Savage Queen (The Dark Elite 3)

All four men stare back at me. The tension hasn’t drained from their bodies, but some of the anger has left their expressions. Zaid looks almost thoughtful as he tilts his head, his eyebrows rising.

“It is a big fucking win for him, taking down Camilla’s whole operation. The media loves that kind of thing, and it gives the feds something to point to when they need to prove they’re doing their job.” He shrugs. “Fucking shit up by bringing us into it, especially when he knows he won’t be able to find proof of any Novak involvement, will only fuck up his picture perfect bust. I think she’s right, Hale. She made the right call.”

Lucas nods. Hurt still lingers in his green eyes, but I can practically see the wheels turning in his head as he processes his brother’s words.

“It was still dangerous,” Ciro points out, and I bite my lip. I think Ciro would forgive me for almost anything—except putting myself in harm’s way. His expression is hard, his hands clenched into fists, and I wish I could close the space between us and hug him, wrap my arms around him and reassure both of us that we’re still alive.

But I can’t. Not yet.

Not until they decide whether they can forgive what I did.

“It was dangerous, Grace,” Hale says quietly. “It paid off, but only barely. So many things could’ve gone wrong tonight. You could’ve fucking died. If we hadn’t been able to access security footage of you talking to Lucy, we wouldn’t have gotten to the warehouse when we did.”

His blue eyes glint, and he looks away for a second, swallowing. When he looks back, I’m shocked to see so much raw pain on his face. He looks like he’s physically restraining himself from moving, and I wonder if he’s holding back from walking toward me or turning away.

God, I hope it’s the first one.

“Do you remember what I told you the night you came to my room?” he asks softly. “The night you asked if the Novaks bought and sold people?”

I nod. I remember everything about that night.

“I told you I would never lie to you, Grace.” His nostrils flare. “I fucking meant it. But you lied to all of us.”

“I know.” Tears sting my eyes, and I shake my head, taking a half-step toward them all. “I know, and I’m sorry. But I had to protect you.”

“No.”

Finally, Hale moves, crossing toward me so quickly that it makes my heart jump. He’s so close to me that our chests are practically touching, his head tilted down as he stares at me.

“That’s not how this works,” he grits out. “We don’t protect each ot

her by lying. By making deals behind each other’s backs.” He gestures to himself, then me, then the other three men, who all stepped forward when he did. They’re surrounding me now, the heat of their bodies seeping into mine. “We protect each other by being the only people we can trust unequivocally. That’s what love is.”

I blink, my heart lurching in my chest. “What?”

“Love,” Hale repeats, his eyes still flashing. “That’s what this is, isn’t it? I fucking love you.”

“You do?” I whisper.

“Yes.” He reaches up to trail his fingertips down the side of my face. “So fucking much my heart might stop if I ever lost you. So promise me you won’t pull this shit again.”

Zaid catches my hand, turning me to face him. “I love you too, kitten. I think I’ve loved you since I was sixteen.”

Lucas chuckles, although when I turn to him, his expression is serious. “I know he loved you since he was sixteen. Because I fell in love with you too, and I knew even then that neither of us would let you go.”

My mouth is dry, my fingers shaking from the rush of emotions that’s flooding me. Without a conscious command from me, my body turns toward Ciro, my searching gaze colliding with his.

The hard line between his eyebrows softens, and he lets out a slow breath. “You’re… everything, Grace.” He grimaces, frustration passing over his features. “Love isn’t enough. It’s not the right word. I…” He searches for a moment, then shakes his head. “I need you.”

His face blurs in my vision as tears well in my eyes, and I blink them away, wanting to see all of them. All of my men.

“I love you too,” I murmur. “I need you too. And I promise, I will never, ever lie to you again.”

“Then this is real?” Hale’s deep voice draws my attention toward him, and I find him watching me with a strange intensity. “This is what you want? All of us?”

I swallow. My hands are still shaking, but my voice is completely steady when I answer. “Yes. That’s what I want. I want to be with all of you.”

A ripple seems to go through the room, some kind of shift in the very fabric of the atmosphere. We’ve all been dancing around this for weeks, slowly falling into it without ever openly acknowledging that this was what was happening. I fell in love with four men, and they fell in love right back.