Page 71 of The Devil's Fire

“Have you not had enough?”

I grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to me as I leaned down to meet her face.

“No. I crave you endlessly.” My voice lowered, and her breath caught in her throat at our closeness. Her bright green eyes gazed at me with an innocence that only made me hold her tighter. It ignited an uncontrollable urge to let loose.

“Should we get some food now?” Althaia asked, taking a step away with a shy smile. It was probably for the best. If she hadn’t, I would have thrown her on the bed, and there was no guarantee I would go easy on her.

“Anything you want, piccola.”

twenty-three

Althaia

“So, why are we going to an auction?” I asked and sipped my latte. We found a cute, small restaurant, having a croissant sandwich for breakfast.

“Why do you think people go to auctions?” Damiano was entertained by my question, and I rolled my eyes at his response.

“I know why people go to auctions. I’m just curious why we are going.” I elaborated. Damiano looked at me with a slight tilt of his head with a playful gleam in his eyes.

“See it as a get-together.”

“Like with normal people, or…” I looked around to make sure no one could hear me. “With a bunch of Mafia people?” I whispered in complete seriousness. I watched Damiano sip his coffee, but it looked more like he was trying to hide a laugh.

“Businessmen. Let’s say auctions are a way to show off your power and wealth.” He explained.

“So, Mafia people.” I corrected with a teasing smile. He shrugged but didn’t deny it. “And why do you do that?”

“To make a statement that you have the power and all the means in the world to… get rid of anyone that dares to stand in the way.” Damiano explained. “It’s also another way of forming alliances between families and starting businesses. You would only want to have the most powerful and rich by your side.”

“Really?” I said, intrigued, and he confirmed with a nod.

It made my heart beat just a little faster as I was reminded of what type of person Damiano really was. Yet, I wasn’t scared of him. It was a dangerous world I had stepped into, but my fascination was sparked by the intrigue of what could unfold.

“But, uh… should I be worried about going with you?” I asked. One thing was to be around Damiano and his men, but a room filled with skilled killers who couldn’t care less about me was a bit worrying.

Damiano gave me a serious stare, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table.

“They have a death wish if they dare to touch you.” An involuntary shiver ran down my spine at the look on his face. His golden-brown eyes turned darker, and his voice was cold like ice. “You’ll be safe.” Damiano reassured me, and I believed him. He had already saved me once.

“Okay.” I gave a small smile. “So, you’ll have to, I don’t know, carry weapons to such an event?” I asked. He leaned back in his chair, and the playful gleam in his eyes returned.

“You would be naïve if you didn’t. I always carry at least one weapon anywhere I go.”

“Even now?” I gasped in a whisper as my eyes went wide.

“Even now.” He smirked.

“Where do you have it?” My eyes trailed down his body to see if I could spot anything.

“Why? Are you planning something?” Damiano cocked a brow, but the look he was giving me didn’t help me figure out if he was serious or not.

“Of course! Oh, you didn’t know that I have years of experience and I plan on taking you all down? I’m the next Queen, so be aware.” I dramatically flipped my hair back and tilted my chin upward, exuding a confident flair.

Damiano looked at me to where he was actually smiling a bit. I wished he would smile more because that alone had my heart skip a beat.

“Who knows? You could be hiding your true identity while pretending you have no idea what’s going on. Pretending to be innocent, but you’re actually undercover.”

“Oh, really?” I laughed. “That would have been badass! Sadly, I’m not that interesting, nor am I skilled in doing any of that. The only skill I have involves a pen and paper.” I sighed. I was boring compared to him.

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