Chapter 39
BELLA
IZZY CHEAT SHEET
Roses were her favorite flower.
She liked wine. Gross wine that is bitter as shit. CHOKE IT DOWN!
He took her to Florence after making the Revs. (BIG FUCKING DEAL SO QUIT FORGETTING!)
Ivan is Krolek’s brother and Luca’s cousin.
Luca is allergic to peanuts… go find some!
He will fold if you cry so weaponize that shit!
Zeke was taken so he could gain more access to you, but then he started to fall for him? IDK… ask Zeke more about this one!
Apparently she really liked the Spice Girls.
Don’t forget to find Mama’s necklace!
They met when they were 6.
Luca was jealous of Daddy… is that whay he killed him? FIND OUT!
She only liked strawberry milkshakes.
You IZZY hated thunderstorms! -ISABELLA MARIE BLACKWOOD
#11 yes that’s why he killed him. It’s my fault
Lex = BIG trigger!
She hated olives. Pick them out!
Ivan is scared of Celeste… shocker
Laugh at his jokes
His scar was from the Hollow Kings’ initiation
Luca = MASTERMIND! He got you put in Miami!
You once told SHE once told him that even if she forgets everything she’ll never forget him.
No one is coming for you… find your own way out
I swipe at a tear, catching it before it can leave a salt-trail on the page.
It’s been three weeks since Luca dragged me out of my room and into his. Into our room. Three weeks since I’ve seen Razorback Stadium on my wall or felt anything close to home.
It’s all my fault.
I shouldn’t have tried to warn Cade. I should have been smarter, quieter. I should have known that in Luca’s world mercy is just a myth.
Zeke’s not allowed to see me anymore. Not since that night the floorboards soaked up his blood while Luca’s fists did the talking.
Now, I don’t exist. I’m only a ghost trying to inhabit my dead mother’s life. A life I don’t remember.
Luca’s patient with me while I play the part. When I tell him I’m not ready. And when I force the words I love you past the bile rising in my throat, he buys me all of Izzy’s favorite things.
My favorite things.
I hate him.
I hate the way he pulls me into his chest every night. How I’m forced to feel the beating heart of a man I should have stabbed with a fork at our first dinner date.
I hate the black silk sheets on our bed. How they’re so cold they sting my bare skin. A constant reminder that this bed is another cage.
I lie there, frozen while his fingers trace the ladder of my spine. I count the seconds. Count the shallow, terrified hitches of my own breath and pretend that I don’t feel the revulsion curling in my gut.
But I do.
I feel every inch of him.
So I close my eyes and wait for the room to dissolve. I pull the memories over me like a shroud, building a sanctuary out of thin air.
For a moment, I pretend.
I pretend that the hands roaming over my body are rough with protection and not possession. I imagine the calloused palms of my Hollow King. The man who’d burn the world to ash just to keep me safe.
In the dark of my mind, the suffocating pressure of Luca’s mouth vanishes. Replaced by the taste of Cade’s soft and lingering kiss. I can almost hear his voice. That low, steady anchor calling me sweetheart until the trembling in my chest stops.
I reach for Lex. I conjure the sound of his voice whispering glaza na menya, malyshka against my bare skin. Icy-blues demanding my eyes, my soul, my everything. I can almost feel myself falling apart under touches of the men who actually love me.
That love Bella.
Not Izzy.
I hold onto the vision until my fingernails dig into my palms. Fighting as hard as I can to stay in the dream.
But I always open my eyes too soon.
The warmth evaporates, leaving me stranded in the cold, black silk. It’s never Lex or Cade waiting for me in the darkness. Only the emerald eyes of a monster who thinks he’s won.
“Baby?” Luca’s voice snaps me out of it. “I have something for you.”
Aunt Claire’s letter crinkles as I shove it into the vanity drawer. I turn quickly just as he enters. He crosses the room with a slow stride, dressed casually in jeans and a navy button-up.
“Come here,” he says, pulling me up by my fingertips. His gaze flickers to the princess-cut diamond ring already encircling my finger.
“Turn around for me,” he murmurs, his breath warm and unwanted against my forehead. “Close your eyes.”
“What is this, Luca?” I ask, my voice sounding brittle.
“Close your eyes, my love.”
I turn my back to him, my heart hammering in a frantic beat against my ribs as I shut my eyes.
Something heavy settles against my throat. It’s cold when it drags against my collarbone. He fastens the clasp, fingers lingering far longer than they fucking need to.
“Open them,” he whispers, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear.
My eyes snap open.
The mirror stares back at me, but I don’t recognize the girl in it. The black-and-white collar is still cinched tight. But now, a massive heart-shaped ruby rests just beneath the metal. A violent, pulsing red that looks more like a gaping bullet hole in my chest.
“I got it back for you,” he says. His hands find my waist and pin me in place.
We stare at our reflection for a moment in dark silence. The monster and his masterpiece.
I force a smile and brush my fingertips against the jewel. “It’s… it’s beautiful, my love.”
The words taste like copper in my mouth. Behind me, his emerald eyes darken with a terrifying sort of pride.
“It’s perfect,” he agrees, leaning down to kiss my temple. “Just like you, Izzy.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“I have something else for you,” he says, taking a step back. “For how hard you’ve been working to remember.”
My brows pinch. “What is it?”
“You’ll see soon enough.” Then he turns and heads out the door.
My fingers dig into the wood as I grip the vanity. A breath gets lodged in my throat when I stare into the mirror. At the black-and-white noose above my mother’s glowing jewel.
The C on my arm catches my attention. Now fully healed, the skin puckered and permanent. He makes sure it’s always on display. A brand for his prized pet.
“They say 666 is the mark of the beast…” I mutter to Zeke’s swan. I scoff, the sound scratchy in my throat. “But hell’s got nothing on Luca Cassinelli.”
Memories of the proposal invade my thoughts. A lovely dinner for two by the pool. The moonlight sparkling off the water behind him as he got down on one knee and promised me forever.
“I should’ve pushed him in,” I say to her.
The swan doesn’t answer. She just sits there, translucent and mocking my existence.
And I snap. I reach for the glass—little red bitch—and hurl her silent ass at the door.
???
ZEKE
Eden
58 days since I got my sister back.
I turn into Bella’s doorway right as a flash of red flies toward my face.
“Well that’s just rude,” I say, catching the glass swan in my palm. My heart is thundering against my ribs, but I force a smirk. “You paid a whole two dollars for this thing.”
“Zeke?!” she screams, her steel-gray eyes wide and frantic.
“Yeah, Bells.” I nod, biting back the sting in my eyes. I toss the red swan onto the mattress and open my arms. “I’m here, sis.”
She bolts toward me, jumping up and wrapping her legs around my hips. I stumble back a step when I catch her.
“I got you,” I breathe into her hair, cinching my arms around her.
“Where have you been?” she cries, burying her face into the crook of my neck.
“Here and there,” I say as I set her down gently and take a few steps toward the bed. “Let’s sit down and talk.”
“Not on the bed.” She yanks me back, her head shaking violently. “It’s… it’s cold.”
“Okay.” I nod. “Alright, no bed.”
“Thanks.”
We walk over and sit down on the black, velvet bench by the window. For a moment, Bella just quietly stares out over the moon-lit pool, twirling the diamond on her finger.
“Sis?” I reach out and brush my fingers over her knuckles.
She flinches.
“Sorry.” I recoil, my heart sinking. “I didn’t mean to—”
“No,” she says. She swipes a stray tear from her cheek, her eyes never leaving the glass. “It’s okay, I was just… just thinking.”
“Wanna talk about it?” I press, keeping my voice low.
Bella nods, a ragged sniffle escaping her. “I-I can’t do this anymore. The act.” She looks at me and the hollow in her eyes makes my blood fucking boil.
“Zeke, I can’t be her for one more second. The way he–”
“Has he?” I cut in, fury flashing through my spine. For a second, I’m back in Miami listening to Carlos and Vince whispering outside our door. I lean in, my voice dropping to a dangerous vibration. I have to swallow to force the damn words out.
“Has he hurt you, Bells? Touched you?”
“He hasn’t forced himself on me,” she says, her snarky little attitude thankfully coming back. “If that’s what you’re asking.”
The breath I feel like I’ve been holding for three damn weeks releases in a shudder. “Thank, God,” I whisper, reaching out for her hand and bringing her knuckles to my lips. “Thank, God.”
“No!” She rips her hand away and jumps to her feet. “You don’t get it! I can’t keep this going forever.”
“I know that.”
“No you don’t!” Her voice rises. She starts to pace, her steps frantic and off balance.
“He’s been patient. Even been a damn gentleman about it,” she spits.
“Luckily we’ve been distracted by planning the charade of an engagement party coming up.
” Her hands dive into her long black, waves, gripping at the roots.
“But I can only tell him ‘I’m not ready’ for so long.
Or that I’m ‘cramping and tired’ so long before he loses that patience!
Before he thinks that his precious Izzy is broken and decides to take me to a fucking hospital to figure out why I’m ‘bleeding’ every few days.
I’m running out of lies, Zeke. When the hell are we—”
“Soon,” I interrupt. “We’re getting out of here soon.”
She stops and whirls around to face me. “What?”
“Come on.” I pat the bench. “Sit.”
Bella plops down and leans back on the window frame.
“I got word to Knox when Luca had me retrieve this.” I point at the ruby, glowing around her neck.
“What kind of word?” she asks, fingers gripping the heart.
“Sent him all he needs on the updated collars.”
“And Knox? What did he say when you gave it to him?” she prods.
“Well, I didn’t exactly give it to Knox.”
Her brow creases. “Then who exactly did you give it to?”
I shrug. “Ellie.”
Bella’s breath hitches. “Ellie? You… you saw her?”
I nod. “And Lex.”
“What?! W-w-well is he… is he okay? D-did you see Cade? Wait…” she rambles. “Where did you even see them?”
“Look, sis,” I continue, framing her face with my palms. “I want to tell you everything in detail but he only gave me a few minutes in here before I have to go back to the basement.”
She gasps. “The basement?”
“I’m alright. I promise,” I shoot in before she can spiral.
She gives a faint nod as she reaches up to interlock our fingers.
“But I saw Lex. He’s pissed and nearly shot my ass, but he looked okay,” I confirm, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with my thumb. “Never saw Cade, but I’m sure he’s fine. He’s only been doing art, remember?”
Bella sniffles, nodding fast.
“I got your mother’s ruby necklace from Ellie and gave her a letter to give to Knox. It’ll show him how to get these off,” I say, tapping the metal around my neck.
She sighs as tears spill down her cheeks. “That’s good.”
“And,” I continue, a wicked grin spreading. “I sent word for Briggs to crash your engagement party.”
“Briggs?”
“Briggs is the one we want doin’ this, trust me,” I explain, my eyes locking with hers. “Pretty please.”