Page 72 of Devoted

“What did you mean… mistakes were made?” I asked, hurrying to keep up. The female—the witch—had seriously long legs. “When it came to Rocco and my uncle. You said nothing is perfect and mortals make mistakes.”

“Your uncle was born with a hole in his soul. Gluttonous for power. Enzo was the best of us. Kind heart, generous nature. He was always one of my favorites. As for Rocco… much like Blackwood, time has poisoned him. Turned him greedy and grasping. He would not have survived another turn of the Compact, and as for Giovanni… he didn’t use his own blood, this time. He had Blackwood conjure him up something the Basin would judge… acceptable.”

“How do you even know all of this?” I demanded, shooting Nico a glare when he just huffed out a dark, knowing laugh.

“Because I have my own spy planted deep inside Blackwood’s operations. So deep, he can’t see them because they’re too close for him to ever suspect. Knowledge is leverage, and leverage is all that keeps us alive in times like these. Remember that, Emberline.”

Two priests bowed their heads and opened the doors as we approached, the sigils at their throats flaring. Inside, candles burst to life as we crossed the threshold, the abbey’s gloomy interior instantly bathed in glowing crimson light.

“You know what to do.” Emilia jerked her head to the altar in the center of the room, the chains and shackles on the floor… piled in a different place. I came to a stop, memories of that dream, a different room and a different platform turning my face red.

Nico hopped up onto the block of stone and slipped off his long coat, unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it to the side. Flickering light gilded the strong slope of his shoulders and the flat planes of his scarred chest, the way his stomach bunched when he sat up straight.

Gods. Now my mind was going in all sorts of wicked directions.

“You waited too long. I’m not back to full strength, but I will feed enough magic into you for an emergency patch,” she said, deftly weaving a pattern into the air with her fingers. “You will have to return in a few days for me to do this properly.”

“You were asleep,” he slanted her a half smile. “So, whose fault is it, really?”

“Always with the smart mouth, ever since you were a boy,” she grumbled, darkness gathering around her dancing fingers. “Now, tell me about Cesare.”

That dark aura settled around Nico, like dark, living flames, flickering over his skin.

The temperature dropped in the room, a coating of frost crackling across the stone altar.

“He was as expected,” Nico said flatly. “Taunted me for rejecting my bloodline. My heritage, he called it.” His voice dripped with bitterness. “I don’t know how he managed, but my father was waiting for us inside Emberline’s dream. Recreated your temple, down to the last detail. The bastard set a trap, and I walked right into it.” Nico looked at me the entire time, with regret and more of that self-loathing.

I leaned into the wall, letting it prop me up as doubt and fear rushed through me in a messy tangle. Fixing this mess would take more than apologies, even if Nico could find the words to explain.

“Don’t blame yourself; I allowed myself to be caught by a bottle of poisoned wine and two ungrateful pawns,” she said wryly.

“Blackwood’s using his magic openly.” Nico shuddered as another wave of magic covered his body, dark flames licking up his throat. “Spreading his poison everywhere. Drax hatching out of too many nests to count. Soon the city will be overrun.”

Her lips tightened. “You’ve never rejected your heritage,” she said gently. “In fact, you’ve honored your bloodline, Nico Draconi. In more ways than you’ll ever know. Blackwood is a vile creature, and the poison that comes out of his mouth should be left to rot. Pay him no heed.” Another flick of her fingers and the dark flames disappeared, warmth flooding back into the crypt.

“Don’t compare me to my father,” he grit out. “Ever.”

“Fine,” she snapped the word off with her teeth. “I won’t overstep again. And as for you…” She whirled toward me, and I shrank back against the wall. “I warned you. Death does not like to be cheated. That if you venture too close to her realm, she will find you.”

“Don’t worry.” I lifted my chin. “Nico always seems to be there to save me when I do.”

“Of course he does,” she muttered, looking like she wanted to stab us both.

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

26

EMBERLINE

“Well…” Gabriel dropped onto the couch when we returned to the villa, looking faintly shell-shocked. “That was enlightening.”

“Enlightening and wholly unhelpful,” Dante added, blowing out a low whistle. “Emilia is the High Priestess. Somehow, I didn’t have any trouble believing it was true. I mean, I can just picture her negotiating with that warlord. She probably had him eating out of the palm of her hand in less than a minute.”

“And so much for destroying the Basin.” I sighed. “Are we positive there is no possible way anyone could ever find it?”

“Not a chance,” my husband said with that annoyingly easy confidence. “Luca and I dropped that rock deep, somewhere nobody will ever look. Stop worrying, Emberline; the Basin is not in play. When this is all over, I think we should leave that fucking thing buried where it is.”

Neither Gabriel nor Dante looked directly at Nico.