That gave them pause.
Giovanni, the second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent and a rising star within the Medici dynasty and the Church, was no minor figure. Along with his brother Giuliano and the Signoria, he held the true reins of power behind Florence’s illusion of order.
The tall Bargello met my eyes with a stare as cold and sharp as winter steel.
“We act on his and his brother’s behalf,” he said.
“Does that mean he ordered my apprehension?” I pressed. “Did he say, with his own mouth, ‘Go. Seize Lord Balthazar’?”
The Bargello hesitated.
“We follow the Medici’s will. We serve them both.”
“Ah,” I said, curling my fingers around the golden doorknob. “So, the answer is no. Giovanni did not order this. Giuliano did not order this. And neither did the Signoria.”
Silence.
I leaned in. “I am a loyal patron of House Medici—one of considerable means and generosity. Unless you haveproof—something more than the fanciful tales of Lady Tocino—I suggest you turn around and walk away.”
They said nothing. So, I delivered the final blow.
“In fact,” I continued, voice sharpened with disdain, “I believeLady Tocinomurdered her family. No one has seen her since the killings. She vanished without a trace. If I were guilty, I would have fled. Butshedid. You’re hunting the wrong monster, gentlemen.”
The three Bargello exchanged uncertain glances, the faintest tremor betraying their fear.
Still, the tall one straightened, summoning what little courage he had left. “We’ll be back,” he growled. “I doubt a delicate beauty like Lady Tocino could commit such horrors. Especially not against her parents…”
I chuckled darkly. “Try to arrest me if you wish. But I promise—youhave no idea what Alina is capable of.”
And then I let it happen.
With a roar that shook the heavens, my form erupted into flames. Fire poured from my skin as my human shape twisted into something unholy—a towering infernal creature, cloaked in smoke and rage, my eyes glowing like twin suns of ruin.
The Bargello screamed. They stumbled back, weapons forgotten, faces frozen in terror. Then they ran—cowards fleeing into the night, minds broken by what they had witnessed.
The flames died as quickly as they had risen, and I stood once more in human form, surrounded by the scorched air of my wrath.
I stalked through the halls of my home, every step fueled by fury.
Alina.
After all I had given her—after all I had done for her—she had gone to the authorities. She dared to betray me.
She would pay.
Unable to bear the suffocating stillness of my home, I threw on my coat and stormed into the night.
The air was bitter, but it did nothing to cool the fire inside me.
Once simmering beneath the surface, my anger now boiled with violent promise. I stalked the streets like a beast untethered, every footstep grinding into the stone with barely-contained rage.
I searched for her everywhere.
Every party, every masked ball, every whisper-filled tavern—I hunted her face in the crowd, listened for the lilt of her laugh in the wind. But there was nothing. No trace. No echo. No Alina.
My fists clenched at the thought of her in another man’s arms.Or worse…freeof me. Somewhere far away, forgetting what we were, forgettingme.
Every step I took was stained with betrayal.
