The moment we entered Eli's Safe house, my breath hitched. His safe house was huge. A mansion with a very gorgeous back garden and golden pond I was already admiring on the way in but the interior? It was breathtakingly beautiful and captivating. It didn't feel like a sterile mafia safe house like I expected. In fact it felt like a love letter to my exact taste. Warm beige walls melted into deep vintage oak paneling, bathed in the amber glow of gold lighting accents along the molding. Heavy gold velvet curtains framed the towering windows. In the center of the room sat plush, dark oak sofas arranged beneath a massive, ornate vintage chandelier that hung from the ceiling like a crown of wrought iron and crystals. It felt historic. Safe. Elegant.

This.. This was exactly my taste. Don't get me wrong, my mansion was gorgeous and inculcated me, Elysium and even Eli's taste since we did shopping together for the house deco and later on Elysium added his own touch to it. But this mansion right here was exactly how I imagined my dream house growing up.

"Oh my god, the house is so cool!!!"Elysium's excited voice echoed in the living room as he gushed over everything before rushing upstairs.

"You like it?"Eli asked, looking adorably nervous.

"I do. It's beyond beautiful" I whispered softly as I took it all in.

Eli smiled, a dashing smile he reserved only for me and Elysium.

"Come on, I'll show you and Elysium to your rooms" Eli said, grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers together.

I stared at our hands as we headed upstairs. We held hands a lot in the past but this time it felt different. We both knew how the other felt, there were no walls, barriers or secrets between us. I still couldn't believe he never kissed anyone.. And he's never been intimate with any woman. I knew he was never interested but still the knowledge that he reserved himself for me like I did never failed to warm my soul. God, what did I do to deserve him?

I was still processing everything though. Discovering out of the blue that Eli is an heir to a bloody empire definitely felt shocking but honestly it all made sense and made things clearer in my head. Besides that I knew the real Eli. The man underneath all that bloody legacy, mafia rules and life. He was just a man who wanted to live a peaceful life with the woman he loves and I'm one lucky girl to be that woman.

I was very well aware that the path ahead wouldn't be easy especially with a killer on the prowl but with Eli by my side, I would be alright. We would make it together. Because we were partners in everything. A strong united front and it would remain that way.

The trickle of fear in my soul that Elysium could get hurt was still here but I will protect him. He was my son and after all these years Eli and him were deeply attached. We were both already connected to Eli, pulling away from him to protect Elysium wouldn't only be devastating for me but for my son too. I saw the way Elysium stared at Eli since he was a little kid. He saw a father in him and I loved them both with my heart. The Mafia legacy wouldn't change that. Not even his great grandfather's philosophy.

"That's where Elysium will be staying, his room is just next to yours. Mine is opposite of you" Eli said just as Elysium came bulldozing into him literally.

"You have a gaming room?? Is it for me?"Elysium asked, looking so excited he could barely stand still.

"You made a gaming room for him?"I asked Eli with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. He won't stay there all the time, I'll make sure of that." Eli responded, ever the devil's advocate.

"Come on, Mamá I always study hard and I got good grades, you did say you would give me a gaming room for Christmas this year so consider this an early gift?"Elysium said cheekily as he walked into his room staring at everything with doe eyes.

"Fine, but you're getting only 1 hour a day during school days okay?"I said, earning a cheerful yes from him.

He's too busy unpacking and arranging his room to his taste anyway. Eli really outdid himself this time. Elysium's room was the perfect shade of midnight blue coupled with silver curtains, a dark oak desk with a huge bookshelf on the right filled with his favourite comic books, a king size bed with plush pillows and silky midnight blue bed sheets. His own bathroom was spacious too with all sorts of hair cream, skin care products and shower gel. A walk in closet filled with every outfit and shades of clothes that Elysium adored. Different brands of shoes, school and lunch bags coupled with sports equipment along with fruity perfumes that he loved. Yep exactly what Elysium liked to the finest details.

"I'll show Mamá her room, if you need anything else, let us know okay? Matilda is our private chef here, anything you want to eat, she will cook it for you if ever we are at work or not here" Eli said, ruffling Elysium's hair lovingly.

"You're the best Cas," Elysium said, hugging him tightly.

Cas. That was the nickname Elysium had given Eli since he was little. A diminutive of sorts derived from Castillo. But really I think it was because Elysium never wanted to call Eli Uncle. Not when he saw him as a Dad.

Once they broke the hug, Eli grabbed my hand again and led me to my room. As expected it was breathtakingly beautiful with beige walls, a queen size bed, soft pink gold sheets and plush matching pillows coupled by gold curtains that were moving gently from the wind coming in like liquid gold, and a huge walk in closet. It was captivating and so much my taste it made me wonder just how well Eli knew me. Even the bookshelf was filled with my favourite poetry, dark romance and thriller books.

The bathroom was also filled with my favourite cherry blossom soaps, shower gels, hair products and skin care ones. Soft golden lightnings casted such a nice intimate glow in the huge bath tub that all I wanted to do was to keep admiring it.

I walked around, staring at everything acutely aware of Eli watching me, observing my reaction. Once I reached the walk-in closet though, I stopped moving. It looked more like an entire room in itself, across one wall, there were clothes from ruffled tops, crop tops, hoodies, sweaters, dresses, skirts, to shorts, ripped jeans, tomboy clothes I loved, summer outfits and winter ones. All my size and taste. On another wall, there were rows of shoes from tennis ones, ballerina shoes, high heels, ankle boots to wedge heels, cut out, and lace up ones. Against the middle wall, there were so many purses and bags that I didn't even know how it all fit in there on neat shelves. But the wall behind me did it all.

Right there, Eli had stacked different brands of cherry blossom perfumes. There were so many of them I was left reeling from the magnitude of Eli's attention to detail and devotion to me.

This..

This was the sweetest devotion I ever received from anyone.

"When did you buy all this, Eli? This is a lot"I said, heart doing a thousand flips.

"It's not the only house that's designed like that. My mansion, apartments here and all the other properties I own all over the world are like this too with maids and housekeepers keeping everything clean and pristine for you and Elysium. That's why I never really made you come to my property before" Eli confessed, making me stare up at him with a myriad of emotions.

"Why? Why would you spend so much on me and Elysium?"I ask, looking at this precious man with a golden heart.

Eli stepped closer and held my hands with reverence and gentleness. "Because I have always wanted a life with you and Elysium even if I knew I shouldn't be desiring a family I couldn't have. It was also comforting to me in a way because whenever I travelled and stayed in those mansions. I was wrapped in your essence, your taste, Elysium's childlike and adorable personality accompanied me there too. It felt like you were both with me. And somehow I had both of you there even if it wasn't exactly true"

He looked so vulnerable right now and his eyes, God his beautiful dark eyes held more emotions than any one I have ever known. "God, Eli I love you so much"I whispered, wrapping my arms around him tightly.

I understood why he couldn't tell me anything all these years but the image of a lonely Eli in some parts of the world carrying out contracts with only a trace of me and Elysium in his mansion to soothe him made my heart ache with a need to protect him and keep him safe. To wrap my love around him like a warm blanket so he would never be touched by the coldness in this world. So he would never be alone surrounded by darkness.

"I love you so much more, Little Flame. Whenever I was alone in my mansion all these years, you were the spark that danced on the edge of my silence. The light that refused to go out, even when the world dimmed around me. You burned with hope. With love. With defiance, even when you were exhausted and sleeping in my arms. You reminded me what warmth felt like in an eternity of being untouched by darkness" Eli replied, wrapping his arms around me protectively.

"You won't have to do those things to feel my presence now, I'll be with you always. When your body aches from the toll of those missions, I will be your rest. When your mind spins with doubt that you're a bad man, I will be your truth. And when your heart whispers my name in silence, I will answer, as I always have."I placed a soft kiss against his lips feeling his hold tighten as he pulled me closer to him like a lost soul clinging to redemption, a man holding onto his last breath.

I remain in his arms afterwards, head against his chest, basking in the warmth of his embrace and comforted by the steady drum of his heart. He held on to me just as tight, chin resting against the top of my head while his fingers idly stroked my hair. Neither of us were in any hurry to break the safety of this warm hug. Not when we both have wanted each other for so long. Burned in silence for each other for eons. He was, is and will always be my home. My Safe Home. And I will always be his too.

For Eternity.