The Price (House of Sin #5) - Elisabeth Naughton Page 0,14

matter what that entails. And yours is to keep him centered so he can do that.”

I blinked rapidly, willing back the tears as I studied Luc’s sleeping face, so angelic and at peace for the moment.

Was that my destiny? To keep him centered so he could rule his twisted House? Originally, I’d thought my destiny was to find my friend Elena’s killer. That belief was what had brought me to Luc in the first place. But now... After everything that had happened, I knew that had just been fate drawing us together.

My true destiny—my purpose—was simply to love Luc. To make sure he always knew he was not and never would be like the monsters who’d created him. To be his safe harbor whenever he was weary. To protect him, just as he’d protected me too many times to count.

“I-I don’t know how to make him do something he doesn’t want to do.”

“You’ll find a way. Luc loves you. He’d do anything for you. If you ask, he’ll even do the one thing he’s avoided his whole life.”

I looked up at Marco. “If I tell him abo—”

“You can’t tell him.”

“But—”

“If Luc finds out his father threatened you in any way, he’ll go after him. He won’t even hesitate. And you saw what happened when Dante did that. If Luc were to attack the Grand Duke, then all this will be for nothing. You can’t let that happen. You have to figure out a way to get Luc back to Italy on your own.”

My chest seized. I hated this. I hated every part of it. Sniffling, I said, “We promised each other we wouldn’t keep secrets.”

“This isn’t a secret. It’s the difference between life and death. For Luc. For thousands.”

Before I could respond, Marco pushed away from the dresser. “Try not to stress too much. We’ve got time. You don’t have to figure it all out today. I just wanted you to start thinking about it.”

With the glass in one hand, he stepped close and squeezed my shoulder in a way that was meant to be reassuring, but did nothing to ease my tension. “We’ll be landing in about twenty minutes. I’ll come back in just before touchdown to help hold him still so he doesn’t slide off the bed. For the next few days at least, the most important thing is making sure Luc’s body heals and that his head isn’t too screwed up from what happened. We’ll deal with all the rest later.”

I nodded, and quietly, Marco left the room. But alone with Luc, as I looked back down at his relaxed face and stroked his silky hair, I knew there was no way I could keep from stressing over the deal I’d made.

Those daggers stabbed deep all over again, twisting pain through the center of my chest. Luc might be able to get over what those Knights had done to him with that whip. He might be able to move past that woman raping him in front of his entire House. But if I forced him to go back to Italy, for whatever reason, he’d think I was choosing his family over him.

And that wouldn’t just be betrayal in his eyes. That would be a treachery that could very well shatter the bond we’d finally solidified between us.

3

Luc

I hurt. Everywhere. And I wasn’t sure why.

Groaning against the bright light burning my eyeballs even when they were closed, I tried to roll away from the glow, only doing so caused every muscle in my body to rebel and a searing pain to shoot across my back.

“Luc?” Natalie’s sweet voice echoed in my ears as the mattress dipped and something soft brushed against my temple.

I breathed through the pain and shifted my head against the mattress so I could see her. Only I couldn’t see her. And I was lying on my stomach.

I hated sleeping on my stomach. I was a back sleeper. Always. I blinked several times to try to bring her into focus, but my vision was still blurry. Why the hell weren’t my eyes working?

“No, don’t try to get up,” Natalie said above me, still running her silky fingers over my temple and into my hair. And damn, I definitely liked that even if I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me.

“Ang…io...letto?” Shit. Did I just slur that?

“Yes,” she whispered near my ear. “It’s me, and I’m right here. Right where I’ve been for the last two days.” Her soft lips skimmed my temple, sending a