“And privately?” Luca prompted.
“You watch from a safe distance,” Nico said firmly, as my hands clenched in my lap. “You listen, and youdo not take any chances. You’re in a unique position to help us. Keeping you alive and in that position could mean the difference between us failing or succeeding.”
Silence stretched, broken only by the soft tick of the kettle cooling on the stove.
“Luca can’t be sneaking around the city at night. Word will get back to Giovanni. And he promised Rocco he’d spy for him. We need a way to spin that to our benefit, while protecting my brother.”
“I’ll have Severin appoint me as an additional guard on the palazzo,” Nico suggested. “Call it increased Pentarch security or some such shit. You will pass any information directly to me, and I’ll figure out how to get the information to Rocco, vetting everything to make sure he doesn’t learn anything that might compromise us.”
“You can count on me.” Luca nodded once. “I won’t let any of you down.”
Before anyone could stop me, I crossed the spacebetween us and pulled him into my arms. He clutched at me like he was afraid I’d disappear again, fingers digging into my back.
“I thought you were gone.” His voice broke. “For weeks now, I thought I was the only one left.”
I swallowed hard. “You were never alone. Not really.” I wanted to tell him about my disguise at the party, that moment in father’s office, but that would have to wait until this was over and we had all the time in the world to share war stories.
“Do you remember,” Luca murmured, “when Father used to sneak us onto the roof at dawn? Said the city was pure in spirit before anyone woke up. I loved watching the sun rise over the Basilica.”
A soft laugh escaped me, thick with tears. “I think that’s why I love the rooftops so much. They make me feel like the city’s not a complete cesspool.”
“He would hate this,” Luca said quietly. “He would be offended by everything Uncle is doing.”
“Yes,” I whispered, pulling back before I couldn’t. “He would.”
We said our goodbyes, Nico going with my brother, so they didn’t leave a trail. When Luca was gone—dematerialized back into the night and the danger waiting for him—the safehouse felt emptier.
I hoped we hadn’t just endangered my brother in the same way Rocco had.
Asked him to lie. To spy. And gods help me…
I felt like a traitor for it.
38
DANTE
Ileaned on the doorframe, watching Emberline brush out her hair, savoring the way those heavy locks curled at the ends, so dark against her skin.
She kept her stiff back to me, so I couldn’t see her face.Probably for the best.I’d fucked up today, and seeing her disappointment at ending up married to a brutish caveman who reasoned with his fists and not his head would drive the final stake through my already shattered heart.
The sight of my wife already made me ache like I was raw, made the demon at my center hunger, as if he’d never hungered before.
But I couldn’t stop watching. Just the sight of Emberline stirred my soul until my chest ached, yet calmed every exposed nerve, even after today’s clusterfuck.
I should be putting some distance between us, yet here I was, hovering around her like a moth to a flame.
Gods, I was a pathetic fucker.
“I’m sorry,” I said again as she dragged the brush down through those gorgeous curls. “I lost my shit today. And not just because of Nico’s confession. But because some part of me already knew the truth.” I rubbed my thumb over the worn paint on the trim.
“He’s right, you know. Everyone falls in love with you.”
She stilled, then went back to brushing, the candles gilding her skin gold.
“Loving you was inevitable from the moment I saw you in that hideous white dress. As inevitable as breathing. As my heart beating. Since that moment, you have owned me completely,tesoro, and you always will. But it’s also inevitable you’ll leave me in pieces when this is over.”
I took a breath. “But that’s okay. Because every hour, every second, every minute with you is a gift I don’t deserve.”
