“Hair blowing in the breeze.”
Nero glared at him. “Now you’re just making shit up, asshole.”
“Looking like some kind of big damn hero.”
Nyx stared between them as they bantered. The feel of the room shifted, now so very different from nearly every other time their people were in a room with Nero. Acceptance. That’s what it was. He was one of them now.
She looked over to him. His face was a bit paler than normal. Nero stared out the window. Nyx could see how weary he was and how much he needed everyone to just leave.
She sat back up on the bed and looked around the room.
“Out,” she said. “You want us to rest, then get the hell out.”
A few moved toward the door but looked to Rem.
He nodded to the others in the room. They quietly filed out of the bedroom and through the front door. Rem waited until the last person had gone.
“I’m glad you finally decided,” Rem said to Nero.
Nero looked over to him. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before he nodded.
“You’ll get used to the others,” Rem said with a smile.
Nero snorted loudly. “Not likely.”
She was surprised when Rem laughed at the huffy words.
“You rode in like a white knight.” He grinned at Nero. “I’m afraid you’re just going to have to come to terms with that.”
She watched in silence as their unpredictable leader made his way out of the house. Nyx sat quietly for a moment just taking in everything.
“How is your head?” Nero said.
His quiet words were all she needed. Nyx turned to him, tears in her eyes. She leaned down and placed her head against his chest.
She had nearly lost him.
A warm arm fell around her shoulders.
“Does it hurt that badly?”
She could hear the concern in his voice but had trouble speaking past the sobs that wracked her body.
Unable to stop herself, Nyx threw her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear.
“I love you.”
He sat still. Her warm body pressed into him, offering the comfort that he had craved before he even knew what comfort really was.
Nero shook his head and pulled her back.
“You can’t love me,” he said. The words rushed out as he scrambled to make her know what sort of man she was saying that to. “Those men tonight. I wanted nothing more than to rip their heads off for threatening you.”
Nyx stared at him for a moment before laughing through her tears.
“I’m serious,” he said and frowned.
Nyx leaned in to him again. Her pretty blue eyes fixed on his.
“I’d like to kill the men who shot you,” she said. “Slowly and painfully.”
He balked at her words, not sure what to say.
“You’re not that man,” she said and cupped his cheek, her warm palm promising so much more than he deserved.
“I am,” he whispered and closed his eyes.
“Not anymore.”
Her soft lips pressed to mouth. The response was instantaneous.
She pulled back for a moment.
“I trust you,” she whispered. “I know you are the man I believe you to be and that you’ll always do what is right.”
He shook his head a little. “What if the beast comes out? What if he doesn’t know what is right?”
Nyx placed her hand over his heart and smiled.
“Then I’ll be here to make sure my bonded knows who he really is.”
Bonded.
The simple words he never thought he’d hear. He had more than he could have ever wanted in life.
Nero leaned forward and kissed her with all the love he felt. When he pulled back, her lips were red and lush. He wanted nothing more than to continue where they’d left off just last night.
“I see we’ve finally made it to the bed this time.”
Nyx raised a brow and leaned in for another kiss. She gave him a gentle peck and then leaned back just a bit.
“You’re shot,” she said and rolled her eyes. “And I’m not exactly in the best shape.”
Nero grinned at her. He watched as the flicker of passion burned just below the surface.
“It’s just a scratch,” he said and pulled her leg over him so she straddled his lap. “Besides doesn’t the white knight get the damsel in the end?”
Nyx leaned over him. Her lips were just a hair away from his mouth.
“Only if it’s true love.”
Nero growled, his mouth brushing hers.
“My love for you is more than a word,” he said quietly. “It is all that I am. You are my heart.”
He didn’t care about anything else in that moment, not the Horatius Group, the Azilians, Anassa or his past. All he cared about was Nyx.
Their mouths met, and he knew the home the craved. It was there, nestled in his bonded arms, the only home he needed.
A Note from Madison
Thank you for reading Nero. If you enjoyed this book, please consider reviewing it. We authors live and die by reviews.
Please keep an eye out for the next book in the series, Lucas.
You can join my mailing list at http://eepurl.com/OX9r5
ALSO BY MADISON STEVENS
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Ryder (Allen Securities #4)
Cage (Allen Securities #5)
Kelly Clan (Romantic Suspense)
Finn (Kelly Clan #1)
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Luna Lodge (Paranormal Romance)
Sol (Luna Lodge #1)
Titus (Luna Lodge #2)
Lucius (Luna Lodge #3)
Marius (Luna Lodge #4)
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Standing By (Road House #3)
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Author Bio
Madison currently lives with her husband and two children in the Valley of the Sun in Sunshine, Arizona. After leaving the frozen tundra of the north, she was more surprised than anyone with how much she has enjoyed living in the desert. Seeing as she stated on more than one occasion before moving to Arizona how much she hated heat, it was an odd move, but it seems her hatred for sub-zero temperatures and ice has won out in the end.
When she’s not writing, she’s enjoying time with her family. Madison and her family frequent festivals in the area, as well as local cultural events, and spend time with family in the area. In the summer, she is most likely to be found in the pool with the family and in the winter by the fireplace. Since both her children are autistic, days can be a little chaotic, but with her husband beside her, there’s nothing she can’t handle.
Her webpage is http://madisonstevensauthor.com/
She can be contacted at [email protected]
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Nero: #2 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) Page 10
