Page 151 of Ruined Wrath
Cormac gently rubs my ankle as he lets out a low hum. “Yeah. What happened today won’t happen again. The gates, the alarms, the cameras have all been triple-checked. We’re safe here.”
I study his face, looking for cracks, for any sign that he’s still rattled. But he’s steady, the way he always is when he has to be.
“I just needed to make sure. After everything, I can’t help worrying.”
“You don’t have to. I’m not letting anything happen to him or to you.”
“I know.”
He sits up then and reaches out to take my hand, squeezing it hard.
“Thank you for staying calm today,” he murmurs. “Knowing that Scout was taken care of… it helped me think straight.”
“I just hope it doesn’t backfire on us.”
“Me too.”
We both glance toward Scout, sleeping soundly curled up in his bed.
I look back at Cormac and notice the distance in his eyes as he watches his son. I often wonder if he’s thinking about her, about Nadia.
I don’t want to ask, but I ask anyway.
“Do you ever think about her on nights like this?”
He doesn’t pretend not to know who I mean.
“All the time,” he admits.
The honesty stings more than a lie would have. “You really loved her, didn’t you?”
Cormac’s eyes soften as he watches his son sleep. “I did. I loved her.”
I nod, trying to shake off the ache in my chest. “And…now?”
“Now…” He brings our entwined hands up to his mouth and brushes a kiss along my knuckles. “Now, you and Scout are my world.”
I exhale, letting the tension leave me just a little.
He leans closer, brushing a soft kiss across my lips.
“Loving her doesn’t mean I love you less,” he whispers as he strokes my jaw. “You have to know that.”
I nod, but there’s still a small niggle of doubt that I can’t voice because I can’t bear to know the answer.
Would he still be here with me if Nadia wasn’t dead?
Chapter Thirty-Four
CORMAC
The sun hasn’t even fully clearedthe horizon, but I’m already up and working on securing the house.
My teeth grind as I scan every dent and jagged edge of the gates where Adrian’s men rammed through. Even though I might have kept him at bay for the time being, that doesn’t mean I can relax. Not when there’s still so much noise echoing in my head.
Adrian might be taken care of, but Lorcan is still out there, biding his time before he decides to play his next hand. And I know he won’t make the same mistake twice.
I’m kneeling beside a panel of electronics, checking the alarm systems, when Ronan steps up beside me, his hands tucked in the pockets of his jacket, and his eyes narrowed as he assesses the damage.
