Page 73 of Crown of Blood and Vengeance

Raphael headed over toward us, his footsteps echoing with celestial authority. His gaze was fixed solely on Serenity, as if I didn’t exist—as if the blood I’d spilled protecting her meant nothing. I knew exactly who he was: the archangel who’d abandoned her, who’d let her grow up not knowing what she was, who’d left her vulnerable all these years. And now he had the audacity to walk in and claim her.

My anger coursed through me like living darkness, cold and ancient as the night itself. Blood from my recent kills still dripped from my blade as I immediately stepped in front of her, clutching my sword with a grip that would have shattered mortal bone. The message in my stance was clear: angel or not, father or not, he would have to go through me first.

“Angelo...” Serenity whispered behind me, but I couldn’t tell if it was a warning or a plea.

Raphael’s gaze locked onto mine. “So, you’re Angelo Santi, the vampire mafia king.” His voice carried no emotion, just the merciless clarity of ancient judgment.

If he thought I would flinch, then he really didn’t know my reputation. I’d faced down demons, rival families, and death itself. I’d die to protect what’s mine.

Serenity clasped my arm, her fingers digging into my sleeve. I could feel her trembling against me as she pressed her body against mine - seeking protection or offering support, maybe both.

Behind me, the sound of chains rattling and metal groaning under supernatural strength broke the tense silence. “Angelo,” Dimitri called out with exaggerated patience, “I hate to interruptyour staring contest with daddy dearest, but these chains are seriously cramping my style.” The sarcasm in his voice barely masked his concern as another metallic snap echoed through the room.

“Allow me.” Raphael brushed past me, the air crackling with power where his wings nearly touched mine. He unleashed his sword—a weapon of pure celestial light. The minute the sword touched Gianna and Rocco’s links, they disappeared like smoke.

Dimitri pulled Gianna into his arms, his practiced charm a brittle mask over the darkness churning in his eyes. “Well, that was dramatic. You okay, or do I need to kill someone else today?” The casual delivery couldn’t hide the fierce protectiveness beneath.

She clung to him. “I’m fine now. You’re here.” She kissed him hard.

Prince Rocco ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. His eyes looked hollow as if everything had been taken from him. He’d beaten his mother when he was possessed. Maybe it had… maybe the demon had stolen more than his control that day; it had taken his ability to ever forgive himself.

Raphael’s attention shifted to Rocco. “The possession wasn’t your doing,” he said. “But the path to redemption is yours alone to walk.”

Rocco didn’t respond, just stared at the archangel with those hollow eyes. Whatever Raphael saw in them made something change in his expression—not quite softening but acknowledging.

I knew that look in Rocco’s eyes. The kind of self-hatred that doesn’t wash away with time or forgiveness from others. The prince stood apart from our reunions, carrying his own private hell. Whatever battle he’d fought against the possession, he clearly believed he’d lost.

Some demons stay with you long after they’re exorcised. I had a feeling Rocco would be fighting his for a long time to come.

Raphael stared at Serenity, centuries of unspoken grief finally breaking through his celestial composure. “You have your mother’s courage. It was what drew me to her.” Sadness reflected in his eyes, ancient and profound. “I never knew you existed. Balthazar will pay for keeping you and your mother hidden from me.” His expression held the tenderness of a father and the terrible promise of divine vengeance.

He stretched out his hand, a gesture both pleading and commanding. “Come to me, child.”

My blood turned to ice. In that moment, I didn’t see an archangel—I saw another threat, another force trying to take her from me. I raised my sword, the blade steady despite the fear coursing through me. “You’re not taking her from me.”

Raphael raised his eyebrow, power crackling in the air around him. “You dare to defy me?” His voice resonated with the authority of heaven itself.

“I do.” I met his gaze unflinchingly, my grip tightening on my sword. “No one will ever come between Serenity and me again. She’s mine.” The possessiveness in my voice surprised even me, but I meant every word. I’d challenge heaven and hell alike for her.

“Do you intend to marry her?” His question cut straight to the heart of what I feared to hope for.

“I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep her.” The truth I hadn’t fully admitted even to myself hung between us—I would bind myself to her in any way she would have me.

“Tell me, child, is this vampire what you want?”

Serenity stared up at me, her blue eyes swimming with unshed tears. This was her chance to say no, to leave me forever, and my dead heart seemed to freeze in my chest. The worldnarrowed to this moment—this choice that could destroy me more thoroughly than any stake.

She slipped her hand around my stiff neck, her warm touch against my cold skin igniting a fierce hope I was afraid to trust. “More than anything. He’s been there when no one else was. He literally fought hell to get to me.”

Relief crashed through me like a physical force, but I kept my face impassive. Not because of pride, but because I couldn’t bear to reveal how completely she held my existence in her hands.

“Then he did what I couldn’t do.” Something like reluctant respect flickered across Raphael’s face. “You have the power now, daughter, to protect yourself and those you love.” He stretched out his arms. “Come to me.”

She went to leave me and blind panic seized me. I caught her arm, pulling her toward me with more force than I intended. Three hundred years of survival instincts screamed that if I let her go, I’d never get her back.

She put her hand over mine, her touch impossibly gentle against my predatory grip. “Nothing can keep us apart, Angelo.”

I slowly released her, every fiber of my being rebelling against it. Every fiber of my being tensed as I watched her walk toward her father, ready to tear the world apart if he tried to take her from me. The vampire in me—the predator, the killer, the king—refused to believe that anything I loved could be taken from me.

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