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“What’s happening?” Sophia asks. “And do you need help?”

“I don’t know. But I have to leave now. It’s … it’s Rosa. She needs me.”

Sophia nods. She gets it, and I am grateful.

I march from the meeting room with Matteo and Donna, opening up my phone as I go. Fuck. Maybe a dozen missed calls from Pietro and one from her. The one from her is all I care about. She called me. She reached out for help, and I didn’t even fucking answer. After everything else that’s been happening between us, I’m not surprised she didn’t try to contact me with her mind. She has her pride, and I’d dented it. Made her feel surplus to requirements, then wasn’t even around when she needed me.

I stop for a second in the middle of the corridor. Close my eyes. Rosa? Are you there? I’m so sorry, cara mia. Forgive me … Tell me you are all right!

I wait. Pray to a god I know doesn’t exist. Nothing. It’s not that she isn’t answering my call; it’s that she isn’t even there. The last time that happened, she’d been drugged by her grandfather, bundled into the back of a van, and kidnapped.

The panic rises up my belly, wraps its fist around my heart.

“She’ll be okay, boss,” Matteo says, his solid hand on my shoulder. “She’s tough.”

Yeah, she is, but she’s not immortal. She’s not unkillable. What the fuck have I done? How could I let her out of my sight? How could I let her walk into danger alone, while I played at being a leader? I don’t give a shit about any of that. I’d give it all up in a heartbeat. I just want her back, safe, and in my arms.

I nod at Matteo. He’s trying to keep me calm, and that’s good. I won’t be able to help her if I go insane with the fear of losing her. “We’re going to the Upper East Side. He has her. The Grand Ball Sack. We have to get to her now.”

Matteo nods, and Donna looks shocked. She’s about to say something, but instead she lets out a little shriek. Her hand flies to her neck, and her amulet is so bright it’s like the sun. Her eyes go wide. “Something’s happening …” she mutters.

At the exact same moment, my phone rings. My heart sinks when I see that it’s not her, as I’d hoped. It’s Minnie, her voice crackling all the way from Italy. “Luca?” she says, as I snarl at her. “Something’s happening.”

“I don’t care what’s happening. I’m going to get Rosa.”

I run towards the doors. I need to get out of here. It doesn’t matter that the sun will rise before too long. It doesn’t matter that I have left behind a room full of allies who could potentially become enemies. All that matters is that I find her.

My feet eat up the distance to the exits, pushing aside the guards that try to stop me. “Boss, no!” Stefano says, grabbing hold of my arm as I pass. He’s strong but not strong enough, and I throw him aside. Why the fuck is he even trying to stop me anyway?

I reach the doors. Look through them. See an army marching towards us, straight from the gates of hell. Stefano pushes past me, rejoins his men. Sprays the attackers with bullets, then disappears.

“This is what I was trying to tell you,” Pietro says, catching up with me, out of breath as he limps to my side. “The app. The messages. The chat rooms. He sent everyone here to kill you.”

Matteo and Donna are at my sides, both gazing out at the fucking biblical sight before us. Stefano has his guards lined up outside on the steps, but there aren’t enough of them. There is nowhere near enough. Running towards them, bounding over cars and tumbling from the surrounding rooftops, comes an enemy that seems countless. Vamps of every age and size, a flock of birds that aren’t birds, a group of three witches holding hands and chanting as they march in our direction. Animals of all kinds, including a lone wolf. Barely visible hints of fae glimmering against the darkness, a scattering of pixies with their razor-sharp teeth bared. Humans among them too, swept up in the parade, some looking panicked, others euphoric.

They stink of rage, of bloodlust, of anger.

“The app,” Pietro says, his voice wavering. “He told them you were planning to take over all of them. Steal their liberties. Force them to be part of your kingdom. They think … They think they’re fighting for their freedom. He even had photos of you, with your eyes all silver, telling them you were a witch who wanted to rule them all …”

It’s a clever ploy, a master stroke. He’s spent weeks getting these creatures all riled up. Playing them, manipulating them, encouraging them. Appealing to their most brutal, monstrous instincts. Telling them they’re special. And now? Now, he has turned all that vicious energy in my direction. There are thousands of them, shouting, screaming, raging. A torrent of violence, all aimed at me. If I wade into that torrent, it will probably be the last thing I ever do.

I do not give a fuck. Rosa is out there. She needs me. I will kill them all if I have to.

I scream her name, my own war cry, and I charge.

Chapter 30

Rosa

Idon’t know how long I’ve been out for, but every part of my body is aching. My head feels like it’s going to explode, and I taste dried blood on my lips.

I open my eyes, and the pain is excruciating. I manage to glance around, see that I’m in a basement. The floor is concrete and cold, and a single lightbulb dangles above, its dim light a searing agony as it pierces my skull.

I do a self-triage, find that I’ve been severely beaten. As well as the damage he inflicted while we fought, he continued after I was unconscious. I smile bitterly, my split lip opening up as I do. Some things never change. He might be a super-strong vamp these days, but he’s also still a coward. A bully. Kicking me while I was down? Very much his style.

I climb onto all fours and groan at the shooting pain that roars from my kneecap. It’s well and truly busted. I clamber upright, using the damp basement wall for support, ignoring the sharp stabbing in my wrist that I think is also broken. I breathe deeply, instantly regretting it. Fractured ribs too. He really went to town on me, the bastard. He’s also, I realize, stolen my fucking amulet. Still, I don’t suppose I need that to tell me I’m in danger.

My good hand goes gingerly to my head, comes away coated in blood. No surprises there. At least I’m not tied up—a girl’s got to look on the bright side.