My breath hitched.
“And fuck accidents,” he spat. “No more shadows. No more syndicate covers. I want it known.Publicly.That marrying Emilia Adams is a one way sentence to execution.”
A sob broke from my chest. “You can’t do this to me.”
He stood slow, terrifying and cupped my face again. “Iwill. Because you werenevertheirs to take.”
“You can’t?—”
“Iwon’tlet you go. And if it takes a fucking body count to prove that,so be it.” He leaned his forehead to mine. “Let them come. One by one. I’ll bury them all.”
I cried harder, and still, he held me. Like he was willing to kill the world just to keep me broken.
His fingers found mine.
Gentle.
He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed my hand.
“We’re already at six. Six men who thought they could marry you.”
My stomach twisted. “Bastion…”
“They thought they had time. Leverage. Permission.” He looked up then, “They didn’t.”
I pulled my hand back like it burned, but he didn’t flinch.
“Do you know what that tells me?” His voice dropped, “That the world still hasn’t learned. That they still think you’reavailable.”
“I’m the Adam’s Dynasties.” My voice didn’t even sound like mine anymore. “I’m not yours.”
But he was already nodding. “No. You’reours.”
He stepped closer.
“I don’t care who they are, dynasty heirs, princes, kings, if they touch you, they die.” Another step. “If they try to claim you, they die.” His hand slid to my waist. “If they even look at you like they could keep you…”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
He didn’t have to.
“Bastion, stop?—”
“I willneverstop,” he said. “Not when it comes to you.”
He held my jaw so lovingly it scared me. Like he hadn’t just admitted to killing for me, like he’ddo it again.With pride. With love.
“You belong to us. So I’m making it clear. There’s no such thing as another man’s chance.”
“You’re destroying me,” I whispered, tears blurring my vision.
He sank to his knees in front of me as if heneededto, like worship was the only language he had left.
His hands slid up the back of my thighs, and he pressed a kiss soft to my stomach.
Then another.
And another.
