt too normal for the situation we were in now. This wasn’t our home, and we weren’t a family, but Angel was committed to pretending.
When Caylen’s eyes finally drifted shut halfway through the story, I laid him on the black love seat with gold trimming and covered him with a soft bronze throw that looked like it was purely for show.
My gaze was on the fire burning in the fireplace when the door opened. I didn’t bother lifting my gaze from the flames when I said, “I thought you’d be busy playing criminal mastermind with your bonehead playmates.”
A chuckle that wasn’t rich and deep answered me. “I’ve become much too old for playmates, my dear.” Reginald strolled inside with his hands casually resting in the pockets of his burgundy pants. “We haven’t been properly introduced.”
“I think we know enough actually. You’re Angel’s shady cousin, and I’m his unwilling wife.”
I could tell I had said too much when his eyes lit with curiosity. “And what about this marriage makes you unwilling? I noticed my young cousin didn’t shower that delicate finger of your left hand with diamonds.”
Angel had warned me that Reginald couldn’t be trusted, and at the first opportunity, I offered him our secrets on a platter. “Did I say unwilling? I meant devoted.”
“I’m sure you did.” I moved closer to my son with each step he took. “I was mistaken by your display earlier.”
“How so?”
“I didn’t peg you for the type to be trained.”
“You think loyalty makes me a pet?”
“I think blind loyalty makes you a fool.”
“And what exactly makes me blind?”
“My cousin is young, and at times, a bit too merciful, but he is also clever.”
“What makes him clever?”
“His ability to make anyone believe what he wants.” He studied me. “I assume he’s told you not to trust me.”
“I’m curious why it matters to you if I trust you or not. We’re perfect strangers.”
“With a common problem,” he added. He took my silence as an invitation to continue. “When I take back what belongs to me, I don’t want there to be any hard feelings. In fact, I have a proposition for you.”
“You’re right. He did tell me not to trust you, and even if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t.” I lifted my sleeping child from the couch. “I’m not interested in a proposition. I’ll be going now.”
I was rooted to the spot, however, when I realized Reginald stood between escape and me. Would he try to stop me from leaving?
“What a beautiful child you’ve made with my dutiful cousin.”
“Angel isn’t his father.”
He didn’t look surprised by my admission. He looked pleased. “That’s too bad. Your bastard child will never be his son in the way that matters.”
I considered taking the iron poker by the fireplace and running it through him. “And what way is that?”
“He can never be his heir.”
Was it the thought of Angel never accepting Caylen that made the knot in my stomach tighter or fear that, heir or not, if I stayed with Angel, this life would one day consume Caylen as it did Angel? “I would never let that happen,” I vowed aloud.
Reginald’s lips pinched. “Then I assume he hasn’t explained your duties.”
“I don’t care,” I snapped even as that knot tightened again. My duty was to my son. Fuck everyone else. Including Angel.
“It is said that when a lion takes over a pride and wishes to breed with a lioness, he will kill her cub to force her into heat.”
Reginald’s poison spread, curdling my blood and stealing my breath. “He wouldn’t hurt him.”
“One day, you may give him no choice. Your refusal to give him an heir will force his hand.”
“Angel knows killing my son won’t make me give him one he can use.”
“Don’t be so naive, girl, or you’ll soon discover how ruthless my cousin can be.”
My naïveté was the very reason men like Reginald and Victor continued to underestimate me. Instead of crumbling under its weight, I used it as a shield until the right moment to strike.
“I think I’ll take my chances.”* * *“Mama!” Caylen clapped his hands and chased unsteadily after a red leaf blowing in the autumn wind. We found solace in the garden after Caylen’s nap and my run-in with Reginald. So many rooms in this beautiful guarded home and none of them felt safe.
“Not so fast,” I called when he almost stumbled.
