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Ludovico smirked.
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s not only the sex, Gigi. There’s more between us and you know it. It’s been there from the start. The passion, the connection we share. One look and we know what the other needs or wants. Our hands touch and a fire ignites within us. It’s more than just sex and keeping you quiet, it’s keeping you here with me.”
“Do you mean it?”
She leaned forward, outstretching her hand toward him but not touching him. He grasped it firmly.
“The Ludovico’s mark is a bloody rose for several reasons,” he said. “Obviously, because we have shed blood, but also because blood runs through us all, permanently, uniting us. Each petal creates one full flower. One family. The rose is a symbol of beauty and danger. It is both gentle and thorny. Love is similar.”
“What are you—”
“Let me finish.”
Gigi pressed her lips together. Her large eyes gazed at him with an adoration which filled him with something he hadn’t felt in a long time: hope.
“A rose does not flourish if you don’t take care of it. I promised I would take care of you from the moment we met.”
“You also threatened to kill me,” she pointed out.
“A minor detail. There is no rose without its thorn. There is no love without its ups and downs. In this short time, you have gone from being a drop of blood on a thorn, to becoming my rose made flesh. Gentle, prickly, soft, yet strong.” Ludovico took in a deep breath. He cupped Gigi’s face. “You are mine. I love you.”
Gigi leaned into his palm, shutting her eyes. She placed her hand over his.
“I am yours. I love you, Mario Ludovico.”
The End
www.evernightpublishing.com/elyzabeth-m-valey
IGNITE
Beth D. Carter
Copyright © 2024
Prologue
Flames danced in the night sky, as if attempting to reach for the stars. Prometheus touching the resting place of the Gods. Heat scorched the earth, so hot it melted the nearby asphalt. The historical building on fire was the third in a row, and it went without saying a pyromaniac was loose in the city.
Reece stood next to his partner, Joe Banks, staring up at the inferno, on standby if their captain signaled for them to enter. Firefighters always worked in teams of two, a type of buddy system, to monitor each other’s whereabouts. Two in, two out, was the saying. He looked down the line and saw his best friend, Dan Stephens, manning one of the hoses in an effort to help extinguish the hellfire currently kicking their asses.
A commotion from the gathered civilian witnesses drew their attention, and the chief hurried over, speaking with someone in the crowd who kept indicating the building. A moment later, the captain came back, looking grim.
“That’s the curator,” he said, talking over the roar of the fire. “He said the handyman hasn’t answered his phone.”
“And that pertains to us, why?” Joe asked.
“He might be in there.”
“Might be?” Joe asked skeptically.
“Apparently, he’d been working late to fix something or other. Didn’t really care about the details except for the fact that a man might be trapped in there.”
Joe glanced at Reece, dawning horror filling his eyes. They knew what this meant. The main reason firefighters entered a burning building was to help anyone trapped inside.
“Fuck,” Joe muttered.
“Is there a location he might be? Or are we just exploring blind?”
