Chapter 22
EMBERLINE
“What can I say? Gabriel thinks ahead.” Nico’s eyes glittered, catching every flicker of panicked reaction I couldn’t afford him seeing right now. “I told him you’d rather stab me than kiss me, but he said that was my problem, not his.”
“And you agreed to this?” I asked, aiming for indignant scorn, which came out breathier than I wanted. I imagined standing under an ice-cold shower.
Eating ice cubes.
Living in Antarctica.
“I agreed to keep an eye on you.” His dark glower gave me goosebumps. “Honor demands it, and besides, this is a cushy gig. Hopefully, I get to sleep in tomorrow. What time do you get up? Will there be coffee?”
“You overestimate your charms,” I told him briskly, ignoring that playful, suggestive tone.
“I’m not dangerous, Nico. I’ve been trained in political theater and trade agreements, not murder.
I let my temper get the better of me, and now I’m to be married off to fix a problem I created.
That’s the big secret.” I spread my hands, performing my role like a scene in a play.
“There’s nothing worth seducing out of me except spreadsheets and trade routes. ”
His gaze softened, just barely. “You are such a pretty little liar. I don’t believe that for a moment.
” Curiosity burned in his pale eyes. “There are layers to you, Emberline DiRavello. And under those layers is a very complicated female, trapped in a situation she can’t escape.
A situation not of your own making because I know something else about you. ”
“And what is that?”
“You’re too smart to get caught in a trap like this, married off for political gain. You didn’t see this coming, did you?”
I stiffened. “You’ve known me for two whole minutes. You don’t know what I believe or what I am, so stop pretending you do.”
“You are counting the minutes,” his grin showed off perfect white teeth. “That’s a start.”
“I like keeping track of boring, tedious things,” I snapped. “It helps me fall asleep at night.”
He belly laughed again, low and pleased. “Saints, you’re fun.”
“Saints, you’re annoying,” I shot back.
“My best friend tells me that all the time. It only means he loves me.”
“I’m a DiRavello.” I lifted my chin. “We’re many things, but we are certainly not fun.”
“Oh, make no mistake, principessa.” He crowded me until my back was against the fireplace, and all I could smell was drying vampire blood and his own, minty sweat. “You’re extremely entertaining. But you’re also dangerous. And very, very angry. They have therapy for that, you know.”
I froze.
“I’m glad you find me entertaining.” I shrugged. “Do put in a good word with my husband.” I braced my hand in the center of his chest and shoved, wishing I could just make him go away. “When you see him. Which could be as soon as tonight, if you were invited to the wedding.”
“Look…” Nico pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly all serious. “He asked me to protect you. To be close if things go wrong.”
“Wrong?” I echoed. “The wedding’s in less than twenty-four hours. I highly doubt anything will go….”
“This marriage ties two of the most powerful vampire lines in the D’Immortali Dynasty,” he interrupted.
“Half of Venice is looking for an excuse to burn the Dynasty down. Trust me, something will go wrong tomorrow night. Your future husband trusts me to anticipate the threat, then head it off before chaos ensues.”
My mouth went dry. Was I the threat he was heading off?
Three days ago, with hate in my heart and vengeance running through my blood, I’d been trapped in this looming marriage.
Nobody gave me a choice.
In return, I hadn’t given a single shit about what happened to the Dynasty or the Dominicos. I’d wanted everything to burn, just like they’d burned me.
But now… after what I’d seen tonight, these people weren’t the craven overlords my uncle had always made them out to be. And after these past few days, I realized a lot of innocent people relied on the Dynasty for stability.
Without the Dynasty, could my uncle promise something better once he became Don?
Much like my brother suggested… I doubted it.
“Then I gratefully accept your protection, Niccolò Draconi,” I told him diplomatically. “Let us hope everyone is too exhausted from the rigors of the Blood Compact banquet to turn our wedding into a bloodbath.”
Nico’s eyes flashed with something I couldn’t name. Humor? Sympathy?
“Get used to me, principessa,” he warned in a low voice. “My babysitting duties extend far beyond today. Think of me as a… more permanent fixture in your life.”
I forced my expression back into polite boredom, instead of panic. “I don’t need a babysitter. Besides, surely Gabriel doesn’t mean for me to… live with him?”
Gods, why was this just occurring to me now? All this time, I’d thought the ceremony would be the worst part of this process; I’d never imagined—never even considered—the marriage would be anything other than a facade.
“Living together would be logical. You will be his wife.” He met my eyes again. “Gabriel trusts me with his life. Which means I have to be sure about who I allow to get close.”
“I don’t let anyone get close to my family either, Nico. And I’m not planning on stabbing Gabriel on our wedding night if that’s your worry,” I used my most reassuring tone, tasting the words, trying to see if they sounded true.
Waiting for him to laugh and tell me I was being ridiculous.
Darkness flickered in his gaze, sharper than a blade.
“Gabriel trusts me with everything in his life that is important,” he proclaimed, drawing out the words.
“You are now included in that everything, principessa. He wants you safe, but my guess is, he wants you to be happy as well. Happy wife, much less strife, or something like that.”
“That’s not even close,” I rolled my eyes. “Besides, happiness is impossible, given I’ll be in a cage.” I slanted him a look, trying to ignore how close he was. How completely overwhelming he was. “Though you do make the bars prettier.”
“Saints, you’re wasted here,” he teased.
It was pathetic how quickly that dangerous smile sent my heart thumping.
“Tell that to my uncle,” I said sharply. “Or Don Marcello. Perhaps, if you’re lucky, he’ll arrange a marriage for you, too.”
“I prefer to arrange my own disasters.” His grin finally came back, cocky, infuriating as he prowled toward the entryway. “Speaking of which, my time is up. I should go before your brother returns. But we’re not finished.”
My fingers twitched toward the knife at my wrist as I followed him. “I was under the impression this was a permanent intrusion into my privacy. Could I be so lucky as to have you deliver your warning, terrify the bride, and vanish back into the night?”
“Oh, Emberline.” He uttered my name like he was tasting every letter, rolling it around on his tongue. “I haven’t even started terrifying you yet.”
I asked the question, curious, despite myself. “Should I be afraid?”
“Most definitely,” he said cheerfully. “But not of me.”
“Then of what?”
He reached for me, and I reared back, but he only chuckled and plucked at my hair.
“Of how much you’re going to enjoy this.
” He chuckled. “You only think you’re about to be trapped, but in reality, you’re about to be released from your gilded cage.
You’ll finally get to use all those lovely knives on something other than straw dummies. ”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I told him archly.
He grasped my hand and dropped a broken piece of straw into my palm, heat flaring in my cheeks at his knowing smile.
“Well… fine. But I will not enjoy any of this. Not one bit,” I crossed my arms over my chest, clutching that little piece of straw.
He arched a brow. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“Well, you’re a terrible guest, and you should leave,” I shot back.
“Like I said, you’ll get used to me.” He pulled the door open. The night air slid in, damp and cold, smelling of lagoon fog. “I’ll be around. In the shadows. At your wedding, always watching.”
“Thank the gods that’s not creepy at all,” I muttered dryly.
He smirked. “Try not to stab me before I finish my job, Em.”
“Only my brother’s allowed to call me that. And honestly, you should probably watch your back,” I snapped.
Nico laughed, genuine and bright, before he stepped out into the alley. As though he willed them into place, the wards shivered as he crossed them, flaring for an instant, then settling again—sealing me in.
I stood there, staring at the little piece of straw in my hand, heart beating too fast, skin prickling. I could kill a man without a sound, negotiate a trade deal with any foreign power, set a table fit for royalty, but there was one thing I was clueless about.
Something that haunted my thoughts, and I didn’t have the slightest clue how to deal with.
I’d never been with a male.
Hadn’t even been kissed. Hard to find time for that sort of thing when you’re learning international law and the fastest way to kill an enemy combatant.
Which was probably why all I wanted to do was run back to the training room and throw knives until dawn, until I’d scraped his deep, velvety voice out of my head.
But heat had settled between my legs, like some restless itch I couldn’t scratch. These people were the enemy. I wasn’t even down the wedding aisle, and I was already failing in my quest to avenge my own father.
Instead, I smoothed my face into something placid and dull, and turned toward the corridor where Luca was storming toward me, the look on his face demanding answers I did not want to give him.
Let Nico Draconi watch me.
Tomorrow night, I would wear white, play the sweet little princess, flutter my eyelashes, and pretend.
Despite my growing doubts about Gabriel’s guilt, Marcello was still my target, and, when the time came, I would show him exactly what kind of monster he’d invited into his home.