“No,” I say, stepping around him, my throat tightening. “Why did you call me princess?”
He doesn’t answer. Just stands there, silent.
“Hello?” It comes out harder now, snapped back to reality.
God, I wish I could see his face right now.
The dark makes everything worse. My pulse won’t slow, and my head won’t stop spinning.
What the fuck did I get myself into?
“Oh,” I whisper, pacing around his bike, wondering if I’ll be able to drive it.
He exhales, long and steady. “Relax, Aurelia. The girl you were with inside told my friend that she was with a mafia princess. I just put two and two together.”
I swallow, my mouth going dry. “What?”
“Gen,” he continues, tone even. “She’s been sleeping with my friend for a while. She told him she was ‘forced to hang out with the mafia princess.’”
I don’t move—I can’t.
“Which, by the way,” he adds quietly, “he and I were both surprised to find out you even existed.”
Forced.
Forced to hang out with the mafia princess, as in, she didn’t want to spend time with me.
I start pacing, half to think, half to hide the sting clawing at my throat. But his voice cuts through the night again.
“A secret Italian princess on Russian territory,” he says, almost to himself. “That’s new.”
Then, softer—closer: “But Aurelia…”
I stop when I feel his presence beside me. His hands finding mine.
“I won’t tell anyone.”
My face lifts.
“I feel very protective of you,” he murmurs, fingers brushing my chin until I meet the darkness where his eyes should be. “I’ll keep your secret.” Then, he bends until his breath skims my cheek. “I swear.”
Something in me unravels at the sound of his voice. My body relaxes a bit, but I know the reality of this situation. No one was ever supposed to know about my existence and connection to the De Luca Bloodline. Especially not a Russian.
“Okay,” I whisper, “thank you.”
“I think you should get rid of Gen, by the way. She uses her sweetness as a form of manipulation. And right now, you’regetting manipulated into thinking she cares for you. She’s protecting her family, so I don’t blame her. But she’s not exactly the company a secret mafia princess should keep.”
A tear slips before I can stop it. I swipe it away quickly, hoping he didn’t notice. Maybe I’ll never have real friends. Just company my father buys me.
“Aurelia,” he says softly. “Please talk to me.”
I stay quiet.
“That kiss…” he starts again, voice rougher now. “I just—need that not to be the last time.”
My chest tightens. “I don’t know what to say. I hate that you know this about me, and I know nothing about you.”
“Then let me fix that.”
