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Salvatore narrowed his eyes into thin slits. “And this…mysterious ally?”
I shrugged. “Exposed. I’ll know who it is as soon as I pinpoint her location.”
Silence leaked into the living room as the king stared at me while I sipped on my wine. After a moment, his lips curled into a small grin and he murmured, “Two birds with one stone. Strategic.”
“I prefer to see it as three.” I shifted to wipe a stray droplet trailing down my chin. “Returning Calianna to you…Removing Marcillo from power…and taking down whoever he has recruited to help him.”
My father responded with a pleased grunt. He tossed his head back to finish off his glass before he abandoned it on the coffee table. “Very well. It seems you have things in order.”
Weariness flooded me as he eased onto his feet, leaning over just long enough to recover his lit cigar. “Will you remain as my guest until the segment has aired?”
“There’s no need. I trust things will be carried out as you intend.” He tugged his suit jacket down. All it took was maneuvering his shoulders a little bit before all of the tension was forced from his body. Plopping the cigar back in his mouth, he grinned. “I am curious, though, with your…pet. There is no denying the blood that runs through her veins. Her humanity shrinks with each passing day that she remains in your presence.”
I eyed Salvatore. “Is this your way of requesting that I toss her to one of the others and be done with her?”
The very idea left me nauseated. There wasn’t a single fiber in my body that wasn’t aware of how much Quinn had her hooks in me — and the poor girl didn’t realize how valuable that kind of control was. I had been just a young boy when the feud between my parents finally hit a critical point.
Any king would simply strike down the disobedient queen and be done with the chaos. But Brielle had the same hold over Salvatore that Quinn did with me. The chaos was simply allowed to endure for far too long before his control snapped. Calianna was nothing more than a small babe when our mother’s blood stained those floors.
I was old enough to register the balance had crumbled, royal turning against royal. It was a weakness I had vowed never to have, burying myself in any pussy that would get me hard. Not exactly ideal when it came to looking for a possible queen of my own — but it did work with avoiding any unnecessary ties while I was still just a prince.
Especially when I had been led by the belief that my time to even find one had closed.
Did that mean I would be willing to toss Quinn aside should that be his order? Hell no. I was hooked all the way to the depths of my corrupted soul and black heart. The time for severing these ties had long since passed.
Salvatore simply chuckled and shook his head. “I have no issue with calling her my future daughter-in-law, should that be your chosen path. My concern lies more with how you will react to those marking her with the same title you’d given her. Will you be able to control that rage when they mock her mixed bloodline or will you behave as a king?”
What the hell is this? I eased forward to set my glass down on the coffee table before I stood. My father’s gaze never strayed from me as I straightened my back and brought myself to my full height — almost a foot higher than him. “Is this your way of approving Quinn?” My voice was soft, controlled.
There was no place for false hope here.
The edges of his lips twitching was all I needed for confirmation. “It appears she is just as addicted to you as you are with her, my boy. It’s quite unexpected considering how the pair of you crossed paths.” Cocking his head slightly, his smirk merely grew. “I think we both know how one begins doesn’t matter. What does is how you both respond to the impending challenge.”
Chills trickled down my spine as his words started to sink in. He was accepting Quinn into the family, there was no doubt in my mind about that. There was something about her mixed bloodline that fascinated him — especially when it came to her loyalty to me now. I tugged my shirt down, using it to help distract myself from all the frazzled nerves buzzing beneath my skin. “You’ve always been one to speak your mind, Father. It is quite unexpected for you to beat around the bush like this.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Salvatore mused. He tugged the cigar loose from his lips. “Very well, my boy. I will be upfront with you. Quinn has accepted her bond with you, as you have with her. Perhaps the only concern lies with the part of her that is still human. It would be foolish to believe she will embrace our ways without hesitation.”
Tucking my hands into my back pockets, I simply stared the demon down. “Quinn has no reason for such hesitation. Humanity failed her from the start. Her own mother denied her everything that one is obligated to give their own blood. The only thing Quinn received was an occasional roof over her head with scraps she had to fight for.”
That didn’t include the endless abuse Quinn had suffered at the hands of her own mother. The burns faded more with every day the demonic blood within her overtook her humanity, but the scars were still there. It was the tip of the iceberg of everything she’d endured.
My father arched an eyebrow. “You sound positive that she will not resist the call of our kind.”
I spread my hands and scoffed. “If the resistance was still there, she would have attempted to kill me several times over, Father.”
“And you wouldn’t be knotting her.” His lips curled into a pleased smirk as an unfamiliar heat graced my cheeks. It didn’t matter if the room was basked only with a faint light, he could still detect the change all the same.
Gritting my teeth, I opted for a silent response. It was far from enjoyable to have him reminding me of the reaction Quinn caused every time we fell into bed together. The bastard had raised a valuable point. Even if she embraced the call of her demonic blood and stepped into our world with open arms, there were still the critical steps she would have to take for the rest of our kind to accept her. Challenges that would have to be conquered just to prove she was more than worthy of being my queen.
Still, the fact Salvatore had brought it up left me weary. I drew back slightly. “You don’t trust your own men,” I murmured. “You anticipate something happening on the flight back to Italy.”
He responded with an amused snort. “It would certainly give them the chance they’ve been waiting for, my boy. I’ve remained behind our family walls for so many centuries. I would be quite disappointed if they didn’t take it. Which means you…” He gestured at me with the cigar. “...must be ready to take my place. Track your little sister down. Handle her disobedience any way you see fit as long as the threats she’s allied herself with are removed from the equation.”
I tensed.
Salvatore simply spread his hands to perform a small bow that I’d never seen him offer anyone else. “May your reign be long and your strength pass on not only to your queen…but your future heirs.”
Strange chills trickled down my spine at his masked blessing. I was quick to respond with a bow of my own to avoid the demon feeling insulted that his gesture wasn’t returned. It wasn’t one that I anticipated ever receiving, no matter how much I obeyed his increasingly insane demands. While I was relieved to hear it, it also simply confirmed the deep fear buried beneath everything.
