Page 128 of Dangerous King
Sabine blushes. "I went to beauty school in Sicily. Nobody knows Italian hair better than an Italian hairdresser."
"Good point." Izzy nods.
"You should open a salon," I suggest. Sabine cut my hair into a butterfly cut that frames my face perfectly, before she piled most of it onto the top of my head, making it look complicated and effortless at once.
I hardly recognize my reflection in the mirror. From my updo, a few delicate strands of brown locks frame my face, softening the sharp lines of my jaw and drawing attention to the bow of my lips, which Izzy painted a deep rose that makes my amber eyes glow like polished whiskey in candlelight.
The gown itself is a marvel. Midnight blue, like the sky moments before true night. Strapless, with a bodice that hugs every dip and curve of my torso before spilling out into a waterfall of layered satin and tulle. The fabric shimmers subtly with every movement, like a whisper of stars has been sewn into its folds. The hem skims the floor, the silhouette pure old-world glamour with just enough daring to make me feel both regal and dangerous. My engagement ring glints on my finger, catching the light and accelerating my heartbeat every time I catch a glimpse.
Sabine clasps the final hairpin into place and meets my eyes in the mirror. "You look like a princess," she murmurs, almost reverent.
Izzy, standing behind her with a brush in hand and highlighter dust still clinging to her fingers, grins widely.
"No," she says. "Not a princess. A queen."
I swallow hard because that's exactly how I feel tonight. Like I belong in this world, not as a visitor, but as someone who's earned her place. Someone loved. Chosen. Seen.
"Thank you," I whisper, and for the first time in a long time, I mean it in more ways than one.
A near-reverent hush falls over the hall of the grand staircase as we descend. The silk of my gown whispers with every step; the soft sweep of satin echoes down into the vast foyer below. The lights are low, golden, and romantic. Every inch of this mansion is curated for spectacle and power. But all of that fades the second my eyes find him.
Enrico.
He's dressed in a black tuxedo that fits like sin and power stitched together. His hair is slicked back, the strong lines of his jaw dark with stubble, and his eyes… they drink me in like I'm water in a desert. He doesn't blink. Doesn't move. Just stares like I've knocked the air out of him.
Beside him, his brothers—Dante, Mattheo, and Tommaso—stand looking as devastatingly dangerous as ever in their suits, flanked by Rizio, Cesare, and my brothers, all cleaned up and regal. But it's Enrico who holds the center of gravity. The man I'm going to marry. The man who makes me feel like none of the pain in my past ever touched me.
He doesn't say anything at first. Just stares, slow and awed.
"Ravishing." His voice is hoarse, sending shivers down my spine. "You've ruined me, Cat. I'll never recover."
My breath catches, lips trembling with the smile I can't hide. He steps forward and pulls a long, thin box from behind his back. It's wrapped in soft velvet, and the nameVolareis embossed in gold script across the top.
I blink at it. "Enrico…"
He opens it slowly, and my eyes fall on a collar-style necklace in platinum, studded with deep yellow diamonds that match my engagement ring perfectly. Earrings as well, twin drops of golden fire. Plus, two delicate bracelets, one for each wrist. Together, it looks like the sun itself was caught and molded into pieces just for me.
"They said they missed their friend," Enrico murmurs, plucking the necklace from the box with steady fingers. "So I told them they could come along tonight."
My chest burns as he fastens the necklace around my throat, his fingers brushing my skin like a lover's vow. He adds the earrings, then slides the bracelets into place with a possessive gentleness that makes my knees weak.
When he's done, he steps back, and the entire room seems to blur.
"Now you look like the queen I always knew you were," he murmurs.
I can barely breathe. From somewhere, far, far away, Izzy's squeals penetrate the thick cotton fog surrounding my head. Arms grab me, embrace me, and I hear her snicker at Enrico, "You go, bro! Who knew you had it in you?"
He chuckles low, not taking his eyes off me. "You're not the only one full of surprises."
In the corner, I nearly miss the flicker of a frozen smile on Sabine's face. Her lips are pressed tight, she has her hands clutched at her sides, and there is a gleam of something ugly in her eyes that I want to forget as soon as possible, because tonight is for happiness only.
I blink, almost dizzy from the whirlwind of emotion. From the weight of the jewels, from his hands on my skin, from the way he looks at me like I'm every last star in his sky.
It gets only better from there. Instead of Enrico's customary Hummer, we pile into three limousines. Inside the limousine, everything sparkles: glass, satin, the glint of diamonds on my skin. But nothing shimmers more than the way Enrico looks at me.
He sits close enough that our thighs brush, his hand never straying from mine. The ride is a blur of lights and laughter. Izzy sips champagne like it's liquid gold. Eliza reminisces about her debut at a don's ball. My brothers, for once, are quiet, and Sabine… Sabine is watching me, smiling too perfectly. But I can't bring myself to care. Not when the world outside becomes something out of a dream.
"They're astonishing, Cat." Sabine's fingers graze my bracelets. Next, her eyes devour my necklace, and I self-consciously move my hand toward it.
