Page 86 of Merciless Queen

My gaze jerks to the house where, on the back patio, another person waits. Serafina. She’s too far away to make out her expression, but regardless, heat scorches my insides. Whoever this man is, his interruption saved me, before I completely lost myself to the madness of Zeno Mancini.

I’ve never felt as out of control as I do in this moment, and I wish there was a better explanation for my actions.

Zeno pushes to his feet and speaks low to the man in Italian. While they talk, I stand too, brushing dirt off my shirt from when he pushed me to the ground. I barely manage a step before Zeno’s tight grip encases the upper half of my arm and he yanks me to his side.

“I’ll meet you in a few minutes, as soon as I get Miss Volkov back to her room.”

The three of us begin walking toward the villa. The bodyguard, the captor, and the captive. Fantastic.

Once we’re nearer, the stranger breaks away and heads for Serafina. No doubt, he’s about to usher her away before me being within twenty feet of her somehow corrupts her. I watch the girl—my newly discovered half-sister—wondering if and when I’ll ever see her again. And if I even want to.

Zeno shoves me again, breaking my stare, which based on his tight expression was exactly the purpose. He forces me toward the front door.

“Thanks for the walk. Like I’m your pet, right? That’s all this was.”

He ignores me, nudging me through the front door and toward the staircase. The memory of this entire trip disappears at the entrance as I’m reminded by every reason I’m stuck here. Playing friendly was a mistake I never should have fallen for.

When we reach his bedroom, Zeno’s quick to push me inside and lock the door, all without saying anything.

With an aggravated sigh, I scan the bedroom, my pile of wrecked mess still in the centre.

Back in my cage.

Fucking fuck.

It becomes my mantra as I head back down the stairs after depositing Vanessa in my bedroom. The trip might have been to keep her mental state intact, but it only fucked mine up in the process.

Everything about that waswrong. Conversing with her, relaxing on the grass like we’re fucking friends. That was probably all some game to Vanessa. An attempt to get inside my head and unravel me.

It’s working.

With an aggravated groan, I rub my face, trying to wipe away the memory of Vanessa beneath me. Vanessa with her night-coloured hair contrasting with the bright grass. Dark and light. Good and evil. It was there I let myself forget who she is, where she comes from, and the evil in her veins.

She looked up at me like I was the goddamn sun and I fell for her siren tricks. She nearly had me too, if it wasn’t for Venus and Nero. Venus is getting so many treats later for saving my soul. Again, Nero showed up at the right time. First, his earlier textabout having the documentation completed and delivered ended our conversation, and then again when he interrupted us in the yard ended what almost was again, and should never be.

I find Nero and Serafina still on the patio. Serafina’s seated on a chair, Venus’ head in her lap. Both glance up at my entrance, but it’s my sister who immediately looks away, her back stiff. She’s obviously still pissed about earlier, but I don’t have time for her at the moment.

“Get your stuff. Nero’s taking you back home.”

After a long moment, just when I assume she’s ignoring me, she twists to face me, crossing her arms. “You’re still an asshole.”

“I’m only doing right by you, Sera.”

“Whatever.” She stands and storms by, Venus loyally trailing, and slams the patio door shut behind her.

I drop into her vacated spot and lift one leg up on the chair across from me, picking at my bandage. Today was a lot on my injury, but I’m an idiot like that. So many mistakes when it’s come to Vanessa. Hissing, I peel up the tape, keeping the bandage on and spotting a trail of fresh blood. Damn, probably reopened the wound.

Nero takes the other chair, kicking one ankle up over his other knee as he regards me. “The feminine energy in this place is…tense.”

“Fuck off.”

He laughs. “I put food in your room for her. Figured if you’re planning on keeping her alive, nutrition would be a good way to go about it.”

Food. Right. How’d I forget? “Thanks. Good idea.” Thank fuck one of us has some logic. After what happened earlier, it’s certainly not me.

He nods and reaches across the table to hand me a yellow manila envelope. Inside, two sheets of thick paper. Twodocuments, which for all accounts, are legal, even if the route in which he obtained them isn’t.

One, a contract, securing Vanessa to me permanently. Even if given the opportunity to attempt ending the marriage, she’ll have to pay a steep price for freedom. One, if I know her well enough, she’ll refuse to.

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