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“If you say so, sis,” she said calmly. “But from what I can tell, he’s not using his power to treat you like shit.”

I didn’t respond.

She continued. “Look… You know I’ve been with Zay since we were teenagers. I know what it looks like when a powerful man doesn’t respect women.” Her eyes softened. “Ares doesn’t look at you like that.”

I picked at the edge of the towel wrapped around my calf. “You don’t know him. He’s not Zay.”

“Neither do you. You’re walking into something big,” she said gently. “I can see that much.”

I looked down at my hands.

“But don’t walk into it already hating the man.”

Across the estate somewhere below, I could see lights flicking on around the property as the sun finally dipped under the horizon.

My eyes wandered across the grounds, and I noticed Ares.

Walking across the courtyard below with Zacian, both of them deep in conversation.

Even from this distance, he carried himself like a leader.

We watched them for a moment.

Emily spoke quietly beside me. “Sometimes the man you’re scared of loving is the one who ends up protecting you from everybody else.”

I didn’t answer.

Because the dangerous part wasn’t that Emily might be right.

The dangerous part was realizing how easy it would be to find out.

CHAPTER 23

Zay

“They’re Arranging Their Own Funerals”

Ares handed me a glass as we sat on the deck at midnight. He leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigar with the same calm focus he did everything else with.

“Your parents are wild as hell, bro.” He shook his head.

I took a slow sip. “They expected me to lose my temper.”

“They expected you to bow down.”

I exhaled. “They’re used to control.”

Ares nodded. “Your mother especially. She acts like she is your wife.”

The word mother sat in the air for a moment before I set my glass down.

“She’s not my mother. Remember, my mother is doing life for my weak ass father,” I said calmly.

Ares didn’t correct me. That was one of the reasons I respected him. He understood the difference between family and blood.

I looked down at the ocean, wind rolled across the terrace while the city lights flickered below us.

Finally, he spoke again.