Ten feet away, Gabriel swore under his breath. He tried to move—toward Dante, toward me—then stopped, like he’d hit an invisible wall. A wall that cut me off from not just him, but everyone else in the room.
A wall Dante created that was now visible, a blue-tinged dome riven with power that had slammed closed around us.Wave after wave of magic rippled outward from Dante, forming a clear boundary around the altar.
And trapped inside—the priest, a madman, and me.
A high, hysterical giggle escaped my lips. That sounded like the start of a bad joke, except none of this was remotely funny.
25
EMBERLINE
Outside our little circle ofwhatever the fuck this was, time started moving again.
Soldiers shook their heads, bedraggled vampires picked themselves up off the floor.
Veins throbbed at Marcello’s silvered temples. “What have you done?” he screamed, sending an impotent blast of dark power slamming against the shield. “This ismyisland,mycastle.Mine.You are no longer a Dominico; you have no power here.”
“Your guests would beg to differ,” Dante said simply. “And as your eldest son, this land, this island, and the title are rightfully mine, Padre.” His gaze drifted to his brother, and his expression shifted into regret before that contemptuous mask locked back in place.
“Break through,” Marcello barked at Gabriel. “Now.”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched. He closed his eyes, a haze of magic gathering around him like a penumbral aura. All around us, the dome vibrated, like it was being rocked by an invisible onslaught, but… the barrier held.
Sweat beaded on Gabriel’s brow. “The magic is keyed,” he hissed. “Not to our blood, but to… his.”
Nico slammed both palms against the invisible wall, right where the aisle met our little circle. His expression was a mix of fury and something like heartbreak. “Dante,” he snapped. “Drop the shield. Now.”
“I cannot do that,migliore amico,” Dante apologized, and this time, his remorse was plain. “What I have begun cannot be stopped. Which brings us to the actual reason I’m here.” His gaze swung back to me, those blue eyes burning with enough heated interest, I took a healthy step back.
“You must be the bride,” he dipped his shaggy head in some semblance of a bow. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dante Dominico, eldest son of Don Marcello, and I am your betrothed.Me. Not my brother.”
The entire room went silent.
Even the storm outside seemed to pause as my heart thumped erratically against my ribs. Aside from the Dominico soldiers and Gabriel, Nico, and Don Marcello on the other side of the barrier, the room was almost empty now.
A wide-eyed Luca was trapped in a back corner with Giovanni, blockaded by a retinue of armed guards, as if they—not this looming, unhinged lunatic—were the enemy. My brother’s gaze frantically sought mine, but Dante’s magic had severed our mental connection.
My uncle looked serene, like he was at the opera.
“That old vow is null and void,” Marcello hissed. “Your claim on that girl was broken the day you were cast out.”
What claim?
What the fuck were they talking about?
“That’s not how blood vows work,” Dante explained patiently. “You and Enzo swore in front of the Blood Council that when the time came, your eldest son would wed the eldest DiRavello daughter, sealing our Houses together.Yourwords, not mine. I did not forge this unholy deal, Father;youdid. But you usedmyblood. You traded awaymylife for more power.”
My mouth went dry.
“When?” I whispered. “When did this happen?” This had to be a lie. My father would never sell me off, never give me away to someone like…this monster.
“A hundred years ago,” Dante murmured, no warmth in his rasping voice. “Long before you were ever born, a promise for the future, when the future was nothing but a dream,tesoro.But tonight, that future has arrived, I’m afraid.”
A stricken Gabriel swore under his breath. “Tell me you didn’t,” he hissed to Marcello.
“That agreement happened long ago,” Marcello snapped. “We needed the alliance for new shipping routes and Enzo’s financing. The girl hadn’t even been born. And I did not expect my heir to turn his back on honor and duty.”
“Turn my back on honor and duty?” Dante repeated, his Adam’s apple bobbing beneath his wet skin. There was a crackling intensity to him now, dangerous and reckless, and I realized… this was really happening.
