Page 56 of Depths of Hunger

Pippa snorts. “Yeah, right. We’ll never get that. I mean, you were only with Renzo for a short time, so maybe he didn’t have time to drive you crazy. But I can’t picture being married for a long time.”

“I can.” The truth of my acknowledgment hits me hard. I can picture years with Renzo, being partners, trusting each other, loving each other. It would be the best. My resolve wavers, the thought of staying tempts me. Maybe a few good years would be worth dying for.

“You’re dreaming. Name one person who’s happily married.”

“Luigi. He’s so in love with Louisa.”

Pippa sighs, the weight of it heavy between us. “Okay, I’ll give you that one, but Louisa’s dying, and I think Luigi’s losing it.”

“What do you mean, losing it?”

“He said some weird stuff tonight, mumbling to himself like he was talking to someone who wasn’t there. I think he’s cracking under the pressure of watching Louisa fade away.”

“It’s a lot of pressure,” I say, though my nerves tighten. “I’m sure he’s just overwhelmed.” But fear crawls up my spine. Luigi can’t afford to crack—not when he’s supposed to be helping Renzo tonight.

Pippa grunts in frustration. “Maybe, but he sounded unhinged. He kept saying it was finally happening, that if they waited any longer,it’d be too late. He talked about saving Louisa, that she just had to hold on one more night and then they’d be together forever.”

“Did he mean suicide?” I ask.

“I asked the same thing. I told him that I would be crushed if he died with Louisa. He said after tonight I never have to worry about that. He and Louisa would outlive me by many years.”

My stomach churns as dread washes over me. Could he really mean what I think he means? “Did he say anything else?” I ask, my voice strained and thin.

“Just that he didn’t like his new partners, but it didn’t matter. They wouldn’t have to work together long—just tonight—and then they could go back to wherever they came from and then he and Louisa would be free to do whatever they wanted.”

My heart plummets, and my breath speeds up into panic level. The implications of her words swirl in my mind, and for the first time, I wonder if I’m running in the wrong direction.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

Paulie rolls the car to a stop in the Piazza del Duomo. The forbidding stone facade of the Duomo of San Gimignano looms before us, its twin towers cutting into the night sky like ancient sentinels guarding the secrets within. The piazza is quiet, lit only by the glow of the streetlights, which cast eerie shadows on the cobblestones. The medieval square is empty, the world seemingly holding its breath. We took a serpentine route to get here, weaving through narrow, winding streets to avoid being followed. Once Paulie drops us off, he’ll park in a nearby alley—poised for a quick getaway if things go south. Just in case.

My brothers and I wait in silence as our men get into position, each reporting back before we leave the car. Before this poison—a magickal potion delivered via bullets—hit my veins, I wouldn’t have bothered with these precautions. As a vampire, I’ve spent centuries feeling invincible, but now that my mortality has been thrown into question, a creeping vulnerability gnaws at me. And I hate it.

Renzo, are you prepared for this?Luca’s voice fills my mind, cutting through the tension.

I glance at him, irritated by his need to ask.I’m always prepared,I snap back, then soften my tone.I’m ready if that’s what you’re asking.

What happens if we don’t make it?Luca’s question hangs heavy in the air, the kind of doubt that can gnaw at your resolve.

I frown, surprised by his need to ask.You think the ‘Ndrangheta can kill us? We might be weakened, but not by much. We can handle humans.I speak with conviction, though the lingering effects of the poison make me question my own words, my own mortality.

Maybe,Luca concedes, staring out at the towering Duomo, its massive doors shut tight like the past we’ve tried to bury.But I can’t stop thinking about death… it’s not something I ever considered until now.

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and the reality of our situation creeps closer. I cast a glance at Nico, who seems lost in his own thoughts, eyes fixed on distant shadows.We won’t die tonight,I say, forcing confidence into my voice.Focus on getting through this meeting. This is history in the making—the unification of Italy’s families under a truce to keep out any invaders. At worst, if things go wrong, we’ll start a war with the ‘Ndrangheta. Not ideal, but it’s not our first war either. We’ll handle it.

Luca keeps his gaze on the Duomo, its stone walls steeped in centuries of secrets and bloodshed.Do you know how our mother died? I mean, really know? I know someone cut off her head, but I never learned the details.

His question catches me off guard, freezing me for the barest of moments. I expected him to ask this years ago when he was younger, still piecing together the fragments of our past. But he never did. I always assumed he’d gone to Father or someone else. Now, over three hundred years old, he finally asks, here of all places.

Do you really want to get into that now?

Yes,he insists, his voice edged with a determination that feels both familiar and foreign.It seems fitting, considering where we are.

I let out a long breath, my eyes flicking to Nico, who is deliberately tuning us out, probably fighting his own inner battles.Our mother was a complicated woman, a vampire driven by ambitions that I couldn’t fully understand.

Luca’s voice cuts through my hesitation.Cut the shit. I don’t need the lecture you prepared for me when I was a kid. I want the hard truth.

---