I couldn’t save him; he was going to have to learn to do that himself.
“A runawaybride,” I accused, straightening, “and a husband still caught in a net of your making. What sort of game are you playing, Giovanni?” I leaned over the desk, forcing the older male back. “Or maybe…” I paused.
“Maybe you’re working with my father again. He and two of his guards were gone all night, according to my brother. Maybe he was here, having one of these cozy little meetings in your study as you two cooked up yet another power-hungry scheme between yourselves.”
Giovanni’s eyes flashed, then he dipped his head with a theatrical sigh. “Dante. You have my word. I have not spoken to Emberline since the wedding, I swear. If she left your house, it was of her own volition.” He tipped his head. “Perhaps your father?—”
“Careful what you say next,” I warned.
He inclined his head again, a serpent’s mimicry of contrition. “I merely suggest that in a city swarming with enemies, your suspicion in me might be…misplaced.”
“Where is my fucking wife, Giovanni? My father is many things, but he’s not a kidnapper, nor would he bother with Ember. She’s not hiding his secrets. And my guess is… she knows too many of yours.”
I snapped my mouth closed before I revealed too much, letting the silence stretch, feeling the weighty silence in the hall outside as DiRavello guards and servants strained to catch every word. One of Gabriel’s many suggestions—if I made the accusation loudly enough, it would not stay in this room for long.
His eyes cooled. “Emberline is my niece. I raised that child. I care for her deeply.”
And you fucking killed her to save yourself.I bared my fangs in something that wasn’t a smile, some of my control slipping through my fingers. “Careful. You almost sound like you believe that.”
Luca scrubbed a hand over his face, exasperation edging into fear. “Dante, this is madness. Ember is… My sister is headstrong. Reckless. She could have left for any number of reasons. You can’t storm in and accuse my uncle of breaking a blood oath just because she’s been gone for a few hours.”
“You’re right,” I agreed softly. “I wouldn’t do that.”
Luca blinked. “Then?—”
“I’m accusing him,”—I never took my gaze off Giovanni—“because he’s hiding something. And because if anything—anything at all—happens to my wife, the Dynasty will holdsomeoneresponsible for her disappearance. And who better to point the finger at than her brute of a husband?”
A flicker of unease crossed Luca’s features as he realized that was a likely outcome.
“I will not become a patsy to one of your schemes. And Marcello’s absence last night is very… coincidental. He’s my next stop.”
Giovanni’s venomous stare was unblinking. “Are you threatening me, boy?”
“I’m merely telling you I want my wife back.” I let out more of my darkness, letting them both see the monster lurking beneath my skin. “Bring my wife back to me by nightfall…” I leaned in until we were almost nose to nose, my voice a rasp of pure menace. “Or I’ll be back, and I won’t be nearly as reasonable as I am now.”
For a second, the air between us vibrated with violence. I wanted him dead so badly, I could taste it. One wrong word,one flinch, and I would break every promise I’d made to Gabriel and Nico and tear Giovanni’s throat out right there.
But he didn’t flinch. He only smiled—a snake-like stretch of thin lips over pointed teeth, as if he knew something I didn’t.
“I’ll see what I can do,” he offered, curling his lip.
Behind me, Luca cleared his throat nervously. “I’ll look, too. We all want Emberline found and returned safely.”
“By nightfall,” I repeated, letting my gaze drift deliberately around the study—over ledgers, maps, and the round glass globe on the corner of the desk.
“One more thing.” I paused on the threshold. I let my voice carry, so the guards and servants heard every word. “When you see her, tell my wife that she is required to honor our wedding vows. She doesn’t get to run when things become inconvenient.”
It was a calculated barb, sharp and petty and perfectly on-brand for the arrogant male I was pretending to be. A humiliated Dominico heir, intent on protecting his ego. Let them think I cared more about pride than justice.
“I’ll be sure to pass along the message,” Giovanni lied silkily, his gaze flickering over me, searching for any sign of weakness. “When next I see her.”
We stared at each other for a beat longer, then I inclined my head, a parody of courtesy. “See that you do.”
I turned on my heel and stalked out, boots ringing on the marble. The guards snapped to attention as I passed, shoulders tense, eyes averted. Whispers followed me down the corridor, quick and sharp.
Emberline.Missing.Blood oath.Truce is at risk.
Good. Let the story spread. Let the entire Dynasty chew on it, pick the rumors apart, wonder what it all meant. Muddy the waters even more for Giovanni. Outside, themorning air hit me like a slap—cold, wet, and stinking faintly of diesel fuel. I didn’t dematerialize immediately. I couldn’t, I was too angry. Somewhere beneath my feet lay the flooded basement where he’d tried to drownmy wife.
