Bound by Vengeance (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles, #5)

by Cora Reilly

“I told you, what he’s done to me made me who I am. I would not be here without him. I would not be here with you without him. He gave me you and that’s more than I ever hoped for.”

I was like a moth drawn to her light. The only light that had ever penetrated the darkness that was me and my life.

But I could appreciate something precious, something as valuable as Cara, and I would never destroy it. I wasn’t good, there was nothing gray about me. I was all black but I was trying to be good to her. Never as good as she deserved but as good as I was capable of.

“But I’m not as valuable as that piece around your wrist.” “You are worth more than anything I’ve ever owned or will ever own.”

“Red is supposed to calm people down. Maybe it will work for you too.”

But I want to help you be happy. I want you to get out of this miserable city and life. I never wanted that for me, but you, for you I want everything.”

Most of all I wanted to tell her that I didn’t want to lose her, and that for the first time in my life I was scared to die because I wanted to have more time with her, and yet at the same time I was scared not to die because then I’d see her leave me the moment we were in New York.

“Yes, she is. She’s worth more than you and I. She’ll be worth losing everything for.”

“I want you. I want you to stay with me because you want to stay. I want you to want me,”

“I gave up hoping for something good a long time ago. It made things easier. Nothing could hurt me. Pain is nothing. People’s insults mean nothing. I cared about nothing. There was nothing I had to fear. But when I got you, I suddenly realized what kind of life I’d led. How little everything had meant. I like being with you, talking to you, sharing meals with you, walking Coco and Bandit with you, and even sharing a bed with you. I never thought I could like that kind of thing, never thought that I might need something like that, but now…” He trailed off, the uncertainty back. “Now I’m fucking scared to lose all that, to lose you. I never knew I needed you but now I can’t imagine being without you. I…I love you, Cara.”

“I want New York to be a new beginning for me and you, if you want that too. And I want to be known as Ryan in this new life.” “And I want a new beginning with you, Ryan,” I said. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. “I don’t deserve you,” he murmured against my hair. “But I will.”

“And I want to make you happy. You deserve happiness as much as I do.”