Page 156 of Devoted

She sat up straighter, her eyes brightening with something other than tears. “My father doesn’t like it when things don’t go to plan. It ruins his entire day.”

I gave her a savage grin.

“Well, then, what do you say we completely fuck up the rest of his very short life?”

CHAPTER 59

EMBERLINE

Ifound Gabriel and Dante in the dining room, seated at the long table across from Emilia. Dante was bent over a bowl of soup, ripples of heat still rising from his shoulders, shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth with the single-minded focus of a starving male, Gabriel and Emilia watching him intently like they’d watch a sporting event.

They’d both seen healers; that much was apparent by the pink, healing scars, and Dante had some sort of… black blanket wound around his waist. A monk’s robe, I realized.

“How is the Demente girl?” Emilia leaned in with her hands folded, a slight frown creasing her lips. “Is she any better?”

“She’ll be better after some time passes, but she lost everyone today.” I dropped into the empty chair beside Gabriel. He handed me his glass without me asking, and I drank the rest of his wine, rich and sweet. By the time I set the glass down, heaviness was settling into my bones, dulling some of last night’s horrors, which was exactly what I needed.

“Good,” Emilia said with a secret smile. “Always so very clever, that one.”

“That’s what I told her.”

A priest set food in front of me—bread, soft cheese, olives, sliced meat—and I started eating with the same single-mindedness as my husband before reminding myself I’d get sick if I didn’t slow down.

“I’ve given Emilia a full account.” Gabriel nodded his thanks as they cleared the plates in front of him, taking Dante’s bowl away as he was scraping the bottom. “So, she’s caught up on Blackwood and Giovanni.” He paused, looking at me. “We told her about Luca.”

My shoulder sagged, well aware Luca’s fate rested firmly on my refusal to let Severin take him to the fortress. I’d been so concerned about being separated from my brother, I’d never stopped to look at the bigger picture. If I had, I might have made the connection between his odd behavior and Blackwood sooner.

Emilia studied Gabriel for a long moment. “You are sure there were no survivors?”

“None that we saw. We were the only ones loaded onto the boat, and there was nothing but bodies left behind. The Drax killed everything in their path.”

“My priests are on their way there as we speak. They will make sure every victim receives a proper cremation. Pyres will be built, and we will stay until the last fire goes out.”

Gabriel leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “Thank you. That’s… generous, Emilia.”

“It is the purpose of our Order to see to the rituals of our people.” Fury sparked in her expression. “I am quite sure Giovanni would have preferred to leave the bodies to rot where they lay. An abomination to our species and to our beliefs, that one.”

“I’ll tell Valeria first thing tomorrow,” I murmured. “She tried so hard to save them. It will mean a lot for her to know they were sent off properly to the Underworld.”

“Speaking of an abomination to our species, where are Paolo and Vincenzo?” Dante interrupted, and I kicked him under the table. Gods, we’d just gotten here, and already he was stirring the pot.

“Never one to beat around the bush, are you?” She reached for her wine, and I didn’t blame her one bit. I was ready to chug the entire bottle and fall face-first into the nearest bed. “My betrayers remain in their cells, where they will stay until I decide otherwise.”

“Good.” Dante plucked a piece of salami off my plate. “Because if we’re going to come up with a plan of attack, there can’t be any chance of information leaking out.”

I dug my fingers into my husband’s knee, hard enough he grunted. “What my husband means is…”

“Oh, I know perfectly well what he means. Their cells are soundproofed. They cannot hear a word we say, and my former heirs,”—her lips twisted—“can shout until dawn, and it will make no difference to anyone.” She said it with such calm practicality, even Dante seemed satisfied. “You have my word on that.”

Gabriel nodded somberly. He looked even more exhausted than any of us—circles under his eyes, the freshly-healed gash on his forehead, lines bracketing his mouth—but tonight’s failure would weigh heavy on his conscience.

“Thank you, Emilia. We’re all just a little,”—he glared at his brother—“on edge right now.”

“They are all aware the boat did not arrive on time. They’re searching for you, even now.” She smiled, her fangs gleaming. “Giovanni, I am told, is beside himself. Blackwood is… displeased that he failed to secure your transport to Venice. I expect your uncle has some explaining to do.”

I was dying to ask Emilia how she knew so much, so fast, when I remembered.

The spy in Blackwood’s operation.