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Ricci, one of Rafe's men, meets us at the door. "Boss," he says, nodding at me. His dark gaze drifts across Aurelia before he respectfully glances away.
"Ricci," I murmur to him, ushering Aurelia inside. She glances all around, taking her first peek at the home where her brothers grew up. The home where she was conceived. The home where she should have been raised.
It's elegant, beautiful even. But the unrelenting chill refuses to abate. This home has no soul. It never has. Not when Rafe's mother was alive. Not even with Amalia here. It'd be better for everyone if Rafe tore the place down and started fresh, but I understand why he doesn't. This is the only place where traces of their mother remain. He clings to those memories the same way I do mine. My family was murdered in my home. And still, I won't give it up.
"Mattia, you're here!" Amalia says, hurrying into the foyer with a bright smile for me and Aurelia.
Aurelia trembles against me. I run my hand down her arm, silently soothing her. Amalia can be fierce, but she reserves most of that fire for Rafe…and for us when we piss her off. She's sweet and warm. She brought heart and softness to this family.
Aurelia is going to love her.
"Rafe is on my last nerve," Amalia complains, watching us. "You should really do something about him."
"That's your job now, reginetta," I say, chuckling as she steps forward to fling her arms around me in a hug…which we both know she does only to piss off her husband. He's a possessive beast, especially when she's pregnant. And I suspect she's pregnant again if she's calling us for reinforcements. He drove her insane when she was pregnant with their son.
Right on cue, he steps into the foyer behind her, scowling when he sees my arms around her. "Keep your hands off my wife, Mattia," he growls.
Aurelia goes rigid beside me, her gaze locked on her brother. I slip my hand into hers, offering her comfort.
Amalia immediately spins to face her husband, a string of Spanish flying from her lips. I only catch about half of it, but it sounds like she's telling him to mind his business and his manners.
I watch the two of them, grinning. Once upon a time, no one told Rafe Valentino what to do. They wouldn't dare. This entire city lost sleep worrying about the Capo dei Capi and what he might do if they crossed him. That was then. Before Amalia. She tamed him, changed him. Healed him. Her fire is precisely what he needed to breathe life back into him.
She has my loyalty not because she's our queen but because she saved my oldest friend. I'd kill for her simply because she'd kill for him.
Aurelia's completely still beside me, tense and nervous, her eyes still locked on Rafe, watching him and Amalia interact. I gently nudge her forward to introduce her.
"Rafe, Amalia, this is Aurelia," I murmur. "Aurelia, topolina, this is Rafe and Amalia Valentino."
Introducing her simply as Aurelia twists my insides with guilt and frustration. It's not what I want. I'm in love with this woman, and hiding the truth is fucking killing me. She deserves a proper introduction. So does Rafe.
But now isn't the time. If I force the issue, I lose what little trust I've gained. And we're right back where we started.
I can't allow that. I won't allow it.
I'm caught between competing loyalties, and it's fucking killing me here.
"Hi," Aurelia whispers, taking a small step forward. "It's nice to meet you both. I've, um, heard a lot about you."
Rafe's gaze flickers to mine over her head, a question in his eyes.
I don't get a chance to answer it. The front door swings open, the room exploding into chaos as Gabriel and Luca arrive with Callandria, Genesis, Domani, Diego, Coda, and their wives in tow.
The noise and movement only serve to heighten Aurelia's anxiety, but she stands her ground, a testament to her strength.
I pull her into me anyway, holding her close and offering her a little of my strength.
"You're doing well, little mouse," I breathe, my lips against her ear.
She sighs softly, resting her head against my chest.
Dinner is lavish, with everyone gathering around the long table, laughing and talking. Unlike the rest of the house, the dining room is full of warmth, as if the laughter and secrets shared here over the years have actually penetrated through the cold, breathing life into the room.
Aurelia is quiet, her eyes darting around as everyone laughs and jokes, their masks off here in a way they never are outside these walls. Here, we're family, free to be ourselves. There are no pretenses here, no enemies.
We've spilled blood and shed it together, made war and forged alliances. We're unbreakable.
Or at least we always have been.
