Soulless (Starcrossed Lovers Trilogy 2)

As it turns out, he was wondering that. His next question was right on the mark.

“Did your father never suspect your uncle was an utter piece of shit?”

“No,” I said, pure and simple. “He wasn’t really that involved with Uncle Lionel. Mom and Uncle Lionel had quite a close relationship. I guess she assured Dad that I really did need the lessons and Uncle Lionel really was telling the truth.”

“Your uncle is a vile piece of fucking shit,” Lucian hissed, and it took me aback. He actually insulted someone for hurting me. I thought he’d be singing their praises.

“They’re still close, Mom and Lionel,” I told him. “Super close now, in super close ways. It’s not like I could ever have another attempt at telling her what really happened now I’m older. She still wouldn’t believe a word I said. That and the fact that she thinks I’m the biggest loser she could have possibly birthed. She’s ashamed to call me her daughter.”

I would have usually expected him to laugh and say it’s not surprising she would be ashamed of me, considering I was Elaine the fuck-up, but it turned out that expectation of mine was instinct and nothing else. He didn’t laugh or say a word like that, just kept on watching me from the other side of the kitchen.

I sighed before I spoke again.

“The reason my family are after the Power Brothers likely doesn’t have anything to do with me, you know? It’s probably just from embarrassment and distaste at the Powers thinking they could strike one against them and kidnap one of us.”

“The Power Brothers would have been total dickheads to think about striking at your family. They aren’t strong enough. That’s why they want us to join up with them and use the combined force to wipe out the Constantine status.”

I didn’t like the nasty flutter I got at that. I didn’t like the thought of the Morellis and the Powers wiping out the people I loved. I did love a lot of them. I loved some members of my family enough that I’d be absolutely devastated in grief if anything happened to them – even if my emotions were usually too fucked up by hate to register shit about love.

“Do you think you’ll team up with them?” I asked him.

His eyes were cold. “None of your business.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I scoffed and moved over to the cutting board. “None of my business, whatever. We’ve shared plenty that’s none of each other’s business this evening, don’t you think?”

He cursed under his breath at me, and I suspected it would be at my chatter, but no.

“You’re not slicing that fucking salami right, it’s too thick to cook properly.”

Even through the hatred and the confusion of what the hell was truly going on between us, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Alright then, Chef Morelli. Why don’t you show me just how it’s done?”

He didn’t reply, just took the knife off me and got to work.

I watched his hands moving so firmly. His fingers so strong.

I watched him.

His stance, his height, his power.

His beauty. Because he was beautiful.

Lucian Morelli was beautiful enough to take my breath, no matter how many times I truly looked at him like that.

“Look at the salami and learn your damn lesson,” he told me, and I laughed out loud.

“That’s one damn lesson I never thought I’d be having,” I said. “I’ll take that over the ones from my backlog any damn day, thanks.”24LucianPasta came quickly. We headed to the dining table, looking surprisingly like two regular people enjoying their dinner. It was probably the closest I’d ever been to a regular person enjoying their dinner – especially with a pretty bitch to enjoy it with. I usually cast them away once I’d used them.

I told myself I didn’t like it. I watched Elaine picking at her food and told myself she was nothing but a stupid bitch that I was going to take pleasure in wrecking, but it was bullshit. My mind was all on the sick fucks who’d messed with her.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake off the rage in me. I wanted to take them down. I wanted to look Lionel Constantine in his lecherous eyes and tell him I was there for his niece and then stab him in the guts and twist the blade.

It would be an action that could only be by my own hand. I could never get Alto involved in that, not now he was a snake to my father. There’s no way I could get the clean-up team involved either; it would never stay silent. Which only left me. My plan and my outcome. I’d be a fool for even considering it, so why was I planning on checking out the calendar for Constantine engagements? I had no fucking idea.