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“Why?” Renata asked Dante. “You already have its power.”
“I thought if I found it, maybe we’d be forgiven.” Every word he said seemed to hurt, as though he had to carve the truth out of himself. “Or at least left alone.”
“And you, Finestra?” Tomo said. “How long have you known?”
Alessa pressed her forehead to the tight tendons of Dante’s neck for several breaths before standing to face her mentors.
“A while. He’s been helping me learn to manage my power. That’s why it was going so well… until it wasn’t.”
“Has he ever tried to hurt you?” Tomo said.
Hurt, yes. Tried?“No. And he had plenty of opportunity. He was kind to me when no one else was. Dante has a million reasons to be cruel and heartless—” She laughed sadly. “But he’s absolutely terrible at being evil.”
Dante’s breath shuddered out of him. “I was already planning to leave after Divorando, so you don’t have to worry about me tarnishing her further.”
A hole tore open in Alessa’s chest. “Once people see—”
He shook his head. “If you let me out, everyone will think they were right about you. I’m not worth it.”
“You’re worth it to me.”
Renata’s brows drew together. “You think they’ll stand by you if you ally yourself with a ghiotte? You’re too smart for that, Alessa. When Divorando is over, you two can run away with each other, for all I care. I’ll commission a ship for you, and…I’lltrain the next Finestra. Right now, you need to focus on saving Saverio. If you don’t, he’ll be dead anyway.”
“I’m afraid she’s right.” Tomo took Renata’s hand. “We’ve asked far too much of you, dear girl, but right now, Saverio needs you more than you need him. No offense, young man.”
“He’s imprisoned, not dead,” Renata said firmly. “Now, Tomo and I will take what we’ve learned from ourinterrogationand persuade the Consiglio tokeep itthat way. In the meantime, you will visit your bedridden Fonte and make sure our little stunt didn’t kill him once and for all.”
The Cittadella buzzed with soldiers whispering about the monster in their midst and servants breathlessly relaying the news to every person who crossed their path, as though anyone in Saverio hadn’t already heard it ten times over.
Alessa saw more concern on their faces during her walk through the building than she had while grieving all her dead Fontes combined.
Their fear and anger had a new target now, a shared enemy, and everyone swelled with righteous fury that a monster had tricked theirbelovedsavior.
One young soldier blocked her path to the stairs, blubbering and taking a knee.
Alessa fumbled her way through absolving the young man, acutely aware how many people were watching to see if she’d offer mercy.
After so many years wishing for a bit of sympathy, she finally had it—because the man she loved was taking the blame for every harm she’d ever done.
Kaleb’s eyes fluttered open as she cracked the door to the Fonte suite.
“You’re awake,” she said, coming in. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. Everything was fine. Good, even, but… it fell apart.”
“Yuck. Apologies are so awkward.” Kaleb wrinkled his nose. “Besides, it looks like I might have a heart thing. Doctor says it wouldn’t usually be a big deal, but that power flare-up of yours set it off.”
A heart condition. Not her fault. But he’d endured her touch so many times before without collapsing.
“Sorry,” she said. “I mean,notsorry.”
“The secret’s out, huh?”
She nodded miserably.
“Please stop crying. I can’t take it.”
“All this time thinking Dea’s gift was my greatest weapon, and tears are even more effective at destroying men.”
“You have quite the arsenal,” Kaleb said. “Where is he?”
