The air in the study was charged, thick with the scent of rain and Vane's oppressive power.
Vane set his glass on the desk and walked toward Ren. He didn't stop until he was inches away, his shadow completely swallowing Ren's smaller frame. He reached out, his large hand covering Ren's left hand—the one wearing Julian's ring.
"A beautiful ring," Vane whispered, his thumb grazing the platinum band before moving up to grip Ren's wrist. "A symbol of a promise made to a boy who doesn't know how to keep you."
"Why did you send him away?" Ren choked out, his chest heaving.
"Because I don't share," Vane growled. He pulled Ren closer, his hand sliding into the hair at the nape of Ren's neck, forcing him to tilt his head back. "Julian wanted a wedding. He got one. But tonight isn't about him. It's about the debt you signed in blood and broken glass."
Vane leaned down, his lips grazing the silver thorn in Ren's ear. "You wore my colors today, Ren. You stood at that altar and looked at me while you gave your hand to my son. Did you think I wouldn't notice? Did you think I wouldn't feel the way your pulse jumped every time our eyes met?"
"I hate you," Ren gasped, even as his hands found the lapels of Vane's coat, clutching them for support.
"Then hate me," Vane murmured, his mouth moving to the line of Ren's jaw. "Hate me while I save your father. Hate me while I clothe you in silk. Hate me until you forget there's any other man in this world."
Vane's kiss was a collision—a dark, possessive claim that tasted of scotch and obsession. It wasn't the soft, hesitant kiss Julian had given him at the altar. This was a conquest.
Ren felt the world falling away. The bridal suite, the white lilies, the gentle boy—it was all a dream. This was the reality. The cold stone, the dark silk, and the man who had orchestrated every second of his suffering just to be the one to end it.
Vane swept Ren up, his strength effortless, and carried him toward the heavy velvet curtains of his private quarters.
"Tonight, you learn the truth, Ren," Vane whispered against his lips. "Julian has the name. But I... I have the man."
As the doors to the inner chamber closed, the silver thorn in Ren's ear was the last thing to catch the light—a small, sharp reminder that he was finally, irrevocably, home.
'You are Sweet my Rose'..