Rocco leaned back in his chair, his posture deceptively casual. His eyes flashed red and he flashed his fangs. Tension radiated off him—tense, angry like a grizzly bear ready to attack.
He was thinking the same thing I was. And the fact that Rocco—who’d endured two years of exile and his own family’s rejection without breaking—was on edge made my anxiety spike rather than settle. If he was this rattled, we were in deeper trouble than I wanted to admit.
“Why play games, Lucien?” His voice was steady, almost bored. “You know the answer to that.”
How could he be so calm when my insides were twisted into knots?
Lucien folded his arms across his chest. “At least you’re an honest thief. But why sell it on the black market?”
Thief. The word stung, even though it was true. I wanted to defend Rocco—to explain that Angelo had blackmailed him, that his mother’s life was on the line—but I kept my mouth shut.
Rocco held Lucien’s hard gaze. “I didn’t.”
I dug my nails into my palm and forced myself to breathe. Falling apart now wouldn’t save us. I had to think.Be calm.
Lucien looked between Rocco and me. “Then what the hell happened?”
The question caught me off guard. He wasn’t accusing. He wasn’t reaching for a weapon. He was actually asking—like our answer mattered. Some of the tension in my muscles loosened, just enough to let me breathe.
Valentin took a swig of his bourbon. “Just sit back and listen.”
I stared at my wine glass while Valentin told our sordid story. Every word felt like a confession. Every detail made me feel more exposed, more vulnerable, more guilty—even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Once Valentin was done, Lucien motioned to the waitress. “Another round.”
I couldn’t read his expression. Was this a good or a bad thing? If he decided we couldn’t be trusted, one phone call to Angelo and it was over. We’d never make it to Transylvania.
But even if he believed us, the same impossible problem remained. Find Vex. Stop him. Before midnight on the Solstice.
This hopelessness was strangling. Four castles. One demon. A ticking clock we couldn’t slow down. And even if we found the shard, we still had to make it back alive and convince two of the most powerful vampires in the world not to kill us.
Raven studied me as if reading my mind, then she smiled. “You’ve given up?”
I shrugged, the defeat weighing on my shoulders. “It’s at least an eight-hour flight. Longer by bats.”
She winked. “True, but dragons are faster than bats or an airplane.”
If she said no, we were out of options. Out of allies. But the silence was worse than any answer—at least a no would let me stop hoping. “You’re going to help us?”
She reached over and clasped my hand. “Of course, that’s why we’re here.”
Her warmth chased away the cold doubt inside me. For the first time, hope bloomed. My eyes stung, and a tear slipped free before I could stop it.
Rocco's thumb caught my tear before it reached my jaw. He didn't say anything. Didn't need to. His hand lingered on my face, warm and steady, and the look in his eyes said everything — I'm here. We'll get through this.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rocco
The room tilted. I gripped the edge of the table, my chair rocking back on two legs before I caught myself. My pulse hammered against my temples as I stared at Raven, searching her face for any sign of deception.
“Why would you help us? I stole the shard.”
“To save your mother,” Raven said, her gaze steady. “Angelo Santi is ruthless. I believe he would hurt her. Tinkerbell convinced him not to—threatened to tell Serenity if he did.”
I snatched the whiskey bottle and poured another shot, tossing it back. The burn barely registered.
If Serenity didn’t know, that meant Angelo hadn’t told her about the threat against my mother. Which meant Mom was still alive. The relief hit me so hard my hand shook as I set the glass down. I’d been bracing for the worst since the houseboat—half expecting Dimitri to call and tell me it was already done.
