“You didn’t just happen to burst into that chapel tonight, not knowing who I was, not knowing…” My breath came faster and faster. “You knewallabout me, didn’t you? You knew my father… before… you planned tonight out, right down to the exact second you made your grand entrance.” I wanted to slap my hand against my forehead because now—it was all so fucking clear.
“You walked into that chapel tonight, ready to wage war.” My voice sharpened. “You saw me as the sword you’d use to carve your father’s kingdom apart, and you…gods…” I rose from the chair, rage pushing me past caution.
“You,” I spat. “You, with your pretty little self-righteous speech about my uncle’s motives… you are planning to use mein the exact same way. You arrogantfucker. I should have hit you harder.”
Except for the fire crackling in the hearth, silence stretched between us. Somewhere outside, a hollow pounding echoed, like someone trying to break through the wards.
Dante didn’t deny, and he didn’t look away.
Neither did I.
“Yes, I am going to use you, every bit as cruelly as your uncle. But the difference is, at the end of this, you’ll walk free with your answer,” he admitted easily. “But I expect something in return.”
Unbidden, my gaze drifted to the petal-strewn bed, fear shivering through me as my vision went dark for a moment.They wanted blood on the sheets…
“Then name your terms,” I demanded, forcing my voice to stay steady, already knowing I’d give Dante anything he wanted, even my virginity, in exchange for that name. “Since you’re holding my vengeance hostage, what do you want from me?”
He studied me for a long moment, as if deciding how much more I could survive tonight.
“I wantyou,” he admitted softly.
My traitorous heart tripped over itself, skin prickling.
“Not like that,” he added, one corner of his mouth curving as heat climbed up my neck. “Notyet, at least.”
“Dream on, asshole,” I muttered, my gaze drifting to my knives.
He stepped past me to brace one hand on the mantel as he stared into the flames. He was so tall he loomed over me, close enough to touch, the firelight carving shadows over the muscles in his forearm, the tendons of his hand.
“I need you, Emberline.” He stared down with anexpression I could not read, and I was an expert in reading my enemies. “Publicly, we have tomakethese people believe our marriage is real. I need you to legitimize me, my claim to my birthright as the eldest son. You are my way back into the Dynasty. The DiRavello name, your social connections, and your flawless reputation are what I require from you.”
“You want me to reintroduce you to society so you can regain your standing?” I shook my head. “These bloodsuckers… they don’t forget, and they don’t forgive, Dante. I cannot help you, not in the ways you hope.”
“I am an eldest son who abandoned his family, a spineless traitor,” he explained, voice flat. “That is the story my father has spread for fifty years. I simply wish to sell the Dynasty a different truth. You will help me.”
“And that truth is?” I asked tightly.
He turned back to me.
“That the prodigal son returned for love.” Dante’s tone was dry. “That he kept the blood oath he swore and stole his brother’s bride to restore our family honor, to maintain a strong alliance with the DiRavello family. A romantic scandal is far easier to swallow than a disgraced son, returned from the dead.”
“Nobody will believe that,” I told him flatly. “Even I’m not that good of an actress.”
“People believe what they’re told,” his smile turned bitter. “Your uncle will do nothing to contradict our story because it is in his best interest to let this scenario play out. The other families will be… amused, and this will give them something to gossip about. My father will have no choice but to spin our story to his benefit. And once we’re firmly back in the good graces of the Dynasty…” His eyes darkened. “We make our move.”
We.
The word slid under my skin before I could stop myself.
“And what do I get out of this?” I leaned my shoulder into the mantle, mimicking—totally not on purpose—Dante’s stance. “Aside from a vague promise that at some point, I’ll get the name of the person who killed my father? I have no interest in being paraded around like a prize, Dante. I’ve worked hard to avoid that depressing-as-fuck future for myself.”
“Once I regain my standing, you’ll have full access to the Dominico secrets,” he insisted. “You get a husband who everyone underestimates, who they believe is too dangerous and too broken to be strategic.”
“And are you?” I challenged softly, my brain going all sludgy. I was running on pure adrenaline, double-crossed by my uncle, yet something told me this male in front of me was my best hope of getting what I wanted.
“What?”
“Broken,” I prodded, searching his face. I already knew he was dangerous, and he was committed, that much was clear, but… something was off; I just couldn’t put my finger on what.
