Page 39 of Caress of Fire
“But they won’t find him, I know it. Ignio Marula will hide him so deep only someone who knows the slums will be able to dig him out.”
Despair filled Marielle’s lungs and her arms suddenly stopped pushing against the restraint of Fedryc’s hold. Tears flowed down her cheeks freely and she collapsed. Fedryc’s arms held her up, safely, against his strong body.
“He’s hurt and he’s all alone.”
She couldn’t stop the images from flowing through her mind. Did Ignio Marula push Devan into that horrible hole in the ground with another man, knowing full well only one would come out? Did he use Devan as training bait for other fighters, hanging him from the ceiling like a punching bag?
Memories flooded her mind, and Marielle fell victim to the power of her past.
He was small for a ten-year-old, and his flaming red, curly hair and splash of freckles made him look even younger. Big gray eyes looked up to her with distress and Marielle’s fingers clenched on the bodice of her dress.
“What are we going to do now?” The boy’s voice shook with tears. “We’re all alone.”
“No, we’re not.” The lie burned her tongue but Marielle knelt in front of Devan, her fingers wrapping around his hand, forcing him to look at her. “We have each other.”
Devan’s big, sorrowful gray eyes latched onto her. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, grief raged like a storm, shattering her heart into a thousand little pieces, but her mouth stretched into a smile.
“What does Dad always say?” How could her voice not break? Marielle didn’t know. All she knew was this tiny boy, frail and scared, was all she had left in the world. And she would not let him go.
“That we have to look out for each other,” Devan answered, his pain brimming to the surface, but his fingers holding hers hard. “That we won’t be alone as long as we have each other.”
“Yes, that’s what he would say.” Marielle’s smile stayed strong but inside her ribs, her young heart was breaking. “So we’ll do just that. I’m going to work at the hotel, they’re always looking for more girls to clean the rooms. You go to school, and you stay out of trouble. All right?”
Devan cast a wide look around the single room with its tattered furniture, two twin beds and old wood stove. “Okay.” He nodded to her, and from somewhere inside his tiny, courageous heart, he found the strength to smile.
And Marielle understood her childhood was over.
Fedryc pulled her out of the grip of the past with his hand on her chin. “He’s not alone,” he told her, pulling her away so he could look into her eyes. “There’s a girl there, one who works for Ignio Marula. She cares for him, and I believe she will help him.”
“A girl?” Marielle frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“A child of mixed blood, about the same age as your brother. She was at the Watering Hole when I came to claim Devan from Ignio Marula. I think she cares for him.”
“She is Ignio Marula’s niece. Her name is Rela.” Marielle shivered despite Fedryc’s warmth because she understood it all now. Why Devan had taken all those risks, why he’d been so desperate to find money. It all made sense, so why did she want to scream? “Devan told me he needed to help a friend out of trouble, but I brushed it aside, telling him we had enough of our troubles without handing money over to strangers. It was for her. That’s why he tried to gamble with what little money he had.”
Fedryc frowned at her words and Marielle knew he didn’t understand. He didn’tseethe monster for who he was.
“If Rela is Ignio Marula’s family, then surely, she was well taken care of? The man is rich enough.”
“You don’t understand.” Marielle shook her head. Fedryc was so honorable, he didn’t see how deep Ignio Marula’s rot went. “Rela is the daughter of Ignio Marula’s sister. His sister died when Rela was only two. Ignio Marula had her husband killed soon after, for defying him when he married his sister. He took Rela in but he always hated the girl for being a mixed-blood child. She has been working for him since she was old enough to hold a broom.”
“Then he truly is a monster.” Fedryc cursed under his breath in Delradon, and although she did not understand his words, she knew the meaning of his outrage from his tone and the way the vein pulsed at his temple.
“Yes. He truly is.”
“I will find your brother.” Fedryc spoke low, but his eyes were fierce. “Trust me, Marielle.”
Fedryc lifted her chin, and she stared into his mesmerizing eyes. She truly believed him. He would keep his promise and find Devan. All she could do was hope it would be soon enough.
But could she hope? How could she not? She couldn’t give up on Devan, and Fedryc was her only real chance.
“You know what he’ll do to Devan.” She shook her head against the images coming back to her mind. She couldn’t get sucked into the pain, she had to focus on the future, on what she could do to help. “Ignio Marula will hurt him more. He could kill him.”
“He has to keep him alive.” Fedryc’s words were meant to reassure but they were little comfort. “Devan is the only leverage he has against me. If he kills him then he knows nothing will stop me from sending my men after him in an open hunt—after him and anyone remotely associated with him. He’ll lose everything he spent his life building.”
“He could do it anyway, just as revenge.” Marielle’s heart bled at the idea, and it was only Fedryc’s strength that prevented her from falling to her knees. “He’s not a man who tolerates a slight, no matter who it comes from.”
Fedryc pushed her firmly away from his body and stared down at her. His silver eyes were strong and deadly serious.
