Page 63 of The Carnage We Keep

“When you move out of Morvaine, you cool if I take over your room? This roof access is…” He kisses his fingers and releases the kiss into the air. “Al bacio.”

I roll my eyes. “It certainly is. Which is why I plan on keeping it.”

Vincenzo clucks his tongue against his teeth. “Uh-uh, buddy. Off to the cottages for you.”

Or not.

Knightsblood, as a school filled with mafia heirs, is hardly unaccustomed to students getting married young for Reasons. To this end, they’ve set aside a few small cottages near the faculty housing which are reserved for married couples who are still enrolled but want to live together instead of in separate dorms.

Bella and I, however, are the furthest fucking thing from a “couple”.

“You really believe I would ever in a million years choose to live with that little psycho?” I say calmly.

My brother grins as he takes a drag of his smoke. “C’mon. She can’t be that bad.”

“Trust me, she is.”

He sighs. “Well, from her perspective, she’s going to be married to you. How long do you think it’ll be before she figures out what you do in your free time⁠—”

“She knows.”

The roof goes quiet.

Cenzo stares at me, his smoke temporarily forgotten.

“She…” He frowns. “Wait, like knows-knows?”

Mom and Dad have obviously known what I am and what I do since always. My brother doesn’t know every detail, but we’re close enough in age that there was never much hiding the broad strokes.

My little sister Sofia doesn’t know, because there’s really no need. The same goes for my aunts, uncles, and cousins. When your kid happens to be a serial killer, it’s generally not something you put in the family Christmas newsletter.

Apparently, the Drakoses operate the same way.

At the big sit-down the other night, everyone got the sanitized, Cliff's Notes version: Bella and I had been involved in an “incident” at Carl Bigsby’s that ended with Gaz Kodra dead and his father out for blood.

Hades also made sure to mention that Gaz was a pedo piece of shit, in case anyone was struggling with his dramatic, fiery transformation into sidewalk goo.

Then, the room cleared out until it was just Mom, Dad and me with Hades and Elsa, Bella, and Bella's uncle Ares.

That was when all the cards hit the table.

It turns out Ares already knew exactly what his niece gets up to in her spare time, despite Hades never having told him.

Bella’s face when he casually mentioned that was fucking priceless.

But Ares also knows who she hunts, so he doesn’t really have a problem with it. And, like Hades and Elsa, he’s always kept her secret because it isn’t his to tell.

Which was reassuring, considering the same courtesy now extends to me.

“Like, knows exactly what you do?”

Eh, fuck it.

“We…uh…have some mutual hobbies.”

His brow furrows as he takes a puff of the joint. Then I see it click in his eyes.

“Wait,” he blurts. “Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait.” His mouth curls into a grin. “Seriously? Murder Muppet is⁠—”