Page 4 of Devoted

She’d warned me, after all, and I hadn’t listened.

The moment we were done here, I would spend the rest of the day convincing her she was not at fault. Try to find a way to put a smile back on her face.

The beach might be a good place to start.

Luca came in next, scanning the opulent room with the wide-eyed look of a male impressed by his surroundings, and at the same time, still in shock. Nico prowled in last, keen attention sweeping the room with a calm soldier’s assurance that instantly settled me. I trusted him to see through Valeria’s bullshit.

Given my brother and Valeria’s history, Dante’s judgment was flawed.

Nico, on the other hand, wouldn’t hold back if he believed Valeria might betray us. My friend stopped, looking me up and down, that perpetual smirk firmly in place.

“You look better than death, anyway,” he tipped his head to the side. “The healers had their work cut out for them, given how those assholes worked you over.”

“It seemed Giovanni had a score to settle.”

“More like a lifetime of anger management issues,” he countered, grasping my hand and pulling me in for an embrace. “Fucking glad to see you in one piece, my friend. Given the circumstances, I don’t have much of an appetite, but I’m assuming there’s coffee?”

“On the table,” I told him, watching my friends fill plates and coffee cups, telling myself any deal I made—even if it cost me my soul—was worth this moment.

“Thank fuck. Would it be rude to drink the entire pot?” he asked no one in particular while filling a cup to the brim. Then picked the chair nearest the window to stare at the sea with the patient expression of a male settling in for the long haul.

Luca sat down beside his sister, leveling the sort of venomous glare at Valeria I would have expected from Ember, who kept her eyes down on the plate of food she was currently picking at.

I had a wild impulse to cross the room, sweep her into my arms and steal her away. Carry her somewhere quiet and wrap myself around her to block out the world.

We’d been apart for days now, and while the three of them slept together in a pile last night, after I’d checked on them, I’d stayed awake, carefully planning my next steps.

Because their lives depended on me not fucking this up.

But now… now I wished I would have had her in my arms.

Emberline’s exhaustion went deep, a worry that hadn’t been apparent last night on the beach, and that ache squeezed tighter until I could barely breathe. Her brother’s attention flicked constantly between his sister and Valeria, mouth set in a disapproving line.

Ah, so that’s what this was.

Jealousy or something even deeper.

Then Valeria swept to the center of the room like a queen in her castle, a serene smile on her face that even Luca’s venomous glare couldn’t diminish.

“You’re safe here,” she announced, lifting her hands as if she was conducting an orchestra. “This villa is warded by spells even more ancient than our Dynasty, and no one outside my bloodline is aware this island exists. Giovanni and Blackwood won’t find you as long as you stay within my protections.” She paused, letting that information register. “However, there are conditions for your safety.”

Everyone’s attention sharpened at the veiled threat.

Especially mine.

I didn’t appreciate threats, and I wasn’t about to be backed any further into a corner.

“I want my father returned to me,” her attention bounced between Dante and me. “The Sala del Giuramento is your territory… or at least, it was. You know the layout better than anyone. Rocco has his faults, but he’s still family, and if I don’t try to save him, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

“You mean if we don’t try to save him, don’t you?” Nico said lazily, from over by the window. “Unless you’re planning to lead the charge into enemy territory?”

“Those are my terms.” Much like her eyes, Valeria’s voice hardened to ice. “You wish to shelter here, then bring Rocco home, and in return, every resource I have is yours. Every soldier, my entire spy network, our ships, our weapons, and our warehouses. All of it is at your disposal once you deliver my father. Alive.”

Silence. Beyond the glass, the sea continued rolling up on the sand as I considered Valeria’s offer.

A suicide mission in return for… everything.

With the full Demente network at my disposal, taking back Dynasty control was not only possible, it was also inevitable. My gaze landed firmly on Emberline. And protecting the people I loved… yes, I already knew I’d accept her terms.