Chapter 44 – Isabella
I knew exactly how Ilya would react if he saw the mess I was. So I did what any sane woman would do. I tore the sheer skirt from one of my dresses, shrouded myself in the veil of secrecy, and read my Kindle while I waited for him to appear.
And he would appear.
I wouldn’t accept another alternative.
His dead body had been noticeably absent from the Fabrizi mansion. Every other bodyguard was a victim of the massacre. It was said their bodies were mauled. The garish detail only made me smile. The bear—that was what they called the cage fighter. Well…I’d seen the bear skull tattooed on my lover’s back. How the soldiers of the famiglia didn’t assume it was Ilya, I couldn’t fathom. The connection was obvious to anyone with brains—apparently our soldiers lacked those. It wasn’t like an animal broke from the zoo to target my enemies. It was safe to assume that it was a man embodying a beast that attacked last night.
No, they said the Scorso family killed the underboss and his guards, unleashing dogs on their corpses. The more superstitious soldiers whispered about hellhounds or zoo animals.
Since the wedding was off, the restrictions on my diet were suspended. I pigged out, eating foods rich in proteins and calories, not cutting carbs. Most of the following day, I spent hiding in the kitchen. No one bothered me. They bustled about the house, always hurrying, constantly shouting. In the aftereffect of the underboss’s demise, my scandalous behavior seemed to have been momentarily forgotten.
But the marks were there, the bruises terribly swollen despite the ice I kept applying.
There was nothing left to do but hide from the living, breathing monster I knew would come the moment the sunset. I flicked the paperwhite pages, not seeing the words nor losing myself to the story. The escape I so often craved was no longer in the inky marks on the page, but rather a tangible part of my life.
I want a future…with him.
The man who was currently destroying my world.
When that low, rich voice finally growled behind me, a bolt of pure bliss shot through me. “What’s this?” Ilya demanded.
Madonna! The way he could sneak in here, and I never heard the window open. Creepy. Eerie. Otherworldly.
“It’s another costume,” I said with a flourish from my cozy throne.
“It’s not Halloween anymore,” he pointed out, gripping the chair back beside me.
I shrugged, turning my face up to gaze at him through the gauzy barrier. “Costumes aren’t just for that. Haven’t you heard of fantasies?”
His voice dropped an octave. “What are you tonight, little siren?”
Madonna mia! It was suddenly hot under this cover. “I’m a Vestal Virgin, and you’re the god Pluto come to ravish me.”
There was a long pause as he considered me. I shut the cover of the Kindle, extinguishing the light.
Please play along!
As if he heard my inner plea, Ilya agreed. “I demand to see your face when you come, beautiful priestess. Something this sweet is a thing of rare beauty,” he rasped.
“No!” I cried.
The monster stilled.
“It’s forbidden,” I whispered with a wave of my hand.
“I’m a god, aren’t I?” Ilya growled.
Fuck, that bordered blasphemy.
It’s a fantasy . Ilya gave me those, always ready to play along. I think I’m in love.
No—not think. I knew I was.
“A god may take my body, but I claim my face,” I countered.
Something dangerous rumbled in his chest. It was the only warning I received before he tugged me from the chair, pulling me to the floor. “I can’t resist you, cunning priestess. You worship stone in your cold, unfeeling temple. But tonight, on the eve of battle, you worship living flesh and bone.”
There was no foreplay, no torment. We seemed to know and understand without it being spoken just what we needed—that was each other.
One of these days, I would lay naked in his arms, see him fully undressed, and memorize every inch of his skin. For now, it was this hard and fast coming together, and I was equally content with that.
Cock unleashed, he roughly settled between my legs and joined us in one, hard thrust. Our stifled groans filled the room. He began to fuck me hard.
“Is this how you imagined it? Hmm? When you read your spicy little books and dreamed of a creature from the underworld or from the court of nightmares crawling through your window, siren?”
Through the all-consuming pleasure, I managed to nod. Words failed me—absolutely failed me.
“Then I swear to you, you’ll never escape my clutches now that I have you.”
“Good,” I choked.
Ilya roughly palmed my breast. Without lifting the veil, he bent, pinching the lump of flesh so that his teeth could score over the material.
The muscles in my core tightened.
I gripped his shoulders hard, digging my nails into the flesh. There might be a shirt in the way, but I would leave my mark.
“Hold tight, priestess, your god is going to bind you eternally to his side.”
With a hard snap of his hips, Ilya pushed deep. His body convulsed as he emptied himself inside me. My own reaction was immediate, greedily claiming everything he gave me with a fierce burst of pleasure.
His hard hand clamped over my mouth. The sharp sting from the bruised flesh was shadowed by the intensity of the orgasm. “You’re a noisy little thing, rusalka.”
I let out a breathless laugh. I was.
“Thank you,” I mumbled around his hand.
“For the orgasm?” He cocked his head.
I pushed his fingers away. “For playing the game. I know people think I’m silly; the truth is, they don’t know the half of it. How I’m always running around in a fairytale, how I’m always imagining things.”
“I don’t think you’re silly,” he promised, sincerity strong in his voice. “I think you’re wonderful. The most incredible creature I’ve ever seen.”
Those words warmed my heart.
“But you don’t know what you’re signing up for with me,” I protested.
“Wrong. I know a great deal about you, Isabella Francesca Maria Rinaldi. But…what I don’t know, I’ll spend the rest of my life learning.”
Wow. “Okay,” I breathed.
“You are the singular, most precious thing to me. Do you understand that?”
I swallowed past my heart thundering in my throat. “I think so.”
“Good, because I swear to you, Izzy, if you touch another man, I’ll kill him.”
I believed it. Still, we needed to have more finite details than that. “What if I’m about to fall, and a stranger grabs me, saving me from peril?”
“No stranger, only me.”
“You won’t be there every time,” I countered.
“You fall, it’s me who catches you. End of story.”
I rolled my eyes. Okay, let’s try this again. “If I’m in the ambulance and the EMT is a guy. My life is on the line and—”
“That’s not a scenario I accept.” The violence in his voice was laced with a far stronger emotion.
Hearing the panicked undertone, I took pity on him and cupped his cheek. “What if I’m in labor, and my OB isn’t there, so an on-call male doctor comes in to save my life and our child’s?”
Ilya mirrored me, cradling a palm on either side of my face and touching our foreheads together. It took everything I had not to wince, even though his touch was very gentle. “You don’t know how impossible you make it. I won’t accept a future where you are in danger, Isabella.”
“Nor I you, but here we are.” I brushed our noses together. The sheer fabric scratched between us. “We can’t prevent every situation of pain and suffering, but we can share them—together.”
“Together,” he breathed.
I hummed. “I promise you, no going near other men. But you have to restrain your bursts of violence when medical professionals or other forms along that line crop up. I can’t have you maiming or killing every man who looks at me. Deal?”
The harsh huff of air blew over me. “I’ll keep an open mind.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead—and I had to bite my tongue so as not to squeak—before he rose. “Wait right there.”
I sat up, pulling the veil more securely over my face. Mamma Mia. Even those small touches made my tender flesh throb. But…it was almost over. Ilya would leave soon and wouldn’t see what a mess I was.
“How long are you going to wear that?” he asked, returning with both a damp and dry cloth.
I reached for them, but he shook his head. Shirt tucked back into his pants, belt and zipper properly in place, he appeared as though he hadn’t just ravished a Vestal Virgin.
As he crouched before me, I formed my answer carefully. “Not until the god of death departs for the campaign.”
Ilya nodded. “You know what’s happening tonight, then?”
The warmth and security of the game faded in light of reality. I gave him a small nod. “I do. The Scorso Famiglia doesn’t deserve it.”
“Agreed,” Ilya clipped out. “But in the chaos of the fighting, I’ll have the perfect opportunity to take out the remaining players of your mafia.”
I smiled at his American use of the term but didn’t correct him.
“Be ready to leave.” He lifted my hands to his lips. “I’m stealing you away at dawn, sweet priestess. You’ll wander these frozen halls no more. I came to tell you the good news in person, have you make ready to escape. But instead, you tempt me. I can’t resist you or your beautiful mind, Izzy.”
A mixture of wonder and amazement filled me. Questions stuck in my throat.
With a rough laugh, Ilya pulled me to my feet. “Pack your books, baubles, and other trinkets in those two suitcases in your closet. Your clothing, we can replace.”
I leapt into his arms and threw my arms around his neck. My spectre hugged me tight. We remained locked in the shared moment. Feelings stronger than passion swirled around us, but neither of us gave name to the swell of energy.
A rapid knock on my door broke the trance.
I scrambled from Ilya’s hold. “Out the window, god of the underworld, that will be the high priestess, and should she discover I’ve been compromised, they’ll burn me alive.”
Ilya grumbled about eviscerating them before they could touch a single hair on my head, but he retreated toward the window. With a sharp tug, I pulled the veil from my head and scrambled to the far side of the bed where my PJs were carefully laid out. They felt wrong against my skin. The craving to be naked, curled next to the force of darkness, raged inside.
One more night alone . At dawn, he would come. The monster would steal me from this castle of horrors and woe, taking me to faraway lands where I would be free to live my life as I saw fit.
It was impossibly still in my room. I paused, listening hard. There was no breath from another being. There was no patter of heartbeat, no shifting of muscles. Ilya was gone.
I rushed to the door and threw it open. “Lonzo! What happened?”
My friend winced.
Thanks, bud. I knew I looked like a train wreck. “Lonzo?”
“I came to say goodbye,” he managed to say.
I drew my brows together. “You’re going out? To fight?”
“Yes. And I was wondering, I know dad called off the engagement, but….” He shuffled about.
“Lonzo,” I warned.
“It doesn’t change the way I feel about you, Isabella.”
I sighed. “Infatuation isn’t romantic.”
“I won’t let Cosimo take you!” Alonzo reached for me, but I took a step back. He flinched. “Sorry. I only meant to hug you.”
“Best we keep our distance in light of recent events.” And because there was a monster who promised dismemberment or death to anyone who touched me in a non-medical emergency.
“Can I at least have a hug? For good luck?” the boy pleaded. “I know we’ve never really kissed, and I regret that now.”
I pursed my lips. “Not tonight, Lonzo.”
“Oh, right, how stupid of me! Your face probably hurts. He did a number on you; I’m so sorry, Izzy. I’ll make dad refuse to let him have you. I promise.” Alonzo shoved his hands in his pockets.
I had to give him something. This was still my friend. He cared about me, in his own way. And I would never stop caring for him.
“Here, wear this tonight,” I breathed.
Quickly, I unclasped the good luck charm that Gio gave me.
“Is that a horn to ward off evil?” Alonzo laughed. “You really are something, Isabella.”
I rolled my eyes. “Eccentric? Ridiculous?”
“Charming and quaint,” he corrected.
I dropped the necklace into his hand, not daring to even risk brushing my fingertips over his skin accidentally. Ilya might have slipped away in that freaky, supernatural way he came and left my room without me knowing it, but I didn’t want to chance it. Not where Alonzo was concerned.
“Be safe tonight. I’ll pray for you,” I insisted.
Alonzo’s voice sobered. “I hate that we’re doing this. The Scorsos might have picked a fight, but to keep raising the stakes? They didn’t have to mutilate Signor Fabrizi—”
“Even though he deserved it,” I added softly.
Alonzo snorted. “Even though he deserved it. But now, we’re going to slaughter the don, his family, and anyone else in their chain of command.”
I shook my head. “I wish there was something we could do. Some way we could stop this.”
“We can’t. We’re pawns on this board.”
“No!” I cut my hand through the air. “I’m no man’s pawn.”
There was something I could do. Ilya would know how to warn the Scorso Famiglia. If he didn’t, I could sneak out the same way he did and slip ahead of our soldiers to warn the rival don to move his family to safety.
“Goodnight, Lonzo. Be safe.” I shut the door in his face, locking the bolt.
I intended to run for the phone, to dial the number on the little black card, and pray Ilya picked up.
Instead, a strong grip shot out and caught me. My back flattened against the door. A bright orange glow snapped in my face. I struggled away from the light, but it was no use.
He saw.
My monster saw everything.
“I’m going to ask you once, Izzy. Who dared lay a hand on you?” Each word was the slash of a dagger.
I whimpered, trying to pull away from his hold. It wasn’t that the spectre hurt me, but I hadn’t wanted him to see me like this.
Ilya pressed his fingers in warning but not hard enough to hurt me.
“Cosimo,” I gasped.
“And why didn’t you tell me.” There was hurt underlying the demand.
I heard it, and a stone of guilt dropped in my stomach. “You were going to kill him anyhow.”
“You should have told me,” he snarled.
I pushed out against him, the anger rising to meet that which simmered in him. “I couldn’t have you losing your head, phantom! I’ve seen you in the cage only a handful of times. You seem cool and collected, but I didn’t know if this would change anything. I need you to end the little Fabrizi shit stain, but I didn’t want you getting hurt by going all berserk on his ass if you knew I’d been harmed. Understand?”
The light blinked out.
Under the cover of darkness, I pushed forward, forcing myself against Ilya, and urging him with every fiber of my being to embrace me.
“I need you to come back, at dawn, and make this nightmare go away,” I insisted.
A long, shuddering breath shook his frame, vibrating against me. “I swear to you, when the sun rises, your life will be completely different.”
“I need to tell you something—” I croaked. The words stuck in my throat.
The seconds ticked by, and I couldn’t push past the lump of worry in my chest. How hard were those three words? Everything was coming to a head, and I still hadn’t told him what was truly in my heart.
Ilya placed a finger over my lips. “I haven’t earned that yet. Save them for the morning, rusalka.”
“But…I feel them. Even though I haven’t said it.”
A dark smile cut across his face. “I know, Izzy. I know.”
“One more thing,” I whispered, remembering at the last minute that he was probably the only person who could do the right thing.
The sound of assent rumbled in his chest.
“Can you warn the don of the Scorso Famiglia? I don’t want his wife, children, and mother to die because my god of death destroyed an enemy under the pretense of fighting that clan.”
Ilya brushed his fingers lovingly through my hair. “Consider it done. They’ll have plenty of warning to protect their loved ones..”
I relaxed into his arms a moment more before we untangled. I had to pack, and he had to kill. The perfect end to All Saints Day.