Page 81 of The Devil's Fire

All three of them were by the window, talking in hushed voices so I wouldn’t pick up what they were saying. I tried to listen if I could just make sense of some words but failed to do so as my own thoughts were all over the place. The combination of fear and confusion left me paralyzed, unable to move or think clearly.

I shifted my gaze towards them and noticed they were already focused on me. Damiano said something to Antonio and Luca before they left us alone.

“What’s going on?” I asked. Damiano sat down next to me on the couch, and I felt his strong arms wrap around me as he pulled me onto his lap.

“How are you feeling?” He studied my face to see if I was okay, intentionally avoiding the topic.

“What’s going on?” I tried again.

“You don’t need to worry about it.” He dismissed.

“You can’t say that when I was in the middle of it.” My heart was pumping violently. Were they after Damiano? …Or was it me? The last thought had the color drained from my face.

Damiano cupped my face, his eyes narrowing on me.

“Please, tell me… I need to know.” My anxiety grew as he hesitated, his gaze moving back and forth across my face.

“We don’t know who they are. They weren't carrying anything to be identified with, which is a clue in itself.”

“What?” I knew I wouldn't be able to rest until I had an answer, even if it was one I dreaded.

“Human traffickers.” He answered. My heart stopped beating for a second and my eyes went wide in shock. “It's not unusual for them to be in such places.”

“And they were after…?” I trailed off, already knowing the answer. Yet I couldn’t get myself to finish the sentence.

“They were.” He confirmed. My eyes drifted down to his shirt, and I absentmindedly toyed with the buttons. They were kidnapping people from the amusement park. It all made me sick.

“What about their bodies in the park?” I had to swallow hard at the thought of their dead bodies left in the park.

“They are being taken care of.” Damiano spoke softly while I felt his gaze on me, but I continued to play with the buttons on his shirt.

“Okay.” I said, relieved.

Damiano’s touch was soft as he lifted my chin to meet his eyes.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe.” His eyes were full of promise. The warmth of his body enveloped me as he leaned in for a gentle kiss. “I promise you they will pay.” He whispered against my lips, and I wasn’t sure what he meant by that.

twenty-six

Althaia

I sank into the bathtub, feeling the warmth of the water and the tickle of bubbles on my skin. The water enveloped me, and I let out a contented sigh, feeling the knots in my muscles start to loosen.

I made a mental note that I would never again wear flats to an amusement park.

I felt the weight of exhaustion settling over me, lulling me toward slumber. I hadn’t slept. I couldn’t when every time I shut my eyes, I would hear sounds of gunshots in my mind, and I would wake up, startled.

In the end, I gave up and spent the night tracing the curves and lines of Damiano’s tattoos with my fingers, finding comfort in the steady rhythm of his breathing.

Damiano didn’t sleep either, but I doubt he was awake for the same reasons. He was awake, comforting me by tracing soothing circles on my back. It was so calming that under normal circumstances, I would have been asleep in seconds.

What happened played repeatedly in my mind; the way I witnessed Damiano getting ready to kill. In an instant, his pupils contracted, his eyes adopting an icy, detached demeanor. I saw him transition into an eerie trance that took less than a heartbeat to enter.

It left me wondering about Damiano’s upbringing and what could lead to such a detachment of his emotions, allowing him to kill without remorse.

My heart sank as I pictured a young Damiano with that same cold, distant expression I had seen; an innocent child with no other choice than to become a cold-blooded murderer. He was a Devil, and any person with a bit of common sense knew to stay hundreds of miles away from someone like him. Yet, I went to him for comfort and protection.

Did that make me naïve or just plain stupid? I haven’t decided yet.

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