“Out!” Malikroared. “Get out!”
With a strangled whimper, Giulia rushed from the foyer, the door slamming behind her.
Silence crashed over the room.
That was harsh.
I exhaled, my stomach plummeting. “Was that really necessary, Malik? It was an honest mistake.”
Malik’s gaze locked onto mine, molten and burning with barely restrained fury.
I couldn’t hold it. I slid down the wall, my hands covering my face as I sank onto the floor.
Roman had been here. After months of longing, of aching for him, he was finally here. But where was “here”? Where had he gone?
I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to ease my frantic thoughts. “What do we do now?” My voice was barely above a whisper.
Footsteps approached. A warm hand wrapped gently around my wrist.
“Olivia, look at me,” Malik murmured.
I let my hands drift down, my tear-bright eyes meeting his. Despair swelled in the silence between us, thick and suffocating.
Malik cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing against my skin. “Sweetheart,” he said softly. “I know you miss Roman. You’ll see him soon.” He promised. “But right now, let’s get in my carriage and retrieve the Sun Dagger, shall we?”
A spark of purpose ignited in my chest.
I scrambled to my feet, nearly knocking him over in my haste. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
***
As the carriage rolled through the countryside, I marveled at the breathtaking green hills and sprawling farms. Wherever we were in Italy, it was nothing like Rome.
Rome was a living, breathing beast—a teeming city of noise and movement. But this? This was different. It was a quiet, nestled town cradled by the hills, beautiful in its own way.
I turned to Malik. “What part of Italy are we in?”
He clucked to the sleek, onyx-colored horses pulling the carriage. “Sicily. My home is at the southern tip of Italy. A land of warmth, scandal, and secrets. The township has everything—gossip, intrigue, political scheming, and all the rest.”
He appeared at ease, guiding the horses along the dirt road beneath the high afternoon sun.
I smiled, the easy camaraderie between us settling comfortably in my chest. For the first time in a long time, I felt nothing could go wrong. Wewould retrieve the dagger, and I would be one step closer to destroying Balthazar.
The road wound upward, narrowing as Malik steered the carriage along a leaf-strewn drive. At its end, an old Italian villa loomed before us, its weathered stone facade bathed in golden light.
Malik reined in the horses and leaped from his driver’s seat, landing gracefully before extending a hand to me.
I placed my palm in his, allowing him to steady me as I sprang from the carriage.
A raucous commotion shattered the quiet—red hens flapped wildly, screeching as they scattered through the brush.
Then, from around the corner, a hulking hound lunged into view, its deep, guttural barks shaking the air.
“Lupo! Lupo, what is it?!”
A scraggly man scrambled after the beast, bald on top, his clothes rumpled and stained. The moment his eyes met Malik’s cold, unforgiving glare, his face went deathly pale.
“Vincenzo,” Malik sneered.
