Page 64 of The Curse of Blood and Silenc

He shrugged but wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Thecapomade it clear that you’re the only one that matters. He’s not concerned about anyone else.” The words sounded rehearsed, as if he’d been practicing them.

I wanted to scream at him. To make him understand that Joy wasn’t just anyone—she was family. That Louis was more than just another victim.

Behind him, a shadow moved. Not the natural shift of light and dark, but something alive, something wrong. I scrambled backward across the bed, my heart battering my ribs like it might shatter them. The drugs made everything blur, shadows dancing and shifting. Was that Gage's silhouette? My mind spun with memories of the plantation, of being trapped, helpless. Terror exploded through me, turning my blood to ice water as the shadow loomed larger behind Luigi's shoulders.

Crapcrapcrapcrap

Gage. It had to be Gage.

He'd found a way in. Past the guards, past the security, past everything Angelo had done to keep me safe. My hands shook so badly I could barely grip the sheets, cold sweat soaking through my silk robe.

My guard, with all his muscle and loyalty, had no idea he'd just trapped me in here with a wolf enforcer. And I was still too weak from the drugs, my powers feeling distant and sluggish when I needed them most.

There was a whistle of movement behind Luigi. A vase smashed into his head, and he crumpled to the floor with a groan. Blood matted his dark hair as he tried to push himself up. Gianna dropped the bookend with a dull thud, then lunged at Luigi, moving faster than my eyes could track. She sank herfangs into his neck. Luigi's legs and body convulsed, his fingers clawing at the carpet, then he went limp.

Something was wrong. Gianna’s movements were too jerky, too violent—even for a vampire. The way she’d struck Luigi... This wasn’t just about freeing me. My stomach lurched as I studied her face. Her eyes weren’t black like Steve’s had been, but that didn’t mean anything. The demon prince was clever. Perhaps he had found another way to control her. What if—oh God—this wasn’t really Gianna anymore?

“What’s wrong?” I almost laughed at the question. Whatwasn’twrong? First Joy and Louis, now this.

“Dimitri.” Her shoulders curved inward, grief etched in every line of her body. “He’s nearly lost his mind. He’s sure Balthazar has his brother. Angelo had him chained up in the interrogation room until he calmed down.” Her voice cracked. “But then he talked one of the guards into undoing the chains, then he overpowered him. I’ve never seen him like this—not even when we were fighting the wolves.” Her fingers tightened around mine with desperate strength. “I know my husband. He’ll sacrifice himself to save Valentin. He doesn’t care if he lives or dies, as long as his brother survives. We have to help him, Serenity. We have to save him from himself.”

I gave her a doubtful look, glancing at Luigi’s unconscious form. “Can you get us out of here?” Angelo’s compound was like a fortress, with guards at every exit. Even with one down, there had to be dozens more. I could already picture Carmine at the front gate, Nicola patrolling the east wing and who knew who all else, all of them ready to drag me back to this bedroom.

She gave me a mischievous smile. Blood still stained the corner of her mouth. “Yup. Thanks to Elena. She drugged Angelo’s men’s tea.” A soft laugh escaped her. “Who would suspect the sweet little witch who makes their espresso everymorning?” She nudged Luigi’s boot with her toe. “They’ll wake up with nasty headaches, but they’ll live.”

I nodded. “Take me to Angelo.” If Balthazar was powerful enough to break through all the wards, powerful enough to invade my dreams despite everything... My stomach knotted, imagining finding Angelo too late, finding him facing that demon prince alone. Yes, he’d be furious when he saw me—I could already picture that look, that mix of fury and fear that meant he’d been trying to protect me. Again. But I’d rather face his anger than his funeral.

And it wasn’t just Angelo I could lose tonight. Joy’s bruised face flashed through my mind—my best friend, my sister in every way that mattered. Plus those things writhing under Louis’ skin... Balthazar had already hurt so many people I loved. The demon prince would keep taking and taking until there was nothing left.

No more playing it safe, no more being the one left behind to be protected. I couldn't stand in this gilded cage while Angelo faced a demon prince, while Joy suffered God knows what tortures. My hands trembled, but not from fear—from the thought of losing either of them. Let Angelo rage. Let him punish me later. Some things were worth his fury, and this—saving the two people I loved most in this world—this was one of them.

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Angelo

I peered at St.Christopher’s Church from the shadows, Trystan and Keir flanking me. Three kings standing in the darkness together—if someone had told me a century ago I’d be working with a wolf and an Unseelie I’d have drained them dry for the insult. But here we were: Trystan, the wolf king of the French Quarter, his custom-made suit barely containing the beast that lurked beneath the polished exterior, and Keir, that dangerous bastard who ruled the Garden District with Unseelie tricks and ancient debts, toying with a gold coin like we were at one of his favorite gambling dens instead of facing war.

Every stained-glass window had been smashed out, leaving jagged teeth of colored glass in rotting wooden frames. Moss and vines crept up the gray stones like grasping fingers. It had been a beautiful church before Katrina, a place where the old families had made their deals and sworn their loyalties. I’d sealed more than a few blood oaths within its walls myself. Now it lay in ruins, just another fallen piece of our city.

The faces of the stone angels that guarded the entrance were eroded by the elements into hollow-eyed masks. A crow perched on one’s shoulder—not one of my spies. It made my fangs itch. The heavy wooden doors hung askew on rusted hinges, creaking softly in the night breeze.

Red light pulsed from within the building, seeping through the broken windows like fresh blood. Evil emanated from it like a beacon, an ancient darkness that made even my undead flesh crawl. Something was waiting inside those walls, something so evil that it had forced three kings to set aside years of blood feuds and territory wars.

A blur of motion caught my eye. Dimitri materialized at the crypt entrance, rage and bourbon rolling off him in waves. “Anybody order a slightly pissed-off vampire with a rescue plan? No? Just me then?”

“How did you get out?” Ice filled my voice. No one had ever escaped my interrogation room.

“Funny story, that.” Dimitri brushed imaginary dirt from his sleeve. “Turns out your guard thought I had calmed down and would be a good boy. Shame he’s really bad at holding his liquor. And his keys. And his consciousness.”

Fury exploded through me. In less than a heartbeat, I had him pinned against the crypt wall, my hand crushing his throat. The stone cracked behind him from the force. Decades of iron control threatened to shatter. Someone had betrayed me. Someone had failed in their duty. “Which. Guard.” Each word dripped with promised violence. The fool who had compromised my security would pray for death long before I granted it.

“What, and ruin the mystery?” Blood darkened the veins under his eyes. “Besides, we have more pressing matters. Like my brother being tortured while we stand around discussing your staff retention issues.”

I dragged him over to Enzo’s post at the Nightshade family crypt.

“Enzo.” I tightened my grip on Dimitri’s throat. “Chain him if he moves from this spot. And when we’re done here, I want to find out who helped him escape.”

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