"Can I see your dress?"
"Sorry." She pressed a finger to his lips. "It has to be a surprise."
Rodrigo caught her hand, kissing her fingertips one by one. He could wait. For her, he could wait forever.
EPILOGUE
The chapel doors gleamed in the late morning sun, polished wood and ancient iron that had witnessed generations of Colleoni ceremonies.
Rodrigo stood at the entrance in a sharp black tuxedo, watching guests filter through the gardens toward the open doors.
Guards in formal attire stood at discreet intervals, weapons hidden beneath well-tailored jackets. Family and found family mingled on the stone paths, an unlikely gathering of mercenaries and criminals and the people who loved them.
For a split second, he thought he saw Serapis in the crowd, but when he looked again, there was no one there.
Maybe anxiety over the big day had him hallucinating.
Beside him, Giana adjusted his boutonniere with fingers that trembled slightly.
"Nervous?" he asked with a grin.
She looked up at him, and the sight of her nearly stopped his heart. The gown was a deep jewel purple that made her dark hair gleam and her skin glow. She looked like a queen. She looked like his future.
"No," she said. "I'm ridiculously happy."
"You're shaking," he pointed out.
"I shake when I'm excited."
Rodrigo smirked. "I know."
"It'snotthe time to flirt," she said, rolling her eyes and smoothing the flower against his lapel one final time. "There. Perfect."
The chapel doors swung open, and music spilled out into the morning air. Rodrigo offered Giana his arm, and together they walked inside.
The pews were filled with faces both familiar and scarred by violence. Athena sat beside Kon, her hand resting on his knee. Silas had his arm around Iz, who was already dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Altun and Julian occupied the row behind them, the sorceress resplendent in emerald silk. Frederica sat in the second row, and Rodrigo noted with interest that she had saved the seat beside her, her eyes flicking to the door every few seconds.
Dario slipped in just as Rodrigo escorted Giana to her place. His brother's eyes were suspiciously bright as he settled into the seat next to Frederica, and Rodrigo hurried back to get in position.
At the altar, Father Lupo stood waiting, his weathered face creased in a warm smile. The old priest had donned his finest vestments for the occasion, and his eyes held the quiet joy of a man watching his wayward children finally find their way home. The music swelled, and everyone rose.
Rodrigo walked Leo down the aisle. His little brother was elegant in a midnight blue suit that offset his dark curls. His face was calm, composed, the mask of the assassin firmly in place, but his eyes betrayed him. They were fixed on the man waiting at the altar, and in them Rodrigo saw something he recognized: the look of someone who had found the thing worth living for.
Dante stood at the front of the chapel, tears already streaming down his face. The big mercenary made no attempt to hide them, his broad shoulders shaking with the force of his emotion as he watched Leo approach.
"He's going to flood the chapel," Giana whispered when Rodrigo took his seat beside her.
"Let him," Rodrigo murmured back. "Leo has made him earn it."
Leo took Dante's hands in his. Father Lupo began the ceremony, his voice carrying through the hushed space with the gravity of sacred words spoken over sacred ground.
When the time came for vows, Leo spoke first. His voice was steady, clear, carrying to every corner of the chapel.
"I spent most of my life believing I was made for death," Leo said. "That the only thing I was good for was ending things. You showed me I was wrong and that I could build something instead of destroying it. You gave me a family when I thought I'd lost mine forever." His grip tightened on Dante's hands. "You pulled me out of hell, like my own Beatrice. I promise to spend the rest of my life being worthy of you."
Dante tried to speak, but the words came out as a choked sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. He took a breath and tried again.
"I had a whole speech prepared," he managed. "But I can't remember any of it because you're standing there looking like that, and my brain has completely stopped working."
