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17
Evelyn
Idon’t fight him—not that I even have the energy to—as he carries me out of what I can only designate as the torture room from now on and into the main bedroom.
“I thought you said I needed to clean up,” I say as he walks past the bathroom.
“I did, but I think a bath is a better idea right now than a shower.”
He places me down on the carpet before setting to work preparing the bath. I allow myself to swim in and out of focus as my body struggles with both the loss of blood and trauma of what it just went through.
I barely register Dante lifting back into his arms as he steps down into the tub with me and places me on the seat within. The water is pleasantly warm, bubbles rippling through the water to both give me a bit of privacy and further relax my muscles.
It’s only after a few seconds that I realize Dante is sharing the tub with me as he leans back and stretches arms out to either side.
For perhaps the first time today, despite everything that just happened, I get a good look at him. He looks worn, even now with his eyes closed, dark circles have crept in around them.
I’m sure being head of the mafia is no simple task, but he looks far worse for the wear than I’d expect of someone like him.
Perhaps this whole situation is taking more of a toll on him and the others than I’d realized. Not that I should care.
I allow myself to slip deeper into the water, allowing it to lap at my chin as the bubbles beat comfortingly against my back. The soft sounds of the rippling surface nearly lulling me back to sleep.
“Do you remember anything about last night or this morning yet?” Dante asks, snapping me back into focus as I glance up at him, the entirety of my being from my mouth down submerged in the water. I hadn’t realized I was allowing myself to sink so low in the bath.
“Not yet,” I answer, as I lift my mouth above the surface.
“Very well,” Dante says with a sigh, leaning back against the edge of the tub.
“You said you’d explain what just happened ... with the venom.”
“I did.”
He exhales deeply again before lifting his head to look at me.
“So …”
“You may not remember it, but Luci injected you with a venom last night.”
“What? Why would he do that?”
Dante opens his mouth to answer but then shuts it, his brow furrowing as he tries and fails to come up with a response to my question.
“I honestly don’t know what he was thinking, Evi.”
As much as this answer disappoints me, I’m happily surprised by Dante’s admission of uncertainty. At least I’m not the only one who’s confused by what’s going on around here.
“Is he dangerous then?”
Dante can’t help but snort at this, his eyebrow lifting in amazement as a half-grin tugs at the corner of his mouth.
“Of course, he’s dangerous. We all are, especially around you.”
“Why especially around me?”
Dante’s grin slips as though he’s just now realizing he’s made a mistake.
“Well,” he starts, clearing his throat, “notespeciallyaround you. We pose quite a threat to anyone, you just happen to be on the receiving end of most of it these days.”
