Page 15 of Stolen By the Devil

He didn’t even look at me. His focus was solely on Angel, his voice a low, menacing growl. "You think you can just take everything from me? You think you can just steal my empire out from under me? There’s nothing wrong with me!"

I took a step forward, my heart pounding in my chest. "Sal, put the gun down. You’re not making sense. I’ve been head ofthe family for years now. You don’t want to do this. We’re blood, remember?"

His eyes flicked to me, and for a moment, I saw something of the man he used to be—one who lived and breathed by the oath. But it was gone just as quickly, replaced by a bitterness that I couldn’t ignore. "You took everything, Drago. But I can still take something from you."

His gaze shifted back to Angel and the kids, and my blood ran cold.

"Sal, don’t," I said, my voice low and controlled, though every muscle in my body was ready to spring into action. "This isn’t the way."

He laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. "It’s the only way."

And with that, the tension in the room snapped.

Chapter Seven

Angel

Salvatore’s eyes burned into mine with a chilling intensity, his hand steady on the gun that was pointed directly at me. Time seemed to slow, every second a heavy beat in my chest as I stood between him and the innocent lives cowering behind me. The air in the room felt thick, almost suffocating.

Liliana and Marco trembled as their small hands clutched the fabric of my dress. I could feel their fear, their helplessness. But I couldn’t let that fear paralyze me. These children neededme, and there was no time to hesitate. They were the reason I had stayed, the reason I would fight.

Stepping forward, I squared my shoulders, forcing myself to stay calm even though every muscle in my body screamed to act. "You’ll have to go through me to get to them," I said, my voice steady.

Sal’s lips twisted into a cold, calculating smile. "You’re willing to die for them?" His words dripped with disbelief, as if the very idea of sacrifice was foreign to him. He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "Why would you do that? Why sacrifice yourself for children who aren’t even yours?"

His question pierced the silence, but I already knew the answer. The words came easily, filled with the truth that had settled deep within my heart. "Because I love them," I said softly. "I’d give everything to protect them."

Sal’s eyes flashed, a flicker of something dark and twisted in his gaze. His smirk widened, and the grip on his gun tightened. "Love?" he sneered. "Love makes people weak. And weakness is what gets people killed."

He lifted the gun higher, aiming it directly at my forehead now, his intent clear. "Like you, for example," he said coldly, his finger tightening on the trigger.

I braced myself for the shot, my heart pounding in my chest, every muscle in my body taut with anticipation. But before Sal could pull the trigger, Drago’s voice rang out, cutting through the tension like a blade.

“Stop.”

Sal hesitated, flicking his eyes toward Drago who was standing there, his face calm but his eyes burning with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. Slowly, he stepped forward, hisexpression hard, yet there was something deeper beneath the surface I couldn’t quite place, and it took my breath away.

“If you’re going to kill someone, kill me,” he continued, his voice steady. His hand dropped to his side, and I watched in disbelief as he lowered his gun, letting it fall to the floor with a soft thud. "But leave her and the children out of this."

Sal’s brow furrowed in confusion, his gun still aimed at me but his focus now on Drago. "What the hell are you doing?" Sal demanded, his voice rough. "You’d give your life for some whore? For these children who would only betray you in the end?"

Drago’s eyes flickered with something raw, something vulnerable. His jaw tightened, and he nodded. "I would," he said simply.

Sal took a step forward, his eyes narrowing as if trying to understand what was happening. "You’re fucking kidding me. You think sacrificing yourself makes you noble?" he spat. "Makes you stronger? You’ve always been weak, Drago. A disappointment." His face twisted with disgust. "But I’ll take your life if that’s what you want. I’ll take your soul, too. I don’t give a fuck that we share the same blood. I’ll have what’s mine."

The air in the room grew colder, the shadows deepening as Sal’s voice dropped lower, almost guttural. His body began to change, a dark energy swirling around him as his skin twisted, darkened. His once-human form peeled away, revealing something monstrous underneath—curling like smoke and fire, causing shivers to run up and down my spine. His voice became more demonic, his very presence radiating power and malevolence. “I’ll reap your soul,” he snarled, “and nothing will save you.”

Drago stood tall, not flinching even as Sal’s demonic form loomed before him. He didn’t reach for his gun; he didn’t move. He simply stared into the face of the monster before him, his expression resolute.

It was then that I felt it.

The light inside me—my angelic fire—began to stir. It was something I had always felt simmering from somewhere within me, but never truly released. But now, faced with the darkness that threatened to consume everything I loved, I couldn’t hold it back any longer.

I took a step forward, feeling the warmth of the light pulse through me, filling me with a strength I had never known. My body began to glow, a soft but growing light enveloping me as the power surged from within. Wings—brilliant, golden wings—unfurled from my back, and my feet lifted slightly off the ground as the full force of my angelic nature came to life.

Sal stumbled back, his eyes widening in shock as he took in the sight of me. His demon flickered, momentarily weakened by the power of my light. "What…what are you?" he stammered, his voice trembling for the first time. "You…you’re a witch!"

I shook my head, feeling the power course through me like a river of light. "No, Sal," I said softly, my voice steady. "I’m not a witch. I’m an angel."

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