Chapter 47
EMBERLINE
The three of us landed on a flat rooftop blocks away from the safehouse, wisps of steam rising from Dante’s naked torso, me covered in Gabriel’s blood, all of us ready to drop from exhaustion.
“Make sure the safehouse is clear,” Gabriel gritted out. “My guess is, it’s crawling with soldiers by now.” Dante nodded, then was gone, and I let him go without a word. I was worried about him. No, I was fucking terrified for him, but falling apart right now did us no good.
“You need a healer.” I looked Gabriel over, though it was hard to see where the blood was coming from since he’d taken so much damage.
“I’ll hold for a bit longer. Just… let me lie down, will you?”
I carefully lowered Gabriel to the roof. He winced, favoring one side, arm locked around his blood-soaked shirt.
“Chances are, Giovanni knows about the safehouse and has been waiting for us to reveal ourselves. I’m sorry, Ember.” His face softened. “That leaves you with the clothes on your back once again.”
“I still have my boots.” I smiled, trying to look on the bright side. “And my favorite knife.”
“You deserve a palace, bella.” The anguished expression on his face had me glancing away. “You deserve so much more than this.”
“I deserve to pay my uncle back for all the pain he’s caused me and everyone else,” I countered loftily. “And what about you, Gabriel? It’s not like you haven’t suffered, too.”
“Well,”—he rubbed his thumb over my cheek, like he was cleaning something off—“it’s been my pleasure to suffer with you, bella. A privilege, even.”
“Stop acting all sentimental, or you’ll ruin your tough reputation,” I teased, looking in the direction of the safehouse, breath stalling in my lungs. “Giovanni wasn’t surprised to see me. He had that snarky little comeback all ready to go.”
“No, he wasn’t,” Gabriel agreed, wincing as he tried to get comfortable. “From his lack of reaction, I’d say he’s known for a while you’re alive.” He coughed, a wet rasping sound that… didn’t sound at all good.
I dragged my eyes off the city and focused on Gabriel’s white face, clammy forehead, and bright, feverish eyes. I dropped to my knees, ripped open his coat, and the smell of fresh blood about knocked me out.
“Gods, Gabriel,” I hissed through clenched teeth, ripping open his soaked shirt to reveal an abdominal wound so deep, I could see his insides. Four deep gouges, perfectly spaced. “Could you be any more stubborn? When the fuck did this happen?”
“Thank you, Gabriel, for saving me from that Ashbound. Taking that blow was a noble thing to do. You’re practically a hero.” His blue eyes were an alarming shade of gray, his lips bloodless.
“Thank you, Gabriel, for saving me, and how the fuck could you be so godsdamned stupid?” I scolded. “You could have bled to death when we dematerialized. Did you ever think of that?”
“Dematerializing was no picnic,” he agreed, color slipping from his face at an alarming rate. “But staying on that island wasn’t high on my list of priorities, bella.”
“You’ll probably get a staph infection from the lagoon water and die a slow, hideous death,” I muttered beneath my breath, pressing my hand to the wound. But the gash was too big, my hands were too small.
And I didn’t have magic.
“And that’s if you don’t bleed out in the next five minutes. Godsdamn it.” I scanned the rooftops for Dante. For Nico. For anyone with magic who could help me.
“You are not dying on me, stronzo,” I gritted out, pressing harder, blood bubbling up between my fingers, panic blotting out everything else except my fear. “Gabriel, please, you have to hang on. Please.”
“Not… exactly… the way I figured I’d… buy it.” His dulled eyes slipped shut, head lolling to the side. I rolled him gently onto his back, blood pumping out of the wound now, black beneath the moon.
Black as fucking ink.
“Fuck. I can’t stop the bleeding, Gabriel.” I couldn’t catch my breath, nothing I could do would save him, and he would die just like my father… and… no.
I would not sit here helplessly and let Gabriel slip away.
I couldn’t lose this male; it would devastate me. The truth landed inside my chest like a string plucked across my heart. A note that landed exactly right. I couldn’t lose him because I didn’t just like Gabriel.
This was more. Something deeper. Something lasting.
I ground my teeth together, searching the empty rooftops for aid that wasn’t going to arrive. I wasn’t helpless. I would save him.
“Open your eyes.” The voice that came out of my mouth wasn’t mine. It was harsh and cold and commanding. Gabriel’s beautiful, long-lashed eyes flickered open, irises hazed over with pain and impending death.
“You are going to live, do you hear me? We’re in the middle of a war, and you’re not getting out of this so easy.”
I sank my fangs into my wrist and shoved the bleeding bite into his mouth, not giving him a choice.
He fought me, shoving at my arm, making little sounds of distress that became something else entirely when he latched on, eyes falling closed as he began to feed, his tongue brushing frantically over the bite and his lips…
Gods, the feel of his lips on my skin was sublime, the steady pressure of his fingers digging into my arm, those delicious, greedy groans humming around the punctures, every vibration reaching deep into me and igniting a fire between my thighs.
I got lost in every slow, sensual pull, as though Gabriel was savoring every drop. After a few mouthfuls, his eyes opened and found mine, something intimate passing between us. I brushed his wet hair off his forehead, forcing myself to smile.
“There. Was that so hard? You could have said something sooner, sciocchino. Stubbornness is no reason to die.”
Dante chose that moment to reappear, took one look at the two of us, and fire exploded all over his body. Unfortunately, this also turned us into a fucking spotlight for anyone who might be searching for us, which was the whole fucking city.
“Fluck mbe…” Gabriel mumbled around my wrist, frantically licking the punctures closed, his wide gaze locked on his brother, silent and murderous and glowing brighter than a beacon.
Seriously, where was Nico when you needed him?
“Just… stop right there.” I held out my hand, heat blazing against my palm. “He was badly hurt and bleeding out. I figured you might want him to survive, given he’s your brother. Try to rein in your murderous inclinations until we get off this roof.”
Some of the flames subsided, Dante seemingly considering my advice.
“The safehouse?” Gabriel asked, clearly taking his life into his own hands, given the growl rumbling deep in Dante’s chest.
Then he slowly shook his head. “Soldiers. Lots of Draconi soldiers,” he intoned in that not-of-this-world voice that made me want to throw up.
“Okay, so the safehouse is out of the question. Where else can we go?” I’d already run through the possibilities—twice—and failed to come up with anything feasible. I’d spent my entire life in this city and was appalled my list of allies was so short.
“Castello Dominico. We go to our island, and we hole up there. Nico and I already agreed it would be our secondary location if anything went wrong tonight. I’ve vetted the remaining staff, and it’s the most secure location in Venice. We hole up there, and we wait.”
“For Nico?”
“For your uncle to make the next move. He needs that Basin back. We’ve run out of time, bella,”—Dante’s feral growl grew louder—“to prove your uncle’s crimes to the council like civilized people. And now that Blackwood’s involved…”
“Yeah, we’re fucked.”
I turned to my husband, in all his blazing glory. “Can you… I don’t know, put the fire out? Everyone in the city can see us, Dante.”
I winced as Gabriel climbed to his feet, but I didn’t dare help, given the fact that Dante was on the verge of imploding. “We have to get out of here. Can you dematerialize without tearing the wound open?”
“Hard to say, but since there’s a castle full of healers where we’re going, you won’t have to save my ass again. Thank you for that, by the way.” His gaze dropped to my savaged wrist.
“Any time,” I said breezily, trying to ignore the tightening in my stomach when I thought about his lips on my skin.
“Husband…” I tipped my head, peering through the flames to gauge his expression. “Can you get yourself to the island? I don’t think I can touch you, not without getting burned.”
Dante dipped his head, as if words were beyond him.
“Then we’re out of here.” Shouts echoed through the street, and I leaned over the edge, just as a patrol of Draconi soldiers raced around the corner below.
We landed on Isola dei Lupi a few minutes later, and I shivered, remembering the last time I’d been here.
I’d arrived with murder in my heart and left as Dante’s wife, and honestly, I didn’t regret it a bit.
I glanced in my husband’s direction, but it was impossible to tell if he remembered that night. Or anything at all.
I waved Gabriel ahead. “You go on, we’ll catch up.”
“I’m not leaving you alone with him.” He glared at his brother. “We don’t even know what this is, Emberline. We don’t know…”
I squared my shoulders. “He’s my husband, Gabriel, and he’s your brother, that’s who he is. He just…” I glanced at Dante over my shoulder, praying I was right. “He just needs us to remind him, that’s all. Now go. Get yourself looked at.”
As soon as Gabriel limped out of sight, I turned to my husband, flames flickering around him like a dark aura.
“Okay, we need to figure this out, Dante. I don’t understand what’s going on, and you’re in no shape to explain, so I’ll do the talking.” I hardly knew where to start. Could barely speak around the terror boiling inside me, trying to stay sane when I felt like I was losing my mind.
“You recognized those creatures… those Ashbound… Legati alla Cenere things. I know two of them were guards from the Fossa. And I’ve heard of fire demons before.
Father used to tell me stories of shapeshifting desert spirits made of flame and smoke.
I think he liked to scare me, but maybe he was trying to prepare me. ”
Still, he said nothing, just stood there… burning.
“Something happened at the prison. The Overseer did something to you… to a lot of people, and I’m glad he’s dead. I’m glad you killed him because he deserved to die for this alone.” I risked a step forward, heat washing over my face.
I wanted to touch him, but I wasn’t sure I’d survive.
“Whatever this is, whatever is going on, I want you to know you are not alone. We are married, and while our marriage didn’t start out real, it’s real now. Side by side, remember? You and me against the world?”
His hands twitched, and some of the flames subsided. I sucked in a shaking breath and plowed on ahead.
“You were alone then, but you are not alone now. I am here. I love you, Dante. When this is over, you and I will grow old and fat together, and we will make a million memories, and nothing will stop that from happening. Not even you turning into a fire demon. Now get your shit together, and let’s go inside. I’m wet, cold, and starving.”