I nodded. They did look comfortable with each other. The last few weeks had felt really tense, but this was different. It finally made sense why they called each other brother. There was a shared ease between them, a camaraderie that only resulted after years of shared experiences. For these three—four, including Obi—those shared experiences had been life-or-death. They’d become brothers forged through fire.
My gut twisted as it reminded me of what I used to share with Max.
And what we’d both lost.
I doubted I’d ever find the same bond in the Shadows that I had with Max. That teasing, that trust. Years of turning to one person for reassurance, advice, and challenge. That knowledge that the person beside you would always have your back—at least until they didn’t.
I’d never fit the same way that those four did. And Leona? She was finding her place, too. She laughed at their jokes and joined in on the teasing. She watched them with warmth and affection.
A little voice whispered in my ear that,I want that.I miss that.
But it wasn’t going to happen.
“I love you, Leona.”
No matter what happened, she’d be the center of my world. There wasn’t room for anything else.
She slipped her hand into mine with a smile. “I love you, too, Caspian.”
What would she say if I asked her to marry me?
“Get in, losers!” Ryuji called from the SUV. “I’m fucking starving.”
Leona pulled me forward as I rolled my eyes again. Ryuji alwayshadto be the center of attention.
“Let’s get into it. What’s new with Giulio?” she asked.
“You sure you want to talk business now?” I asked. I slung her bag over my shoulder. “You don’t want to rest?”
She shook her head, squeezing my hand. “I’m buzzing. I want updates, and then I want to head to the gym. I need to let my brain think.”
Wynn took the bag from me and tossed it into the back. “Well, Giulio has arranged a small meeting of other men willing to talk to us,” I replied. “The meeting is set for four days from now.”
“Four days?” She glanced over her shoulder at Ciel, and he squeezed her arm.
“Yeah. That was the best he could do.”
Obi, done with his discussion with the old woman, climbed into the driver’s seat while Wynn took the passenger. I opened the door for Leona so she could slide into the middle. Ciel climbed into the third row and Ryuji sat on the other side of Leona with a massive grin on his face.
“More seats for us to mess up, sweetheart,” he said slyly. “What do you think?”
“I’ll mess up your face, Ryu,” she replied.
“Please.Please, for the love of God, mess up my face.”
She punched him in the shoulder while he cackled.
“So four days,” she said, ignoring his laughter. “Can we keep spreading the word that we’re recruiting?”
“Definitely,” Ciel responded as he typed on his phone.
“Are you good to talk to them?” I asked. “I’m confident that, as soon as you show them that you’re different from your fatherand different from Max, they’ll realize you deserve to be Head of the Family.”
If she could convince them, the idea of marriage would be irrelevant.
She nodded. “Yeah. I need to think about what to say, but I want to get in front of them.” She leaned against my shoulder. “Did Giulio say anything else? Anything we should know about the men now that Max has been in charge?”
Wynn and I locked eyes. His expression practically yelled at me to tell her what Giulio said about marriage, but I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when she’d just gotten home. Not with Ryujialreadypushing my buttons.
