Page 42 of Reign

That interests me too.

Santo Amato steps beside her, and his eyes move from her face to mine.

The temperature of the room changes.

“What are you doing?” he asks her.

Elena’s eyes roll. “Having a conversation.”

“With him?”

“I didn’t realize I needed approval.”

Santo looks away from me. “You do when you’re talking to Luciano Castillo.”

Elena stills.

Not much.

A small tightening through her shoulders. A pause in her breathing. The kind of reaction most men would miss because they’re too busy looking for fear in louder places.

I don’t miss it.

My name means something to her.

It should.

Castillo is not a name women like her hear without understanding there are teeth behind it.

But that doesn’t explain Santo.

His wife is the tiny blonde. The one he looks at like the world ends where she stands.

So why is he looking at Elena like I’ve stepped too close to something that belongs to him?

Elena recovers first. “Okay, big deal. I’m talking to Adriana’s brother.”

Santo’s jaw tightens. His gaze shifts to me, cold and flat.

“Elena is my sister.”

The room closes. The music keeps playing. The guests keep talking, dancing, drinking, but the room closes.

Elena.

Santo’s sister.

Angelo’s sister.

Amato.

Not Adriana’s friend. Not a bridesmaid I could indulge in and return with a private smile and no consequences. Not a woman I could test over appetizers because she looked at me like she wanted to know whether I’d bite.

Amato.

Protected. Political. Complicated enough that the intelligent decision is distance.

I take one step back.