Nico leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his long, black braid hanging over one shoulder. He looked deceptively relaxed, but his eyes tracked every breath I took. Severin occupied the far corner, a silent mountain of muscle and scar tissue, candles glinting off his shaved head, dark gaze flat and assessing.
And then there was Marcello, sitting opposite me, the gold knife resting on the desk between us.
A dare?
Or a warning?
He looked older here than he had on the dais, the lines around his mouth etched deeper, the weight of centuriespressing down his shoulders. But power coiled in his chest like a storm held in check. He was flush with magic after the ceremony, and I’d been a fool not to kill him when I’d had the chance.
Now, he was the one deciding whether I lived or died.
“The Right of Arbitration,” Marcello explained, his voice low but clear. “Exists so no family may be destroyed on a whim. So grievances may be addressed without bloodshed.” His gaze raked over me, sharp and heavy. “You have invoked your rights, Signorina DiRavello, in front of witnesses. I am bound to honor that.”
A small, brittle victory in the face of such great loss.
“But,” he went on, becauseof course there was a but, “while Arbitration is underway, certain terms must be agreed upon to ensure proper order is maintained.”
There it was—the cage, politely wrapped in legalities. I dipped my head.
Uncle and I had discussed this at length, and while I knew what was coming,I did not like it.
“You will remain under Dominico protection until the matter is resolved, subject to my security, my rules.”
“Protection,” I echoed blandly. “Is that what we’re calling imprisonment now?”
“Call it what you like,” he rested his elbows on the desk. “Until this matter is settled, you will remain in the city proper, within the confines of your palazzo.”
I’d expected that. Still, the words stuck under my skin like splinters.
“And my brother?” I asked. “What happens to Luca?”If this bastard thought he would hurt me by hurting my brother…
“Already escorted safely home,” Gabriel interrupted, before his father could answer. “With a full guard. Under Draconi watch.”
“Watch,” I repeated bitterly, seeing the way Gabriel went still as I impugned his precious Dominico honor. “Another charming euphemism.”
“It is for his safety,” Marcello’s tone hardened. “Yours as well. Accusations such as this stir unrest. There are those who would seek to use you—or your brother—to their own advantage.”
He meant Rocco Demente. Emilia DiSangue. The ambitious Pentarch families who would love nothing more than to use Luca as leverage in their endless pursuit of power.
I should have considered my brother would become a target… butI didn’t.
That was shortsighted and stupid, and now all I could manage was damage control.
“I alone brought the accusation forward. Luca is not a part of this and is not to be touched. His position as head of DiRavello Court will be recognized by the Dynasty. No sanctions. No undermining his authority as a Pentarch. Noquiet accidents.”
Severin’s dark gaze flicked to Marcello, and I squeezed my hands into fists.
“You are in no position to make demands,” Marcello countered.
“I’m in every position,” I shot back. “You want order, not war. If anything happens to me, Luca, or my uncle before the Right, every rumor will say the same thing—that I invoked the law, and your answer was to erase us, anyway. How long before the other families wonder if you’ll come for them?”
“Very well,” he acquiesced with a poisonous glare. “I personally guarantee your and your brother’s safety until the Right is over.” Behind me, Nico snorted softly, and fromthe look on Severin’s face, he wasn’t happy about the change, either, but too fucking bad.
My brother’s safety… but not my uncle’s.
Still, Marcello was right about one thing. I was in no position to make demands. Giovanni could take care of himself, and Luca’s safety was guaranteed, though I berated myself again for being so focused on revenge, I’d forgotten to keep Luca safe.
Marcello’s gaze never left mine. “During the investigation, secrets may come to light that could be damaging to your family. We all have skeletons in our closets, so to speak, and the Right is known to expose truths that should sometimes remain hidden.”
