Chapter 47 Lev
LEV
Zeno parks in front of his villa and leads the way across the grassy yard towards the front doors, a man leaning beside them, a large Doberman by his feet.
The dog runs straight for Serafina. Her peel of laughter gets swallowed up by the vast, open land stretched around us, more open than I’m comfortable with.
The dog goes through the entire group, lingering around Zeno and Vanessa for the longest before retreating to Serafina’s side.
As we near the house, the man—Nero—pushes off the wall to embrace Serafina.
Unlike the first time I saw them hug, this time, there’s no inappropriate jealousy, only appreciation for the man who’s a second brother to her.
He’s someone else who’ll protect her, not one who’s trying to steal her from me.
He murmurs something in Italian, and she replies the same with a downturned smile before showing him the ring box. He takes it, pinching it open with a whistle. “That won’t suit you at all.”
Glad we agree on something. It’s gaudy and huge, and I’m seconds away from tossing it into the Olympic-sized pool beside us. Instead, I stuff my hands in my pockets.
Today, I’ve wanted to kill something exactly fifty-six times—primarily Vitale—but number fifty-seven hits at the sight of that ring. Too large, too flashy. Serafina might deserve the best, but not from Vitale.
I want to kill that fucker then resurrect him and do it all over for taking what’s mine.
Not yours. Never yours.
But also, not his.
The way he fucking knew too, when he left the restaurant after his few minutes inside with Vanessa and Serafina. The smirk he threw my way as he headed for his vehicle had me itching to punch him. I was waiting for him to say something, to give me reason—at least in Zeno’s eyes—to go after him.
There’s a month until their supposed union, and it’ll be thirty days too long. That’s eight hundred and eighty hours, or one thousand, four hundred, and forty-four minutes.
That’s one minute too long. Every second will be pure fucking agony.
Nero greets Vanessa next and then shakes my hand before centring on my sister. Like most men, he gets all bug-eyed and annoying before his goofy grin consumes his expression—and his sense of worth. Ana will eat this guy for breakfast and have his remains buried by lunch.
“Long time no see.” He juts his hand, which, after a few minutes’ hesitation, she takes.
“I’m sorry. I don’t remember you.”
He blinks, but when someone else might brush her dismissal aside, he merely falls into step next to her. “Then I’ll have to make you remember.”
Serafina takes my sister’s place beside me, close enough that her hands brush against mine, but it’s more of an accidental touch than anything else before entering the villa.
Vanessa and Zeno head in too, leaving me to go last, dreading the length of time we’ll be here.
It’s…chaotic.
Between everyone cursing Alessio, Nero trying to blatantly flirt with my sister, Vanessa and Zeno so obviously wanting to sneak away, and Serafina looking physically in pain, the evening passes at a horrible pace that has my head about to explode. Literally.
Zeno points out places we can all crash. There are a handful of spare rooms, so Anastasia and I each take one. Nero and Serafina already have their own rooms, and Vanessa joins Zeno in his.
At some point, Serafina disappears and heads upstairs, presumably to hide. I envy her. Few people seemed to notice, but I certainly did. The moment she stood from the couch, her absence was felt. Her energy was gone, taking my own with her.
Nero hovers after everyone goes to bed. “Top cupboard, right side of the kitchen, is where all the best liquor is stored. You look like you could use a drink.” He slaps my shoulder before taking the stairs two at a time.
It’s not alcohol I need. It’s silence.
Seeking it, I pace through the kitchen towards the back entrance, to the patio Zeno pointed out earlier on his quick tour. It’s still summertime warm, though cooler now that the sun has fallen.
There’s a refreshing sense to the air that’s the opposite of what’s happening inside me. With a sigh, I settle onto the patio furniture, kicking one leg over the other and letting my head fall back.
Splash.
The only logical place the sound comes from is the massive pool to the side of the house, a bit of a distance away. Interior lights make the water appear a deeper blue, highlighting the distinct figure slicing through the water.
I stand and head her direction, watching Serafina beneath the water before coming up for air in front of my feet. I cough, announcing my arrival, smirking as her hair flips over her shoulder with her quick gasp.
“You scared me. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be inside?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Water dances along her collarbone, reminding me of showering with her the other night. “Not safe to be out here alone.”
She rolls her eyes. “First off, this pool is my safe place. Two, who am I not safe from? The monster already claimed me today.”
“You could drown. No one knew you were out here.”
Another eye roll. “No one knowing was the point. I snuck out of the side entrance for alone time. This pool is and always has been the best part of visiting.”
“I get that.” I indicate toward the patio, where I escaped to for some alone time. “Everyone went to bed, so I’ll leave you be.” The urge to remain close consumes me, but if there’s anyone who can understand needing a break, it’s me.
“Don’t.” She splashes a few inches nearer. “Stay. Please. You’re the exception. You’re always the exception.”
That feeling, I too understand. I settle beside the pool, pulling my legs up to avoid getting wet. Just in case, I remove my gun and set it behind me on the grass. Wet weapons aren’t effective.
She folds her hands over one another on the edge of the pool and rests her chin on them, peering up at me with eyes a deep blue, lit only by the pool’s interior lighting. Water decorates her lashes. Four of them. Three on one eyelid, one on the other.
“You can come in.”
“And soak my clothing? I’m good.”
“Get undressed.”
“That’ll go over well with your siblings.”
She flicks water at me, a couple drops landing on my pants, creating darker spots. “Spoil sport.”
“Keep swimming. I’ll stay here.”
She releases the side of the pool and kicks backwards, reclining until her face is craned up at the sky, revealing her black bikini.
The top forms triangles linked with a silver chain between the breasts and tied behind her neck.
The bottom’s also linked with thin strings I long to tug open, maybe with my teeth.
She kicks in a small circle, limiting herself to the immediate area, her gaze locked on the stars above. Without a tree line like the Bratva mansion, the blanket of stars is vibrant.
Her gentle voice carries over the pool. “You’ve been quiet.”
“Aren’t I always?” I drag my gaze from the sky back to her, almost unwillingly, because the sky doesn’t entice my anger like she does—for no reason in her control.
“It’s different today.” She spins in the water until she’s on her chest again, the waves carrying her my way.
“What do you want me to say?”
“What you feel. You think I’ve made a mistake.”
“Of course you did.” It comes out harsher than I meant it to.
“I didn’t.” She swims back to my side, parking herself in front of me and resting her hand on the poolside, inches from my leg. “You’re still pissed. That’s why you’ve barely talked to me in days.”
I lower my head, though no one’s out here to overhear.
“I couldn’t talk without yelling at you, without wanting to fuckin’ strangle you.
And now…you’re engaged.” My tone breaks at the end, revealing a deeper emotion.
One my entire body itches to admit, but I can’t.
Ever. “In a month, you’ll be walking down the aisle to him. ”
I’m leaning closer, lulled by her siren abilities—abilities that called upon my wonder from day one. Moonlight sparkles over her skin, the drops gleaming like stars. They trail the length of her neck, her chest, and I long to dry each one with my tongue.
“It’ll be fine.”
“Fina, he could hurt you.”
She hoists herself onto the edge, balancing on her hands, her hip resting against the cement. She’s close enough, I’m compelled to check the house, ensuring no one’s observing.
“I’ll stop him before it gets to that. You have to have faith in me. Your boss is a woman. Your sister does as much as you do. You don’t worry about them every day, so what makes me any different?”
“I don’t worry about their safety because I don’t care about them the same way I do you.”
Everything goes silent. My heart, her breath, the gentle waves, the luring nighttime air; it all dies with my admittance. We’re staring at one another, each waiting for the other to break. To speak. To react.
I’m fucking terrified about what she’ll say, so I force words first, in between paced breaths, each one feeling like more of my lungs will remain behind.
“They can handle themselves. They know what they’re doing, while you don’t.
If anything were to happen to you…” I duck my head, inching precariously close to her, given our location. “I won’t lose you to him. I won’t.”
She tips her head until her lips gently brush against mine. Her eyes flutter shut, water drops transferring from her lashes to her cheeks. “So train me,” she whispers against my lips. “Help me. Ensure I’ll be able to fight.”
That’d be the simple answer, but we’d be starting at ground zero to get her prepared in a short time.
“A month. They trained for years to get where they are. A month isn’t enough time.”
She pulls back a few inches, enough that her eyes open and scan over mine, as though seeking something. I hope she never finds it. Already, she’s unpeeled too much. There’s genuinely nothing more to give her that won’t destroy me in the process.
She breaks me regardless, though not with a look. “I care about you too, Lev. Which is why I need Vitale to go away. A month, and then it’ll be over.”
A month is too soon.
A month is too long.
A month is thirty fucking days of me counting the damn minutes until the ceremony. The day I’m forced to watch him claim her in ways he doesn’t deserve, when my restraint will be ultimately tested.
“Kiss me.”
I glance over her shoulder, noting all the upper lights in the villa are off.
“They can’t see us out here. Zeno would have to press himself into the glass to see the pool, and even then, this end is out of view. The other rooms face the back.” Another brush of her lips. “Tell me you’re not mad, Lev. I don’t want your anger.”
“But you have it.” Before I can stop myself, I grasp the sides of her face, angling her, taking a fraction of my control back. “I’m furious you’re doing this.”
“It’ll be fine,” she repeats. “We don’t have to talk about it until the day of. Actually, I’d prefer if everyone stopped talking about him.”
As if it’ll be that easy, but it’s a deal I happily make. I peek at her hands, more notably the left one with her ringless fourth finger. It better stay that way for a long damn time.
“None of this is fine, Fina. I hate I never found anything on Amara, and look who she turned out to be linked to. If only I searched harder, but I’ve been so distracted…” By her. I’m compromised—a shit guard, not fit to monitor her the way she needs.
She pulls back to grasp my face, thumbs pressing firmly into my cheekbones. “You are not to blame. Even if you figured it out, the damage was done. But please, I don’t want to talk about any of this—her included.”
Serafina kisses me, her hands raising herself higher. I grasp her hips and lift her from the pool, no longer caring about the consequences of our actions, just needing to feel her after today.
I pull her onto my lap, the water transferring from her to me. There’s no decent explanation to give the others for my soaked clothing, but, lost in Serafina, those concerns seem so minor.
Her arms drape over my shoulders as she presses down onto my lap, a low noise coming from the back of her throat. I part her mouth with a trace of my tongue, and she opens for me, her head tipping back.
Her hands rove over my shoulders, down my arms, towards my waistband. I’m about to tell her no, that I won’t fuck her out here in the open, but then she taps where my phone is.
“Take that out. I don’t want it to get wet.”
I toss it beside my gun and kiss her again. She repositions her feet, and I loosen my hold so she can move how she needs to. Gripping my shirt, she maintains her balance before abruptly leaning back, pulling me into the pool with her.