King of the South (Belgrave Dynasty Book 1)

by Calia Read

“The thunder swallowed your momma’s screams and your cries,” my daddy would tell me when I was a little girl. “The devil knew you were comin’, and he got scared,” my momma would say.

I tried to sleep my anger away, but when I woke up this morning, vengeance coursed through my veins.

The irritated glance Rainey gives me would send most people scurrying in the opposite direction. For myself, my blood pumps faster through my veins. If you want to feel more alive, have a disagreement with this woman.

I waggle my brows, drawing a giggle from her. That brings me a small sense of satisfaction. Could any other man in this room say they made her laugh? No. Only me.

“Dieu aide moi,” he murmurs.

Livingston stirs and rolls toward me, his head resting between my breasts and one arm secured around my waist. “Puis-je te garder pour toujours?” he drowsily murmurs.

“Dites-moi que vous avez besoin de moi. S’il vous plaît,” I murmur.

I feel the fissure in my heart as I watch him. I notice the sharp cut of his cheekbones, the perfect line of his nose, the very faint lines around the corner of his eyes and lips that inevitably come with life. He’s still the same, but everything has changed. Just then, a dark strand falls across his brow. And he looks at me from beneath those dark lashes and smirks at me. Oh, dear.

If only we believe in ourselves the way we do in others.

Making a small circle, I take in the spotless room. “Raina, Raina, Raina...je te trouverai.”