Dante leaned close, warm breath skating over my ear. “Well, that was unexpected. I half thought we’d be struck by lightning.”
“Life is filled with happy surprises.” I scanned the crowd’s hungry faces, their calculating smiles. From the shadows, Gabriel’s blue eyes flashed as he raised his glass in salute, his expression flat. “We’ve survived our first event as husband and wife. I could really use a drink.”
“I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here and away from these bloodsuckers.”
“Well, that, too.” I squeezed his hand, catching Nico in the crowd, dipping his head to me with a conspiratorial smile. I nodded back before I realized the Draconi soldier wasn’t looking at me at all, but over my head…
At Dante.
My husband led me through the crowd, cruel whispers of gossip picking up as we passed, eyes gleaming with malice and lust, couples pairing up and disappearing into dark alcoves.
I tuned them all out, focused only on one thing.
Why had Nico nodded at Dante, like they shared some sort of secret?
And then… had Gabriel been lifting his glass to me… or to his brother?
40
EMBERLINE
Iwoke from my dream, letting my awareness stretch out around me, wondering what had stirred me from sleep.
Most nights, the magic woven into the bones of Dante’s ruined hideaway was a low, steady hum—like a lazy cat purring in the sun. Tonight, that humming had stopped, leaving a sharp prickle of warning along my skin.
The faint glow of city lights snuck through the gaps in the shutters, the warm night air whispering against my arms as I sat up.
The house was empty.
Dante was gone.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, slipping on dark pants and a shirt with quick, controlled movements.If we were under attack… no, my husband would have warned me of the danger, not abandoned me.
That much, I’d learned these past two days.
After Emilia’s party, we’d fallen into a familiar pattern, polishing our knives, choosing our next social event like we’d pick a battlefield.
There had been no more breathless kisses.
No more training room brawls that ended up with me flat on my back and him stretched out on top of me, crushing me beneath his weight and his wild blue stare.
Which was fine, I told myself,since this was only pretend.
There was a chance Dante had gone downstairs to brood. To plan the next step in his still-undefined vendetta against his father.
But the wards were protective, keyed to allow movement in and out, opening just enough to let someone slip through, which meant… he’d likely left the grounds altogether.
I crossed to the window, cringing as the shutters creaked. The night was thick, all damp stone, brackish water, and late-night smoke from some mortal’s cigarette in a passing boat.
Dante stepped out from the narrow alley alongside the house, wrapped in a dark coat, hair unbound and wild around his face. For a moment, he glanced up, as if hefeltme watching.
I ducked, holding my breath.
He shoved both hands into his pockets, then headed into the maze of Venice as if he owned this city, while all around me the wards settled back into place, that steady hum pressing against my chest like a reassuring embrace.
I should really stay put, I mused.Whatever he’s doing is probably none of your business.
But I was already moving.
