Page 20 of Reaper’s Wrath

My hand lifts to ghost my thumb across the fluttering skin at her pulse point at the base of her neck. She wants this. She wants me. Is that because a part of her senses who I am?

Could it be?

I’d know you anywhere.

Those words were spoken so long ago—could they possibly still be true?

We’ll find out soon enough, and I can’t wait.

I bring my lips close to her ear and relish the feel of her full-body shiver. “Terina’s heart is perfectly safe.” Yours, on the other hand, might be in for a bumpy ride.

I pull back, smug satisfaction unfurling in my chest at the sight of her shaky exhale through parted lips. She doesn’t ask any more questions, even when we switch cars. The unusual move has to be ringing alarm bells in her head, but she keeps quiet until we arrive at the marina.

“We’re getting on a boat?” Her question screams of skepticism.

“Yes.”

“Whose boat?”

“Mine,” I say absently, leading her toward the marina entrance.

Isa pulls on my hand, resisting me. “D, you hate boats. You haven’t stepped foot on one since…”

My head whips back to pin her with my stare. “Since what?” I snap, unexpectedly triggered by the insinuation that DiAngelo hasn’t been on a boat since my disappearance. He loved those damn yachts he washed that summer.

She yanks her hand from mine and crosses her arms. “I don’t know what’s happening here, but I’m not taking another step until I get some answers.”

A sinister smile teases my lips before I do a mock bow. “As you wish,” I offer, then toss her over my shoulder.

“What has gotten into you? Put me down, you overgrown oaf.” She smacks her hands against my back with less force than if she’d been swatting a mosquito.

I cross the bridge onto the back decking of my yacht and continue inside to the main lounge before finally depositing her on her feet. Isa rights herself, pausing in her outrage to absorb her new opulent surroundings. I know it’s impressive because I still remember the awe I felt when I first bought her a year ago. Thirty million affords a sufficient degree of luxury.

The only significant change I made was to add an aquarium. I’ve come to love the ocean so much that simply living on it wasn’t enough. I wanted to have my favorite underwater hunter up here where I could enjoy it. Eels aren’t easy to keep, but I’ve spent years learning to care for them.

Inside my custom five-hundred-gallon reef tank is a two-year-old Japanese dragon moray eel I sourced, and she is magnificent. Bright orange and umber with white spots, she’s as flamboyant as she is deadly and always makes a statement.

I wonder what Isa will think of her.

For now, Isa’s attention is drawn to the three men already occupying the room. She swallows, then turns wary eyes back to me. “D, please tell me what’s going on. Who are these men?”

“Who the fuck is D?” one of my men asks. I told them I’d be bringing someone on board but didn’t elaborate.

Time to unveil the truth. Literally.

I gently feel for the edge of my silicone mask, which I had custom-made to cover my neck, and peel back the rubbery surface to expose the garish scar beneath.

The room is silent, allowing me to hear Isa’s subtle gasp.

A wicked smirk twists the ends of my lips as years of anticipation culminate into a single intoxicating moment. “D is my twin brother and of no consequence to you.” I turn to Isa, who’s now as white as her gown. “Guess who’s back?”

CHAPTER 13

ISA

My body sways more than the boat beneath me.

Shock doesn’t begin to describe what I’m feeling.