Page 24 of Vows in Violence

“Angel…” I warn.

He rolls his eyes and ignores me.

Above me, the sky darkens with cloud cover, and the wind picks up. I smell smoke from the vendors. They’re cooking something… soppressata, maybe? I’m not sure what… it doesn’t smell exactly like the sliced salami I like so much, and I don’t think they’d cook that, anyway, but later Angel will take me to the stands and buy me something. He always does.

When I look back at Angel to remind him of this, though, he is no longer concentrating on his boat. The boat is gone, and the fountain is gone. He is looking at me, and his smile is gone.

The intensity in his gaze scares me.

“Wake up,sorellina. You need to wake up now.”

“I am awake,” I tell him. I look around, my brow furrowing. “Where is the boat?” The square begins to blur at the edges. “Angel, what is happening—”

His voice is insistent. “You’re not. Wake up. There isn’t much time.”

Not awake…?

As if emerging from a drugged slumber, I pry my eyes open. It is still daylight, and the heat of the sunlight piercing the window sheers warms my body beneath the coverlet. Images of Cervinara fade as the bedroom comes into view.

The last vestiges of what was just a dream flicker into wakefulness, all except for the lingering scent of smoke. I frown. I can still smell the smoke of the vendors.

I come fully online, awareness zinging through me.

But there are no vendors…

I sit up in bed. It doesn’t smell like food, either. It’s just…smoke.

My gaze darts around the room, landing on Nikolai, who stands at the door, his hand on the doorknob and his entire body tensed in a listening posture.

“Nikolai?”

He holds up a hand to silence me, then gestures to me to come.

“It’s not too hot. We need to go.”

All at once, it hits me.

Fire.

A force of nature more powerful and destructive than any of the Five. Fear trembles along my limbs as I slide my legs over the side of the bed and pad toward the golden bars of my cage. The sound of screaming emanates from the floor below, and all at once, I’m horribly aware that Nikolai could have left me here.

“What is happening?”

The foolishness of my question makes me shake my own head at myself. It’s obvious what is happening.

The house is under attack.

Without responding, Nikolai opens the cage and grabs me by the arm, then leads me to the door and cracks it open. The hallway is clear, and we step fully into it. Screams and smoke slither through the narrow corridor, the screams louder and the smoke more cloying now without the protection of the door between us.

“What do we do?”

Again, he ignores me.

The elevator isn’t an option during a fire. The stairs aren’t an option…there’s a battle being waged beneath us. Nikolai goes to the end of the hallway, peering through the window. By the look on his face, he is gauging whether or not the height is too extreme for us to jump.

Angel’s voice sounds again.There isn’t much time.

Dear God…Angel!

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