Angelo’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and I caught the slight tension in his shoulders beneath his tailored suit. “I would say so.” His fingers tapped against the armrest before stilling—a rare tell that he was evaluating our next moves. “But it wasn’t just Stefan. Anton was worried too. He’ll be watching us closely now.”
I could hear the edge of irritation threading through his controlled tone. “I don’t like anyone paying attention to my movements.”
The blood stone in my jacket pocket seemed heavier now, a reminder of what we’d accomplished and the price we might pay for it. I was willing to pay any price as long as Joy was safe.
Dimitri shrugged, completely unbothered, and glanced in the rearview mirror. “Let them watch. Half the fun is knowing they can’t do anything about it anyway.”
I wasn’t too sure about that. Stefan and Anton shouldn’t be underestimated. If we needed to interrogate another prisoner for any reason, I doubted either of them would allow us back—especially not with magical objects that could nearly kill their inmates.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Angelo mumbled.
As Dimitri pulled the car out of the circular drive, I exhaled a sigh of relief.
Angelo pulled his phone out of his pocket again. “Keir? Angelo. Any new developments?”
I watched him intently looking for the slightest tremor that would indicate we were in trouble again, but there was no sign. I wanted to rip the phone out of his hand and scream at Keir to find out what the hell was happening.
“I see,” Angelo said. “You can tell Tinker Bell we have the royal blood. We should be there in about three hours.”
Fucking three hours.
He hung up the phone and glanced over at me. “Nothing has changed, Enzo.”
I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Maybe I should fly back with the stone.”
Angelo turned to face me fully, his expression more serious than I'd seen it all day. “What if you lost it?”
That would be the worst thing possible.
No stone.
No spell.
No Joy.
I leaned back against the cool leather headrest and turned toward the window, watching the Hollows recede behind the iron gates. The afternoon sun was warm against my face through the glass, but it did nothing to ease the knot of tension in my chest. “Just a thought.”
Angelo shifted in his seat beside me, and I could feel his gaze on my profile, studying me as if wondering where his calm enforcer had gone. The silence stretched between us for amoment, filled only with the steady hum of the engine and the soft whisper of tires against asphalt.
“I get where you’re at, Enzo.” There was something in his dark eyes—a flicker of old pain, carefully controlled but still visible. “I’ve been there. Even Dimitri has.” He glanced toward the front seat where Dimitri was focused on the road ahead.
Angelo leaned closer, his voice dropping to that tone he used when dispensing hard-earned wisdom. “Don’t let your emotions rule you.” The words were a gentle reprimand, but there was no judgment in them—only the voice of someone who’d learned that lesson the hard way.
His hand moved to clasp my shoulder, the grip firm and reassuring. “We will get Joy back.” The conviction in his voice made something tight in my chest loosen slightly. “You went to hell and back with me to get Serenity.” The memory of those dark weeks flashed between us—blood, violence, and the desperate hunt to save the woman Angelo loved.
His grip tightened, and I could see the steel resolve that had made him a king settling into his features. “I will go to the ends of the earth to help you get Joy.”
“Oh, don’t mind me,” Dimitri called from the driver’s seat, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. “I’m just over here trying not to tear up at this beautiful display of brotherhood. But for what it’s worth, Enzo—we’re getting her back. Even if I have to charm my way through an entire dimension of psychotic royalty.”
I nodded, my throat tight. Angelo's concern was valid, but it changed nothing.
We had the blood stone. We had a way to reach the Elder Dimension. That meant we had a way to reach Joy. The rest—the risks, the uncertainties, the possibility of failure—none of it mattered.
I'd fought too hard, sacrificed too much, crossed too many lines to let doubt creep in now. The portal would open. I would find her. And I would bring her back.
That was the only outcome I'd accept.
