He would find out the truth soon enough.
“My father is alive,” I say.
Diavolo stiffens. He takes a brief glance at the mist behind him and I can only assume that he can see beyond it to Taiven. He knows that the Ultima Nostra is a dark angel with golden eyes. He will recognize those features in my father. But no doubt he will have mistakenly assumed—like I did—that Taiven was my uncle.
“Then that angel is not your uncle, after all.”
“He is not.” My throat is tight as I dread the possibility that Diavolo will abandon me now.
His arms only close more tightly around me. His facial features morph for a moment, becoming wolfish, before he inhales deeply. “I can smell your blood on his fists. He’s the one who did this to you.”
The muscles within his arms are coiled, the tension in his body intense. His dark eyes consume my vision as he says, “I will end him for you, my Veda.”
If I could hold on to Diavolo, grip him and make him listen to me, I would, but all I have is my voice. “Please don’t fight him.”
Diavolo’s eyes widen, and I try to continue as quickly as I can, although fresh blood bubbles between my lips. “He’s controlling light magic. It’s stronger even than the magic used by the angel who caged me.”
Diavolo’s brow furrows, but his wary expression grows. “That should be impossible.”
His focus flashes once again to the burns on my skin.
Burns that aren’t healing.
They’re worse than the injury I experienced when I fought Jonah, the fire Jotunn. Because Jonah is a creature of old magic, his magic can hurt me—and pretty much every other supernatural. That was before Jonah became our uneasy ally.
Diavolo’s gaze flows across my face and I wish I could decipher the shadows growing in his expression.
“Fuck,” he whispers, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. “There has to be a world beyond vengeance.”
He said something similar when we stood together on the first beach I’d ever seen and looked up at the infinite night sky.
At the time, I’d replied:“Not for me, there isn’t.”
I wonder now if I was wrong.
Vengeance hasn’t worked out so well for me so far.
Diavolo opens his eyes and they flash with new fury. “Striking now carries great risk.” A cold smile touches his lips as he seems to reach a decision. “Retribution must be planned and vengeance carefully extracted to achieve the greatest pain. Our vengeance on your father will wait.”
“But my brother’s life cannot,” I say.
Diavolo’s dark-blue eyes narrow at me. “Your brother?” His forehead pinches before it clears. “You mean Lucian.”
Diavolo peers back again, as if he’s reassessing what he can apparently see on the far side of the room. “Your father is preparing to kill him, but it seems he likes the sound of his own voice too much to do it quickly.”
“Yeah.” I sigh. “I noticed.”
“A lot of threats. Significant belittling,” Diavolo murmurs, as if he’s recounting what he’s hearing. Then a sudden, deep fury enters his eyes again. “Now, he’s talking about you.” His jaw clenches. “Your father is conflicted. But it’s clear that ending Lucian will be easier for him than ending you.”
I give a snarl of disgust. “As if one child’s life is worth less than another’s.”
Diavolo considers me carefully. “I feel your hatred, my Veda, but saving Lucian may not be wise.”
Diavolo isn’t wrong.
Until Lucian hit our father over the head, I believed he was as much my enemy as my father has become.
I could be making a terrible mistake.
