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Just the thought of Davina being fair game already had my emotions high and my blood pumping with rage.
“But nothing will happen to her tomorrow, just her course of fate will be known.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” I scoffed.
“Do you? Because to me, it sounds like you are not seeing the fucking big picture.” Lucca stared calmly. Detached, and cold. “No one does. So just follow my orders.” He stood, grabbed the black blazer from the back of his chair, and adjusted it over his body. “We need to have your oath tonight. Be ready.” Without another word, Lucca walked out of the room, leaving me with my mind in chaos and my heart in turmoil.
There was never a straight answer in this world. The more control I thought I had, the faster it slipped off my fingers. Even in childhood, I always had rules to follow, strict orders to obey in the life I was placed, and with time, orders and rules were the only thing I understood. That was until I met her.
And while I had to pledge my life with an oath to the famiglia, Davina would always come first.
The line would never be blurred, but my life would always be.
Twenty-Four
Ilias
I didn’t want to scare Davina, but I also didn’t want to lie to her. I stood quiet, ignoring the growing tension since the moment I’d walked inside the bedroom. We’d hardly spoken. She, too, seemed out of it, trapped inside her mind as she continuously ran her hand over Bo’s shiny coat.
She watched my every move in silence. Her gaze followed me when I stepped inside the bathroom, then out after I’d freshly showered.
I’d changed into dark clothing with the feel of her eyes on me.
After Lucca had left, Arlo walked inside the office. He’d given me a specific time to be ready, and the clock on the nightstand warned the few minutes I had left before meeting him.
“Are you nervous?” Davina’s soft voice carried over to me with care. My lips lifted at the corner as I finished buttoning my pants.
Shifting my gaze to her, I found hers trained on Bo.
I thought about her question, and I felt many things. Nerves were not one of them. I’d always been between worlds, and in the end, the underworld always had a claim on me. To some degree, I’d been ready for this day.
I was too stained to be anyone’s hero and, in the darkness, I could punish without remorse. The danger of such life was higher, but at least I had her. My grounding stone.
“Why would I be?”
Her eyes captured mine as questions swirled around her dark irises.
I hadn’t mentioned where I was going, and I preferred keeping it that way. There were certain things I would lock inside me to assure I could never let her light flicker. She’d already been through so much, seen and done things I wished she never had to experience.
This was my way of keeping her safe.
“Will you be long?” she asked, ignoring my question.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” I said, making my way toward the bed. “Meanwhile, try to rest. Tomorrow is going to be…” I couldn’t find the right word to explain tomorrow. Draining? Stressful?
What could I possibly say when a war could spark our lives to flames?
Nothing.
Instead, I kissed her head and left before I said too much.
The moon was hidden with never-ending clouds, making the night murky. Dew spread in the distance, obscuring the surroundings of a warehouse I’d never been to. The ground was soft underneath my boots as I walked next to Arlo toward the large metal building. Arlo’s side grin seemed permanent with a skip in his steps.
“Is anyone here?” I asked, looking around. Not one car was parked aside from Arlo’s a few yards away.
He didn’t reply, and we stood in front of a metal side door. Arlo faced me. His smile was gone and his posture straightened, transforming back to the man who was incapable of guilt.
“The atmosphere inside will be tense, and whatever you hear, don’t engage.”
