“What do you think, Saturnino?” Juno asked.
An angry flush stole over Marco’s cheeks, and his hands balled into fists at his side. Juno didn’t have the patience to soothe his temper or his feelings of being slighted. It was unfortunate that he didn’t have the mind that Saturnino did.
“Not one of our guests could have taken the statue,” Saturnino said quietly. “And no one was allowed to enter without an invitation, our guards saw to that. It seems we have a thief in our midst. One of the servants, perhaps.” He shot an uneasy look at the steward. “You’ll have to round them all up, question them.”
Tomasso nodded. “It will be done, tonight.”
“It could have been Ravenna herself,” Fortuna said stubbornly. “She left the banquet. I didn’t see her for the rest of the night.”
Saturnino shot Marco a lethal glance, daring him to contradict him. “As I said, Ravenna was with me.”
Marco surged toward him, his hands curled into fists. “Why don’t you tell them the rest? Why don’t you tell them what she did?”
“What has the human done?” Juno asked.
Saturnino waved off her question with a dismissive wave. “Marco’s paranoia has him imagining monsters where there are none.”
Juno narrowed her eyes. He was trying to hide it, but she could detect the strain in his voice, the tight lines at the corners of his eyes. Even now, he held on to the feline as if she were a comfort to him. She’d never seen Saturnino behave so… so…emotionally.
It disturbed her.
“You’re spending quite a bit of time with the girl, aren’t you?” Signor Luni asked, looking at him closely.
Saturnino flashed his father a wicked grin. “That was the whole point, wasn’t it?”
“It should have been,” Fortuna countered. “You were supposed to lure her to our side, to make her love you, not fall in love yourself.”
Silence descended; terrible, smothering silence.
“No,” Juno said. “It’snotpossible.” Her gaze roved over his face; it looked different. No longer perfect, impenetrable, impervious. Tired eyes looked haunted. Cheeks flushed with a hint of blue. Feverish, as if he were caught in a sudden swell of emotion.
For the first time, Juno thought Saturnino a fool.
“You want to know whatIthink happened to Ravenna’s statue?” Saturnino said, his voice edged in ice. “One ofyoutook it.”
A roar sounded in Juno’s head, a wave crashing against her skull. She studied the faces of her family, trying to think above the rushing noise. Could it be true? Could one of them have taken it for themselves?
Fortuna leaned forward in her chair, her hands gripping the armrests. “For what purpose?”
“The statue holds a Nightflame,” Saturnino said. “Isn’t it obvious? The spell is coming to an end. One of you might be trying to save yourself. A desperate attempt to reverse our fate.”
Signor Luni’s expression darkened. “And who among us would be that reckless?” His voice shook from anger. “To act alone? To risk my wrath?”
“I can think of at least one person,” Saturnino replied, lips curving faintly. “In fact, he’s in this room right now.”
“Youbastard—” Marco snarled.
“You’re trying to sow discord among us,” Fortuna said, rising. “That’s all this is. You want us to turn our attention away from your little sculptress—”
“Enough,” Juno said. “Tomasso, pick one of the servants, one whose work is least satisfactory. One must be made an example of, we can’t have word spreading that anyone could steal from us and live.”
All the blood drained from Tomasso’s face, but he nodded, his gaze shooting to the servant tucked close to his side.
“That one, then,” Juno said.
Her husband motioned for Tomasso to take the others away. “Tell the rest of the staff thievery will not be abided and punishment is a death sentence.”
Tomasso nodded and hastened out of the room, the other two servants at his heels. The doomed servant fell to his knees, his hands lifted in surrender. A horrible display of sobbing followed.We don’t have time for this, Juno thought. It was already late, and they still had to question countless others.
