Page 63 of Kiss of Blood and Sin

Dimitri’s trademark smirk returned, but his eyes remained soft as they gazed into mine. “No one makes me do anything I don’t want to do,” he declared, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Not even a villain with a penchant for dramatic declarations. I claimed you, Gianna. You belong to me, and making it official?” He paused for effect, his smirk widening. “Well, let’s just say it warms my heart. And hey, who doesn’t love a good vampire wedding, right? I hear they’re all the rage this season.”

Suddenly, Dimitri’s eyes glinted with mischief. My heart skipped a beat as he dramatically dropped to one knee, the movement so fluid it seemed almost choreographed. Theroom fell silent, the tension as edgy as a deer stepping out into a meadow.

“Gianna Santi,” he proclaimed, his voice carrying that signature blend of sarcasm and sincerity that only Dimitri could manage, “will you marry me?” He winked, a roguish grin spreading across his face. “I promise I’ll get you a ring, the biggest one in New Orleans. We’re talking need-sunglasses-to-look-at-it big.”

My breath caught in my throat. A whirlwind of emotions swept through me—joy, confusion, and a touch of suspicion. Was this genuine, or just another performance for Angelo and Enzo’s benefit? My eyes darted between Dimitri’s earnest face and my brother’s stoic expression.

Elena chose that moment to bustle into the room, her gasp of surprise cutting through the tension. “Mon Dieu!” she exclaimed, her hands flying to her cheeks in delight.

I felt all eyes on me, waiting. The weight of expectation pressed down on my shoulders. But as I looked into Dimitri’s eyes, I saw something beyond the usual mischief—a flicker of vulnerability, of hope.

“Yes,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. Then, finding my strength, I spoke louder. “I’ll marry you.”

As Dimitri rose to his feet, I turned to face Angelo. My gaze locked with his, intensity radiating from every fiber of my being. “That way,” I said, my voice steady and determined, “no one will rip us apart.”

The words hung in the air, a challenge and a promise. I felt Dimitri’s arm slide around my waist, his touch bothpossessive and supportive. My body instinctively leaned into him, drawing strength from his presence.

Dimitri, never one to let a moment pass without commentary, grinned at Angelo. “Well, brother-in-law,” he drawled, “looks like you’re stuck with me. Don’t worry, I promise to be the most entertaining chauffeur-slash-husband this family’s ever seen. Now, who’s up for a celebratory drink?”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Dimitri

Well, isn’t this just the cherry on top of our dysfunction sundae? Forced marriage. How quaint. And here I thought shotgun weddings went out of style with bell-bottoms.

I paced our bedroom, bourbon in hand, trying to wrap my head around Angelo’s latest power play. Marry Gianna or else. As if I needed more reasons to loathe my future brother-in-law.

My eyes flicked to Gianna. God, she was beautiful, even with worry etched across her face. Any other day, I’d jump at the chance to call her mine forever. But this? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Gianna’s voice broke through my internal rant, soft and tinged with sadness. “Dimitri, I… I’m so sorry. This isn’t fair to you. I never wanted it to be like this.”

I turned to look at her, caught off guard by the guilt in her eyes. Damn it. Here I was, cracking jokes while she was tearing herself up inside.

“Hey,” I said, my voice gentler than I’d intended. “This isn’t your fault, princess. Your brother’s the one playing DIY wedding planner from hell, not you.”

She shook her head, a humorless laugh escaping her lips. “But it is my fault. If it weren’t for me, for my family, you wouldn’t be in this mess. You’d be free to?—“

“To what?” I interrupted, moving closer to her. “Wander the earth alone? Spend eternity sampling every type of bourbon known to man? Sounds thrilling.”

Gianna looked up at me, her eyes a mix of love and sorrow that hit me harder than any stake ever could. “You know what I mean, Dimitri. You deserve better than being forced into this.”

I cupped her face in my hands, all pretense of sarcasm gone for a moment. “Listen to me, Gianna. You’re not forcing me into anything. Your psychotic brother is trying to, sure, but last I checked, I’m still capable of making my own terrible life choices.”

A small smile tugged at her lips, and I felt a flutter of victory.

“Besides,” I continued, my signature smirk returning, “if being ‘forced’ to spend eternity with the girl I love is the worst thing that happens to me, I’d say I’m doing pretty well for a vampire with a penchant for trouble.”

As I looked at Gianna, torn between love and guilt, one thing was clear – whatever we did, we’d do it together. Even ifit meant saying “I do” with her brother’s metaphorical gun to our heads.

For the next two weeks, my new “boss” had me playing chauffeur all over New Orleans, treating me like a well-trained puppy expected to sit and stay in the car. The wedding was set for the end of the week because, apparently, Angelo believed in shotgun weddings minus the actual shotgun. How thoughtful of him.

I had called Valentin, and let's just say he wasn't exactly popping champagne over the news of me marrying the vampire mafia princess. Shock of the century, right? The disappointment in his voice was about as subtle as a stake to the heart. But hey, disappointing people is practically my superpower at this point. If they gave out Olympic medals for it, I'd be drowning in gold.

Nevertheless, he and Rose, along with Augustus and Louise, were even flying in for the nuptials. Because nothing says 'congratulations on your forced marriage' like a big, happy vampire family reunion. Joy.

But as I had hung up, a nagging thought wormed its way into my brain. Valentin's disappointment... was it really his? Or was Petar pulling strings from the shadows? For all I knew, the high priestess could be playing puppet master with those damn Malefic Puppets.

Great. As if I didn't have enough to worry about. Now I get to play 'Spot the Magical Manipulation' with my own brother. Just another fun party game for our family get-together. I could already feel the love... and the potential mind control... in the air.

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