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My shoulders slumped as relief rolled off me. Those words meant the issue was closed. My father couldn't come back later and demand anything from Alessandro.
It was over.
I jumped up and threw myself in Alessandro's arms as soon as he released my father's arm. "Don't you ever do that to me again."
Alessandro hugged me back just as hard before whispering into the top of my head. "I had no choice,gattino. You know that. I owed your father a debt, and I had to make it right in order for us to live in peace."
I knew he meant well, but it still terrified me that a situation like this might come up again. I had to make Alessandro see reason, so I tipped my head back until I could look up and see his face.
"You do remember that half of my DNA is vampire, right?"
Alessandro's eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, but what—"
"Now that I have claimed you as my true mate, I can only feed from you. If you die, I die." I tapped the middle of my chest with my finger. "So, don't do that again."
Alessandro paled. "You can only feed from me?"
"Yes," I replied, "so remember that when you decide to make decisions like this on your own. You literally have my life in your hands."
The next thing I knew, Alessandro clutched a handful of my hair and pressed my face into his chest. His arm wrapped so tightly around my waist that my ribs ached.
"Can't breathe."
I needed air as much as I needed blood.
"I'm so sorry, René. I didn't know."
I really needed to create a how-to manual for him on how to care for his half-vampire mate.
"Now you do, so please don't make a decision like that again without consulting me first."
"I won't,gattino. I promise."
I doubted it would always happen because sometimes Alessandro would need to take care of situations when I wasn't around, but at least I knew he'd think before acting now.
"I still need to figure out who this guy is that told Benito I had a mate."
"Check his phone," I said.
Alessandro stared at me for a moment before glancing at Tashi. "I want Benito's phone. There's bound to be information on there that you can trace."
"Of course, sir." Tashi was already pulling out his cell as he walked out of the room.
"Detain him until further notice. I might have some questions for him." In fact, I was sure I would.
* * * *
~ Alessandro ~
I swept René to the floor when the window behind him suddenly shattered. A moment later, I heard someone cry out, but I was too busy covering René's body with my own to check who it was.
When silence hung heavy in the air, I glanced up and looked around. Antoinette and Pierre were laying on the floor a few feet away, Armando hovering over the top of them with a wild look in his eyes.
A splotch of red was quickly spreading across the shoulder of Armando's suit jacket.
I scrambled over to him. "You've been hurt."
"I'm fine," Armando said. "See to René."
