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We didn’t speak as we moved through the quiet monastery. Mummies lined up on either side of us, their silent, lifeless eyes cast in our direction, watching but not truly seeing our passage. Above us in the rafters a bird flapped its wings—everything was so similar to when I’d been here last it made me swallow my rising discomfort. I wondered where the holy brotherhood was, if they were lying in wait. And they weren’t the only foes to be concerned about.
I still felt that same sense of an otherworldly presence, as if the Umbra demons were lurking in the shadows, watching my every move to report back to whichever prince of Hell had hired their services. Only this time, I wished they’d go fetch their master.
If the ghostlike demons were really there, then perhaps Envy would know where I was and would leave the fight at the Pit and show up as he often did. His meddling wouldn’t be unwelcome this time, a sign things had well and truly changed in my world. Though none of that mattered since the portals and gates were all locked and the princes couldn’t leave if they tried.
“Do you—”
“Quiet. We don’t need the brotherhood interfering.” Domenico pushed the back door open, its hinges creaking loudly, as he stuck his head out and listened. It had been late afternoon when we’d left the Seven Circles, but it was fully evening here.
We stepped into the balmy night, and I inhaled the familiar air scented with orange blossoms and plumeria. Stars twinkled overhead like they knew a secret and were excited at the prospect of its discovery. Instead of feeling like I’d finally come home, the warmth almost felt unnatural now, stifling and oppressive. It made me crave the snow and ice and the demon who commanded it.
As we crossed the silent courtyard, I looked to the street that would take me to Sea & Vine. It was dark, but people were walking around. Our trattoria would still be open, serving the last of its guests for the evening. Nonna and my mother would be in the kitchen, humming as they prepared food. Uncle Nino and my father would be in the dining room, chatting with guests as they poured limoncello and laughed. I could go there now. Join them.
Despite its many terrible flaws that had been exposed, it had been a good life. Regardless of what Vittoria said, I knew she’d been happy, too. We’d been surrounded by love and light. We had a family who cared for us and a community. We’d had each other.
As far as curses went, ours wasn’t hateful. Unlike Wrath, who’d had his heart proverbially torn from him and was then forced to feel hate in place of love, we’d forgotten everything of our past. All our schemes. Our thirst for vengeance. We had been given a new set of memories that might have been filled with fear of the devil and his wicked brothers, but it wasn’t all bad.
Domenico cut a look my way. “You don’t have to be quiet now. We’re far enough away.”
“It’s a lot to sort through.”
For the first time since we’d met in the Shadow Realm, the werewolf seemed to understand and sympathize. Which, I supposed he did. His world had altered as irrevocably not too long before. He’d adjusted, though he still seemed hostile about it. Perhaps that was the alpha magic still wreaking havoc on him until he matured. Or maybe he resented being a shifter.
“Eventually, you’ll learn to focus on the present and let the past go.” He guided us down a side street I knew well. “Reliving what could have been but never will be is pointless. It’ll only hold you back from what you are. One of the hardest things anyone can do is live in the here and now. Not worry about the future, not rehash the past. Be present, that’s the secret to changing your future. To finding true happiness.”
I mulled that over. “Are you happy?”
“Sometimes.” Domenico lifted a shoulder. “It’s better than when I first found out… everything.”
“How is your father? He seemed worried but proud last time I spoke to him.”
The shifter stiffened for a beat, then kept walking, his long strides eating up the cobbled path. Almost as if he wished to run away from the question. “Dead.”
My own steps faltered. I didn’t want to press on a wound that was clearly fresh, but I needed to know. “Did my sister—”
“Of course not.” Domenico spun on his heel, his eyes flashing pale purple. He immediately glanced around, making sure no humans had seen, then visibly strained to rein his emotions in. “Your sister had nothing to do with it.”
“What about demons?”
“What about them?” Domenico asked.
“Did this have to do with Greed?”
At the mention of Greed’s name, the wolf’s claws shot out. “It was pack business. Leave it at that.”
I held my hands up in a gesture of peace, and the werewolf resumed his forward trek through the neighborhood bordering ours. Unwittingly, Domenico had given me two answers I’d been looking for. If Vittoria was really hell-bent on creating a larger rift between wolves and demons, killing a pack member would have been a prime opportunity. And the alpha had a large emotional reaction to Greed’s name.
My focus shifted from my twin and the wolf issues and latched onto the road we’d just turned down. I stopped walking, unable to pick one foot up and place it in front of the other again. Near the end of the street sat our family home.
Vines curled up and around the trellis, the pale stone gleaming in the moonlight. It was beautiful. Untouched. It had continued on as if nothing had changed at all. My mouth was suddenly parched. Of all the places Vittoria could go, this carved deep.
“My sister is in our house.”
Domenico shook his head. “Look closer.”
“I don’t—” The corner of our houseshimmered, lifting slightly at the edges. Like an invisible page had been placed over the whole structure and had come loose in a breeze. My pulse pounded, and I stepped back, shaking my head. “No. No, no. Not this, too. Please.”
Vittoria was suddenly in front of me, her hair blowing from that same magical wind that was now tearing pieces of our house away. “Demand to see its truth, Emilia.”
