AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good.” Mrs. Vance steps off the terrace, making her cowardly retreat as the men close in around me.
I hold my position, letting my anger grow. Letting my rage fuel my flames until they burn hot enough to coat my skin in a sheen of sweat.
The first man charges for me, fist aimed at my midsection.
I splay my hand over his face and encase his flesh with fire.
The man leaps back, crying out as my flames scorch his skin. I whirl to the next man, finding him gaping, eyes bulging as they dart from my palms to his companion now cradling his ruined face. Clenching my jaw, I dart toward him, but something drops from above and falls onto the terrace floor.
It’s a man.
No, not just a man, but…Dante.
His mask is gone, but he now holds his cane. Althoughholdisn’t the right word for how he swings it into one assailant’s legs, then cracks it against the skull of the other. The first man goes tumbling forward while the other presses a hand to his temple and stumbles off the terrace. The burned man follows, trailing agonized grunts. The final attacker tries to flee as well, but Dante slams his cane into the back of his knees and catches him from behind in a chokehold. Soon the man goes limp in the spy’s arms.
I glance from where Dante stands now to where I saw him drop down from. A narrow outcropping lines the wall above, several feet beneath an empty balcony. “You descended a wall and dropped from the side of the building. Is that something you do?”
“When I must,” he says, chest heaving. Not from being winded, I realize, but from…fear. Or anger, perhaps. Dante releases the unconscious man, letting him drop unceremoniously to the terrace floor. “I used restraint this time. He’s not dead.”
His statement has me torn between amusement, terror, and shock. We just fought violent members of a gang, and I…I helped. More than helped. I burned a man’s face.
I wait for guilt to creep in.
But it doesn’t.
This is who I am. Fury and flame.
Dante closes the distance between us. I extinguish my flames, leaving only the harmless blazing lace of my gown. His voice turns strangled. “I never should have let you meet with her alone.”
“I was obviously able to take care of myself.” I keep my tone light, but my words have his expression falling.
He purses his lips, one hand tightening around the head of his cane while the other opens and closes at his side. Then, with a deep breath, he takes a step back. “You’re right. You…you don’t need me to rescue you. This isn’t my place, I’m—”
I mirror his steps, reclaiming the inches he put between us. A warm smile curves my lips. “Thank you, Dante. For coming to my rescue even though I can save myself.”
His eyes widen with surprise. He holds my gaze for several long beats before he seems to recall the situation we’re in. “I should tie him up.” He gestures toward the unconscious assailant. “I heard some of what was said. We must bring him to the authorities at once. He can confess—”
“Dante.” His name leaps off my lips, my confession desperate to be heard before I can swallow it down again. “I need to tell you something.”
He reaches for me, but he doesn’t take my hand. Instead, he pauses, letting his palm hang halfway between us, his arms quivering with restraint. Whether it’s out of respect for me or because he truly doesn’t want me, I know not. All I know is that I have to tell him what’s been hiding in my heart.
I relieve his hesitation and take his hand in mine, giving it a deliberate squeeze. “I want you to stay.”
He says nothing, his entire body going still.
I’m starting to lose my nerve, so I blurt out the rest before I can think better of it. “I know you’re loyal to Albert and to Bretton, but—”
“Loyalties can change,” Dante says, stepping closer. Dropping his cane, he grasps my other hand. “Just like hearts can. My loyalties have already shifted, Amelie, right beneath my feet. I came here to protect Albert and I ended up protecting you instead, even as I made things so much worse for you.”
Tears prick my eyes. “You didn’t make things worse. You made things better. So much better.”
“Your reputation—”
“To hell with my reputation. I already have everything I need. Friends. Family. A flourishing career with the fae. The only thing missing…” I nibble my lip to keep it from trembling. “Will you stay, Dante? Even if Albert goes back to Bretton, will you remain…with me?”
He releases my hands and frames my cheeks between his palms. “I couldn’t have brought myself to leave, even if you hadn’t asked. I’m yours, Amelie. Completely yours.”
He presses his lips to mine, his kiss fierce with desperate need. I meet that need with my own, wrapping my arms behind his back and pressing him hard against me. Warmth floods my chest. Not the fiery heat of rage or even the molten core of lust and passion. This warmth is more like the golden flames embellishing my dress. Soft. Gentle. Nurturing. My heart seems to expand along with it, creating doors, windows, wide open spaces where once there were only walls.
