Page 67 of The Devil's Den

“Shit. That’s right. He told me that last night. My mind, it’s all…” I swipe a hand past my face.

“It’s okay.” She swats at the tears brimming in her eyes. “Ms. Greco told me after I got home today. She’s known all along but didn’t want to hurt me.”

My palm slides to her cheek, my thumb wet as it rubs under her eye. “She loves you.”

“Our life. It’s—it’s all wrong,” she stammers, her lower lip trembling. “I want to die. I wish I did that day.”

“No, don’t say that.” Tears blur my vision as I stare at her, the dull look of a woman who’s no longer there. “I know what he’s taken from you, but you can’t let him win. We gotta keep on fighting. Corvo Island. It’s waiting for us.”

“Matteo.” She laughs bitterly. “It’s time we realize we’ll die before that ever happens.”

“I refuse to believe that.” My other hand cups her cheek.

“Well…” She shrugs. “I guess that makes us different.”

“Don’t give up on us,” I plead, refusing to let the woman I love go. She’s still in there. I just have to give her time to see me again.

“The next time I’m close to death…” She throws me a hard, unblinking stare. “Don’t save me.”

“Aida…” My voice rolls with emotion. “Don’t ask me that.”

“Pinky swear,” she demands, clenching her jaw, holding out her pinky for mine.

But I don’t give it to her.

“Matteo! Please!” The desperation scrapes up her features.

I don’t want to promise her something I can’t do. I’ll never be capable of letting her die. Yet, I can’t refuse her in this moment either.

With regret piling onto me like heavy stones, my hand slowly crawls toward hers, and I hook her pinky through mine. “Pinky swear.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

MATTEO

SIX MONTHS LATER

She’s breathingagainst my chest, and I watch her sleeping for far longer than I should, but I can’t seem to close my eyes whenever she does. It’s like I’m afraid she’ll try to hurt herself or something. In the past months, she’s grown inward. The light in her eyes, slowly flickering until it’ll blow out completely.

He hasn’t sent her back there, but he likes to toy with us. He may do it again when we least expect it.

Later today, they’ll come for me as always, with more training or more men to kill. My back aches from the workout they had me go through yesterday, Drew pushing me, wanting me stronger. But that’s not a bad thing. The stronger I am, the harder it’ll be for them to destroy me.

She jolts, moaning as her body quivers, her head thrashing. “No,” she whimpers. “Leave me alone.”

“Aida,” I whisper. “Wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

Again.She has them all the time and it breaks my damn heart.

Her eyes flash open and she jolts to a sitting position. “Matteo?” She looks around the room.

“Hey.” I swipe away the hair from the sweat settled on her forehead.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep.” She sighs.

“No, don’t be sorry.”

“Sleeping is useless anyway.” She shoves my hand away as she gets off the mattress. “I see them in my nightmares. I can’t run from it, no matter how hard I try.”

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