Page 14 of Where Dark Hearts Devour
“Is that him?”
I turn to see Tess staring at my future husband. Her top lip is curled and her face partially turned away as if she’s recoiling in horror. She’s never been one to conceal her true feelings.
“Thanks a lot, Tess,” I mutter under my breath, while Sera elbows her in the ribs.
“Owww.” She spins toward us, then her face falls. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make that face out loud.”
“You’ve really got to learn to be more expressive,” Sera says. She leans into me. “He’s a Gemini sun. Without his time of birthI can’t work out the rest of his chart, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he has Virgo somewhere.”
“How do you know?”
“Smart, understated. Obviously a perfectionist.”
“Aren’t Geminis supposed to have split personalities?” I whisper.
She doesn’t get a chance to reply before Papa and Savero turn and look over at us. My blood heats from chest to cheek. I hate being the center of attention at the best of times, but like this, I feel like a prize cow being sold at market.
There’s no flicker of interest in Savero’s eyes when he narrows them in my direction. In fact, they’re ice shards perusing me.
“Jeez,” I mumble. “Could he at least look like he’s pleased at the prospect of marrying me?”
Sera rests a hand on my arm. “Remember, it is his father’s funeral, and he’s now the boss of New York’s biggest Mafia family. He probably has a lot on his mind.”
I sigh. It’s a fair point, but it doesn’t make me feel any less uncomfortable.
The service ends far too soon for my liking. Six of the men who were sitting in the top two pews lift the black lacquered coffin, with its ostentatious gold trim, and carry it down the aisle to the exit. Then what I assume to beactualfamily, as opposed toMafiafamily, follow next.
I glance sideways at Savero as he passes, but his gaze doesn’t flicker my way. It makes me feel invisible and anxious, like I’m about to fall into a deep, deep hole from which no one can rescue me. I look down before the rest of his family passes because I can’t face any of them yet. After today, I’ll have a lifetime to get to know them. Right now, I want to bathe in ignorance a little while longer.
Papa stands and ushers Allegra and my sisters toward the exit before turning his expectant gaze to me. He finally seems to notice my outfit, and I can’t tell from his tight huff whether it’s a good choice or bad. No matter—there’s no way I could have embarked on this day in the dress Allegra picked out for me.
“Remember what we talked about.” Papa’s stern warning comes out of the corner of his lips. “Give him your full attention. Only speak when you’re spoken to. And always be polite and courteous.”
I sigh despondently. “How else would I be, Papa?”
He wraps a hand around my elbow and walks me to the exit, where Savero is talking to the priest. Beyond the church building, the coffin is being carried across the lawns to the cemetery, where it’ll be lowered into the ground.
We stand to the side of the aisle and wait. Papa may think this is polite, but I think it’s weak. I hate the way we’re already walking on eggshells around the man who is basically robbing us of our family business.
Finally, the priest nods in our direction, and Savero turns around. His gaze finds me instantly and rakes over my outfit before clawing its way back up to my face. His expression barely moves.
“Mr. Di Santo,” Papa says, making me step forward. “Meet my eldest daughter, Trilby Castellano.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say in my most polite voice. “And I’m so sorry for your loss.”
My offer of condolence makes him pause, and for a second a flash of sorrow crosses his face. But just as quickly, it’s gone, and his eyes lick me up and down as though I’m an appetizer he hasn’t ordered but will, with some reluctance, eat anyway.
“Likewise, Miss Castellano. And thank you.”
Only a few people remain inside the church, but they all watch our stilted first meeting with ravenous curiosity. I feelself-conscious and slightly sick. This is the man I’m going to marry. The man I’ll spend the rest of my life with. The thought hollows my stomach.
“It was a beautiful service.” I lapse into my default state of trying to fill the uncomfortable silence.
“Yes, beautiful,” Papa echoes. “Thank you for the invitation to the church.”
Savero looks back at me, his features stoic. “It made sense. We would have had to bring our families together to celebrate our impending union at some point—why not kill two birds with one stone?”
“Well, it’s an honor,” Papa says, while I refrain from rolling my eyes into the back of my head. I hate seeing Papa suck up to this man knowing everything he’s doing to our family.
