It had been two days since I’d said a lie I couldn’t take back. I never imagined myself as the bad guy. Anteros was always the Beast, the terrible thing that went bump in the night. As I continued to live in this world, though, the lines got blurrier.
If someone betrays me, they die.
I fingered the pendant on my neck, the one I never took off, not even to sleep or shower. Before that phone call, we’d never acknowledged that we were on opposite sides of a war. When he’d asked me about the hotel, I’d had the opportunity to tell him the truth, to tear down the lines and stand in the middle together.
I’d fucking cowered.
Now I sat in the kitchen, reading the same book for the
fifteenth time, wishing he would text me. There were no cameras in the kitchen and people rarely came in. When they did, I could always hear them coming, which made it the perfect place to read and stare at the phone.
This was the only place in the entire building that felt remotely normal. The table wasn’t made of expensive wood with intricate carvings. There weren’t mirrors dripping from the ceiling to hide insidious acts. It was far enough away from the club that the music was muffled and almost quiet. It was just a simple kitchen, with a white fridge, and a circular table.
At least, until that day.
With a sigh, I set both the phone and book down and placed my head on the table, feeling the cool paint against my forehead. Lucia only had three books in the entire building: The Count of Monte Cristo, And Then There Were None, and Our Lady of The Flowers—which was the only book I’d never read, but it was in fucking French. I knew that was on purpose. Lucia wasn’t unread, she just didn’t want others to be.
There was no escape from the silence on the other end of the phone. Two days had gone by and Anteros hadn’t spoken to me. Not a text. Nothing. The phone sex we’d had was explosive, world bending. It broke down another wall inside me, flooding my brain and corrupting my body with pleasure, making me a zombie to sensation.
A normal person would think it was wrong to crave the things we said over the phone.
I didn’t want to be normal anymore, but I couldn’t feel the way I did alone. The blank inbox reminded me that just because we’d shared lust, it didn’t change shit. That was all we ever were: lust and lies. I wondered if he knew I was lying. I wondered if it was a test I’d failed.
I felt like a fool again.
I rolled my head to the side and stared out the window above the sink. All the windows were tinted so no one could see inside, but I could see out to the people who didn’t know I was here. Fluffy floral curtains adorned the frame and I wondered what the point was.
“Killing two birds with one stone,” Lucia’s voice drifted through the swinging door. Quickly grabbing And Then There Were None, I stood from the table and was at the door on the other side when I paused. I should have left, should have run anywhere else, but instead I parried into the walk-in pantry. I shut the door quietly as Lucia came into the kitchen.
“I trust there were no complications,” she continued. I could only see a sliver of her back through the crack in the door, silver hair pulled up into a loose chignon, small tendrils falling around her skull. Cream dress, stockings, and shoes—always so put together.
“He was passed out,” Nikolai’s voice carried, and I pressed my eye against the crack to try to see him. I caught a glimpse of his arm, a shiny new watch on his wrist. “It was a tediously simple job. It should put a stop to the flyers, at least.”
“The fifth prong is there for a reason.” Lucia reached out and touched something, but I couldn’t see what. “This particular family has issues understanding that. First the mother, now the son. I truly hope Gabriella does not fall prey as well.” My brow creased, trying to make sense of their conversation. It was so hot in the pantry, with no air flowing and all the leftover heat from the kitchen getting stuck. Sweat prickled my brow and my lower back.
“The seed has been planted,” Nikolai continued. “Levi has given them the false blueprints and they’re planning to head to The Catacombs.”
“When?” Lucia asked. I put my hand to my neck, wiping sweat. I didn’t know who Levi had given false blueprints to or who was planning to come here, but I could take a guess, and the guess was shredding my insides. I listened, drinking the conversation like water.
“Uncertain,” Nikolai replied. Lucia stepped back and then I got a good view of what she was touching—no, petting: Emilio Alessio De Luca’s severed head. Blood dripped on the light blue table I’d only minutes ago been resting my head on. I fell back, unable to control my gasp or movements. Images of the red flyers taped to the door, of Lucia coming undone waving one, and what Sofia had said about the fifth prong tumbled in my mind as I watched from the sweltering pantry. It was disguised as brotherhood, but what it really meant was, Though the De Lucas are the Pavonis’ greatest allies, the Pavonis and the De Lucas can never intermarry for there can be no question about who is the rightful heir. For a brief moment there had been doubt, but Lucia had quickly snuffed it out.
I immediately covered my mouth, but it was too late. I tripped into the wall behind me and boxes of food fell to the floor. I froze as both Nikolai and Lucia turned their heads to the pantry. Lucia whispered something I couldn’t hear and then I heard footsteps, the swish of the door.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears as the footfalls got steadily closer to the pantry. Just outside the door, they stopped. The heat was unbearable as I waited for what was to come next. A small bead of sweat dripped down my forehead, but I was too afraid to wipe it away. After waiting an agonizingly long time, Lucia quickly tore open the door. Her eyes traveled the length of me, stopping at the book in my hand.
“Getting a snack?” she asked lightly.
“Something like that,” I responded. The phone was in my back pocket, and if I turned even a little she would see the bulge.
“Why don’t we have one together?” She held out her hand and I had no choice but to take it. Together we walked through the club and up the grand staircase. Fear and adrenaline made everything a blur until we got to the top floor—her floor.
It was my first time in her room and it wasn’t what I expected. It was still huge, but it wasn’t all Palace of Versailles as Lucio’s place had been. It wasn’t even as ornate as mine. The room was decidedly Spartan, with only the bare necessities.
Cookies and milk—fucking cookies and milk—were on a small table. She motioned for me to sit. Stalling for time, I placed my fingers along the wall, feeling the regal textured wallpaper pucker. A gentle, warm breeze from the heater hit my cheeks.
As I took a seat, she said, “You’ve been wanting to know about your family.” I eyed the cookies and milk, wondering if they were poisoned. Lucia sighed and picked up a cookie. It was very thin, crispy. It smelled good, though, like nutmeg. My stomach growled and I realized I hadn’t had a decent meal since before I’d visited Anteros. Her eyebrows fell into a V at the noise and she motioned to the plate. Reluctantly, I picked one up, but I just put it in my lap.
“When I was very young,” Lucia begun, “I had a child. I never wanted the risk this life brings for my family. My father, the late Lucio Senior, honored my wishes with your mother. Your mother, Isabella, was raised without any knowledge of the Family. Then she had you and things got…sticky.” I frowned, my mother was Valeria, but I didn’t correct her. I had a feeling the mistake was important.