Phoenix Rising: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book Two

Twenty-Two

Declan cursed under his breath as he looked at the boy standing a few feet away. His nephew was glaring at him angrily, and he could tell that the teen was trying hard to keep the sneer from his face. He looked down at the girl in the male teens arms, at the tears shimmering in her cerulean eyes.

Sighing, he glanced at Temperance, who was silently watching the exchange intently. He could tell by the look on her face that she had slipped into her concerned mothering mode. He let out a ragged breath, "I don't know if Cal's going to forgive this since his mother and unborn sister paid the ultimate price for Angelica's hatred. Not to mention how Ross, Damien, and Xander will react to meeting her.”

Temperance shook her head, "Ambrosia won't let any of them make that kind of stupid mistake, Declan. There's no reason to blame a child for an adult's actions. What's really the worst that could happen? We can’t change the current issues or the past, but we can live in the present while looking forward to tomorrow."

"Uncle, I sincerely don’t give a damn about what the older gens think. This is Dad’s mob now, and he’s the one calling the shots alongside Mom," Nix spat angrily. "Besides, it's not her fault she’s related to a demented murderer."

Laughing darkly, Declan fought the urge to snap at the teen. "I know that, and so do you, but Ross has a memory like a freaking elephant. It may impact Callum's decision, but the Maestro needs this deal to stay in the province, not to mention the obvious connection between you and your girl, Nix. I don't think the Italian Don would put his daughter in harm's way on purpose, especially since he knows about the conflict between our Families."

Andromeda sniffled as Phoenix's hand on her back gently guided her to a room at the end of the hall. “This is the spare room where you’ll be staying. If you need anything – anything at all – let my Aunt Tem know, and she’ll make sure it gets done, okay? The door on your left is Kennedy’s room, the one on the right is where my cousins sleep.”

“The boy and girl share a room?” She asked.

He grinned, “Hans asked for her to stay with him, and they have canopy beds on opposite sides of the room. They’re five years apart, with Hans being seven and Melody being two. He’ll likely outgrow it, but he likes protecting his sister.”

“I see. The children sound wonderful, and you also have siblings, si?” she countered, trying to make some light conversation between them.

Phoenix nodded, “Yeah, I do. You’ll meet them later, okay?”

Forcing a smile, she let him show her into her new quarters. Once inside, she fell to the floor and let the tears flow.

Phoenix shut the door, turning to lift her into his arms. She didn't struggle against him, letting him touch her despite her previous experience. As he put her on the bed, he knelt in front of her. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he whispered: "I'm going to talk to my dad."

She whimpered. Pulling a pillow onto her lap, she sighed heavily, "It makes no difference. I share looks and blood with that b***h, so I’m used to shouldering the blame for her actions. As insane as that may sound, no one gives me the chance to prove that I am not my aunt.”

His eyes narrowed at the subtle change in her personality. As he figured it out, he grinned, "I have to ask you something, and I need you to be honest. Please?"

"What is it?" She questioned as she raised her eyes to his.

Suddenly his impulse control slipped. All his Uncle's teachings went out of the window as he pulled her closer, his nose to her pulse point, he breathed in the delicate scent of her lilac perfume. A warm hand curved around the back of her neck, drawing her in as his gaze searched for any sign he should stop.

Andromeda's heart pounded in her ears when he finally kissed her. Coaxing, but gentle, he literally took her breath away in that one moment. Her hands found their way to his face, sliding into the silken strands of red-tinged blond hair.

He groaned, breaking from her. "Sorry if I came on too strong, but I've wanted to do that since I first saw you."

"At least you had the decency not to hit me," she whispered. Reaching up, she cupped the side of his face with her hands. “You’re a true gentleman.”

Phoenix laughed softly. "That's because I was raised around men who treat their women with love and respect. I grew up being taught that looks aren’t everything, and that to make things work out, both parties had to set aside their differences."

He winced when he saw the disconnected look in her eyes. Was it something he’d said?

"I was worried when I saw that Markus was injured," she murmured. "My first thought was something had happened to you. When he told me you were fine, I felt relieved. I'll never be able to compare it to anything, but I feel like you actually see me. I feel like you actually care."

She paused, trying to figure out how to word her next statement. "I am sorry for everything that happened to your family. Had she not been so jealous, I honestly think that things would have been different. Even if you decide to go with someone else-"

Grinning, he cut her off, "Who the hell said anything about another girl? I’ve had other girlfriends, sure, but I didn’t want them like I want you. Besides, my aunts would hold me down and let my mother beat me senseless for being unfaithful. Don’t ask if my friends would help me ‘cause Memphis and Kenni would be, like, pass the popcorn. Lukas and Jax would probably sell tickets to the event, and my father would have a good old laugh at the situation."

Staring up at him, she started to laugh as he ranted about the problems he had. To her, it was comical to know that his own friends wouldn’t help if he was a philanderer. "You weren't kidding that night you talked to my Papa, were you?"

"Nope," he grinned. “So, uh, what do you think of my aunts?”

"They look alike, but Kennedy’s features are sharper," Andromeda commented as she played with his hair. She frowned, "What was it that you called me earlier?"

Phoenix blushed, his voice echoing his embarrassment. "Romie. I’m sorry, but I didn't want to keep calling you by the name Bianchi uses for you. It weirds me out."

"Thank you," she replied.

Lifting a brow in humour, he gazed over at her. Her soft, unassuming personality had a sharper edge when she was pushed too far. He would need to ask Kennedy for help getting Andromeda to expose the attitude hidden within. He licked his lips, "Romie, the night I met your father he asked me something I thought was a little out-of-character for a Don. The question was completely unexpected, and I thought for a moment that he was toying with me. He asked me if I thought you were fair."

"What did you tell him," she questioned nervously. Her heart thrummed in her chest, drowning out her thoughts. “Per favore, dimmi la verità?”

"Sì, naturalmente," he assured her. He dragged the silence out a little more, trying to piece together his thoughts in a way that made actual sense.

Hearing him speak in perfectly accented Italian, she was shocked that he understood her. “You… speak my language?”

“I speak Italian, German, Russian, French, Icelandic, Korean, Columbian, and Haitian Creole,” he told her softly.

“Phoenix, please, I’m begging you to tell me what you told my dad,” she asked again, desperation showing on her face.

Biting his lip, he said, "I told him I thought you were beautiful, and that I respected his right to question me as a concerned father. I told him that my father would be the same were the tables turned and it had been my sister in trouble."

Her eyes closed as the tears started anew. She sobbed, trying not to give in to the feeling that made her heart swell. Her short history with men wasn’t that great, and it would destroy her if he was messing with her head.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," she heard him whisper.

The bed bounced as he rose to his feet and walked away from her. Once he was gone, she collapsed on the bed and let the tears fall while she thought over her morning. Her stomach growled, but she didn’t care. She was too upset to think about food at the moment. That he’d personally whisked her to safety using his friends was yet another reason for her to trust him. He had kissed her, but she didn’t feel threatened by his obvious strength. No, she felt safe in his arms, and that made her wonder what he really felt for her.

She wanted to be afraid of what she was feeling, but there was nothing that could make her forget the way he made her heart skip a beat every time he looked her way. There was nothing anyone could do to make her forget the tender way he treated her like she was something precious.