Page 164 of Merciless Queen

“Zeno.”

“Vanessa,” I mock. “We’ll figure it out in time. Not everything needs a manual.”

“You can’t uproot your life. And I’m needed here.”

In truth, I haven’t thought past today because I couldn’t be certain there wouldbea future. But Vanessa is attached to her property, and while I will be needed at the villa occasionally, I’m not attached to it. Since Madre moved out, the entire place felt emptier, less like home. The walls are stained with bloody heartbreak, so leaving it to spend most of my time here is an easy choice.

“So our planes will have a bit more mileage added to them.” I shrug. “You’re forgetting one very important detail.”

A low sigh relaxes some of her stress lines. “What’s that?”

“That I don’t give a fuck about anything but you now.”

Then my mouth descends onto hers and I ensure she stops worrying for now.

Vanessa’son her third call regarding Ivan when I phone Nero and update him on everything that happened, including requesting lookouts at the border and another meeting with Vitale.

“You don’t do simple,” he says. “Well, despite everything, I’m glad you two figured it out. So the union remains, I assume?”

Coincidentally, at some point when I was in the forest, my lawyers emailed me the divorce agreement for her and I to sign.

“We’ll see,” is all I tell him before hanging up and going to find Serafina who’s still lingering by Lev’s bedside.

“Nothing?” I ask when entering.

She lifts her head from the edge of his bed, her cheek red. “He woke earlier for about a minute, but the drugs knocked him right back out.” She studies me up and down before noting, “You have dirt on your face. How’d it go?”

“Good.”Better than good.

“That’s all I get?” She leans back into the chair, crossing her arms with a pout.

“It’s all you need to know.”

“Does this mean you won’t bitch at me if I talk to her?”

I didn’t consider all this either. For so long, I worried that Serafina would grow attached to the idea of Vanessa, and would be set up to be hurt. But that isn’t Vanessa, and if they want to have a relationship, then we’ll all be one fucked-up family wreath.

“No.”

“Which makes her my half-sister…and my future sister-in-law.”

Current, technically.A fact she doesn’t know and with the contract in my email, might never need to.

“Future’s unknown,” is all I tell her.

A coughing sound comes from the bed and Serafina moves quickly, reaching Lev’s side almost instantly. She rests her hand on his, offering low words of encouragement about him being okay and safe.

Taking that as my cue, I leave the room and travel undisturbed through the Volkov mansion until reachingVanessa’s office, where I left her earlier. I find her seated behind the desk, her head in her hands, and a book in front of her. I wander closer to see it’s a book of someone’s writings, and while it could quite possibly be hers, I know it’s her father’s.

“His journal?” I brush a hand down her back, showing her with a gentle touch, she’s not alone.

From the corner, a Doberman puppy runs up to my feet, sniffing my shoes. I met Veles briefly earlier and he seemed cautious around me, but maybe interaction number two will get him to start warming up to me. Besides, he needs to get used to me since I don’t plan on going anywhere. I wonder how Venus will feel about having a little brother to play with. I go to pick him up but with flattened ears, he backs away and returns to his fluffy dog bed in the corner of the room.

“Yeah.” She glances up from the pages. “Rereading some of the passages, hoping there’s a clue to a favourite place he and Ivan might have had or something. An idea of where he fucked off to but there’s nothing.” She grimaces and pauses. “I kinda want to burn it.”

I’d be lying if I didn’t immediately get excited by the prospect. To no longer have the words that depicted my mother’s abuse, my sister’s deal, and my father’s death immortalized forever, but also to remove the physical sign of a man long not existing—well before his death—and to save Vanessa the hope of reading the pages and finding something new within them.

If this journal is one of a few things remaining from his days for her to connect to, then she’ll regret it. Which is why I lay my hand over hers and slide the journal out from under it, opening a desk drawer, and slipping it inside.

---