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Salvatore Aeternus did not expect to make it back to Italy alive.
I snapped out of my thoughts when the demon used the tips of his fingers to put the lit end of his cigar out. My eyes honed in on him as he blew on the embers until there was absolutely no life left within it. “Are you planning to travel tonight, Father?”
“Why delay the inevitable?” My father tugged the handkerchief from his front pocket to wrap around the cigar before returning it. When it was hidden from sight, he reached out to seize his cane. As soon as his fingers curled around it, he leaned heavily on it. “It is time I return the peace of your humble abode back to you. You can’t explore this relationship of yours if I’m just around the corner, now can you? All I ask is one thing.”
My lungs grew restricted, making it impossible to draw a full breath of fresh air. “Yes?”
Salvatore crossed the room until he’d shrunk down every inch of distance between us. There was a hint of a desire for him to reach out, to grab something to remind me of his rank. He resisted, keeping an iron grip on that cane. He simply stared me down with those dark eyes. “Ensure she is the one you wish to rule by your side as queen. Call upon the old ways to confirm what your soul senses. If she is the one meant to take the throne beside you, then she must prove to the rest of the demon kind that she is the right one. She needs to win over their loyalty. Do not give her the crown until she proves what she must.”
I gritted my teeth until my jaw throbbed with agony. It should come as no surprise that my father would request testing someone’s loyalty thoroughly. Quinn might have passed the little tests he’d flung her way, but the old ways would call upon her to prove herself to the rest of our race. No one could rule without loyalty from their own kingdom.
There were five tests called for by the old ways, several of which I doubted that she would hesitate with. One of them left me concerned. Quinn had gone from the belief that she was nothing more than a bastard child with a foot in each world, only to discover that her father had left her with one hell of a legacy. The old ways would call for her to acknowledge that, while the original ruling bloodline ran through her veins, it didn’t give her the ultimate right to the throne.
If our roles were swapped, I doubted that I would have the will to restrain myself from seizing what was rightfully mine.
“Asher.”
I jolted slightly, sucking in a sharp breath. “I will put her through the tests,” I promised softly.
Salvatore lifted his jaw slightly. “That’s all I can ask of you, my son. The rest will be left entirely up to you.” While it was clear that wasn’t the last of what he wanted to say, the rest of the words were sucked dry when the backdoor was tugged open. His eyes shifted toward the two bodyguards leading the way inside, Santino bringing up the rear.
All it took was one look between Santiago and my father for an unspoken request to be registered. He dipped his head slightly and announced, “I will fire up the car, m’lord.” He threw a quick glance at his companion before he tore through the house and was out the front door. It wasn’t long until the SUV outside revved to life.
The remaining bodyguard peered at him with a hint of curiosity. “Should I call and have the jet refueled?”
“Yes.” Salvatore pulled away, grabbing the last item yet to be retrieved. He managed to flip the hat over with one graceful movement before he tugged it onto his head. While the demon shuffled out of the living room to carry out the command, he shifted his focus back toward me. “Remember what we’ve spoken about, Asher. I expect a report as things come to play out. Understood?”
Carry on as if we don’t expect anything to happen.
I pressed my lips together and managed to stifle the urge to object to the underlying warning. There was absolutely no point in trying to argue with him, not when the threat on his life had been crystal clear for centuries. The fact that Calianna’s wayward behavior had indeed forced him out of Italy only ensured those standing against him had at least one chance to act.
They were going to throw everything they had at him while they could.
“Yes, Father,” I murmured softly.
When Luca returned, stating the jet was being refueled, Salvatore offered a final nod my way. It was the only thing he was willing to offer as a farewell.
Santino didn’t dare break the silence until the door slid shut behind them. He released a whistle that had me glaring over at him. The noise cracked into silence under the weight of my surfacing rage. He jammed his hands into his pants pockets and offered a sheepish shrug. “Why did that feel like a final conversation?”
I gestured at the wine glasses, dismissing them with a wave of my hand. The TV flipped on as I took the main couch with a soft huff. “Because it was. He anticipates his enemies using this chance to eliminate him.” I started flicking one finger against another, willing the TV channels to change until I managed to locate the local news.
The demon lord reluctantly eased down onto the couch across from me. “Is that what’s bothering you?”
Raising an eyebrow, all I gave him was a brief glance.
He released an amused snort. “No offense, boss. I’m used to you being on edge, but it’s been even worse lately — especially after your father’s unannounced visit. I know it’s not the issue of pussy…”
“Is there a point to this conversation?” I growled.
His grin simply grew for a moment before it faded entirely. “Something’s bugging you. What is it? Aside from the angel prince going dark and your sister running away from home.”
A weary sigh escaped me. I leaned forward, clasping my hands together so that I could rest my chin on them. Although my eyes were fixed upon the TV, I was barely paying attention to the current story. “Salvatore wants me to enact the old ways to ensure Quinn is fit to rule by my side.”
“That figures.”
The comment was so casually dismissive that it was enough to rip my attention from the TV. I stared at him, shock tearing through my veins with a mixture of a searing heat and a mind-numbing chill. “Excuse me?”
There was the desire to flash that smirk at me again, yet the demon lord managed to bury it with the desperation of avoiding raw wrath. He simply gazed back at me calmly. “Your father is a smart man, Asher. He’s always been very strategic, even before he took over the throne. No rule goes smoothly, but it certainly helps to have a queen on the same page as you. What baffles me is why you’re concerned.”
