Page 102 of Lord of the Dark

Heat flooded my face, my breath catching. Like a petulant child, I thought. "Pull yourself together, Carter," I snapped. "You’re acting like you’re five."

Alessandro fought a smirk, shrugging as he tossed Carter an indifferent smile. "No problem. If you want the yellow one, it’s yours."

I barely believed my eyes as they actually swapped glasses, like kids trading lunchboxes. Carter took the yellow drink, holding it like he’d just won the better hand.

"A toast," Alessandro finally said, his voice laced with mockery only I caught, "to Florence. And to bold choices."

Carter, noticeably unsteady by now, raised his glass with a grintoo wide. Alessandro downed his in one go, slammed it onto the table, and locked eyes with Carter—an unmistakable challenge.

"Your move, Vaughn." His voice was rough, taunting.

Carter hesitated, then drained his glass.

Alessandro watched, sharp-eyed.

As Carter set his glass down triumphantly, he yanked me against him. Before I could react, his tongue was in my mouth—a kiss so sloppy, so wet, I nearly recoiled. It was clumsy, invasive, anything but welcome. My eyes flicked to Alessandro while Carter kept me trapped. His face had gone glacial, his eyes screaming murder. I could see it—the way he wanted to rip Carter off me and shatter him against the glass table.

But then, with terrifying control, the mask slid back. A faint smile, revealing nothing. "How long are you lovebirds staying in Florence?"

Carter, finally releasing me, answered eagerly: "A few more days. I’ve got so much planned! I want to show Fiona everything—the museums, the gardens..." His tone dripped pride, like he’d orchestrated it all for me. "She loves when I plan things for her." At least, I’d always let him believe that. In reality, his "plans" were lifeless, copied from the first tourist site he’d found.

Alessandro leaned back, a devil’s grin curling his lips. "Sounds like a full schedule. She must mean a lot to you." His gaze never left mine.

Fuck. I tilted my head slightly and shot him a pleading look, begging him to stop.

But he was savoring every word—his expression spoke volumes. His smile remained defiant, and all traces of restraint had already been stripped from his eyes by raw hunger. He kept staring at me with that signature gaze, the one that left no doubt—there was no escape. My heart began to race, and I took a sip of my drink just to mask the tension.

Then, without the slightest regard for Carter or Matteo, he lethis words slip into the room like a provocative flame. "You know, Fiona," he began, his voice casual, as if discussing something trivial, "you look so damn sexy in that dress that I’ll take you at least one more time before the night’s over."

I choked on my drink instantly, the liquid lodging in my throat. A sharp burn spread as I coughed violently, the alcohol seeming to both pour down my windpipe and spray the wrong way. Alessandro watched me, utterly unfazed—not even a flicker of remorse in his gaze.

Ricci burst into loud laughter, but Alessandro paid him no mind. Instead, he arched a brow, giving me a loaded look.

And suddenly, the shift in the room crashed into my awareness. My stomach twisted—something had gone terribly wrong. Carter hadn’t spoken a word in minutes, just staring dazedly into space. I watched as he slumped sideways, muttering, time itself seeming to slow.

"Hey! Carter?" My voice came out shriller than I intended as I frantically tried to prop him up. But he only mumbled incoherently, slipping through my arms again and again. His eyelids fluttered before finally closing completely.

Horrified, I turned to Alessandro. He sat sprawled on the sofa, arms relaxed, as if he were the king and this was his personal entertainment. It hit me then—he must have slipped something into Carter’s drink. And Ricci had clearly gotten a dose too: his eyes were half-lidded, though not as far gone as Carter.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I demanded, my voice nearly cracking with outrage. "You drugged him?"

Alessandro merely quirked a brow and grinned. "I don’t have infinite patience for this shit tonight."

"What did you give him?"

"Relax," he shrugged. "He’s just going to enjoy the sleep of his life and wake up halfway sober."

In one fluid motion, he rose from the sofa and checked hiswatch. "Just before ten…" His gaze locked onto me, his grin deepening. "Now that we’re finally rid of this deadweight, I’ve got something planned for you. You love it when I make plans for you, don’t you?"

The words that had sounded so harmless coming from Carter's mouth earlier now sent shivers down my spine. I turned my gaze away from Carter, who now lay completely lifeless and slumped against the leather sofa, and half-rose to my feet. Alessandro looked impatient but visibly pleased with his handiwork.

"What do we do with him? I can't just leave him here..." My stomach twisted into knots. Part of me didn't want to abandon Carter like this, but another part could already tell Alessandro had very different plans for me. I swallowed hard, cast one last glance at the deeply unconscious Carter, then looked up at Alessandro.

"Why not?" He gave Carter a disdainful look as a thin string of drool dripped from his mouth onto the leather sofa. "He's ruining my sofa. We could either leave him here or call him a taxi back to his hotel."

"He's ruining your sofa because you knocked him out. I... I feel somewhat responsible for him. Yes, he's a massive asshole—"

Alessandro cut me off sharply: "That's exactly the point, Fiona." Then he leaned in closer, his tone turning impatient. "Why do you think you owe him anything?"

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