A Bloody Kingdom (Ruthless People 4)

Heartless.

The list went on. Since childhood, I pushed myself. For my father, for the family business, for everyone, I hardened myself to the point that even I wasn’t sure if I had a heart anymore. Then I met him, and bit by bit, the stone surrounding me cracked. I fought it. I fought him because I need to be strong. The world was not meant for women. The last thing I ever wanted to be was one of those women in romance novels that needed to be rescued or who ruined themselves for men.

There is no riding off into the sunset.

There are no happily ever afters.

Life was pain and you had to deal with it.

Those were the lessons my father had taught me, and I’d never once questioned them until the day I met him. It was disgusting and horrible…after all the fighting and blood and training, I was a woman just like everyone else and I wanted my happily ever after. I wanted him.

“How am I supposed to hide you away?” he whispered as his head rested on my bare chest. I ran my hands through his hair.

“We’ll figure it out… Eventually, everyone will think you’ve just gotten a mistress,” I replied.

He laughed. “You’ve been claiming to be my wife and mistress since we got married.”

“That’s because I knew I would stress you out more than having both. Melody Callahan, I’m like a box of chocolates: you never know what type of woman I’ll be next.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“How can you know when I don’t even know?”

He sat up, looking down at me. “No matter what happens, you are still my woman. That is a very special, single edition box of chocolates.”

Placing my hand over his chest, I bit my lip.

It’s okay. We’re going to make it.

“I love you, Liam. I’m sorry I made you suffer…I love you. I really love you.” I couldn’t stop saying it.

He kissed my head and then my nose, eyes, and cheeks before his lips hovered over mine. “I love you too…my beautiful mistress.”

EPILOGUE

“There once was a woman from the state of gold

Whose heart was far too cold.

She met a man, joined his clan, so the story is told.

They fought and bled,

Ruled and fooled,

Yet all things must come to an end.

Her heart she gave, and went to the grave,

Ending their ruthless crime wave.”

~ J.J. McAvoy