Page 120 of High Stakes and Soulmates
“You know where he went?” I ask, but there’s so much blood and his throat isn’t healing.
“Get him some blood,” Casimir says.
“Take my blood,” I offer as I try to give it to him, but he tries to push my arm away.
Casimir shakes his head. “We have to find a human or blood from Donovan’s club.”
“I’ll get it,” Atticus says before rushing out.
“Cyrus, are you okay?” Casimir asks.
“I don’t know,” I realize. “I’m so confused. He kept saying I was Arturo, but I think he was fucking with Ezio. I think he was trying to get in his head. But just… when I was having a panic attack… I felt like… I was on this ship… and… Ezio was dying, or I thought he was dead. And I… I don’t remember.”
“It’s okay.”
“No… why would Ezio go alone? If we can’t defeat Louis as a team, why would he go alone?”
“If someone was threatening to kill the man I love, I would have done something just as foolish,” Casimir says.
“But why alone?” I ask. “We could have helped.”
“I think it could have been a number of reasons. The first is that he knew we wouldn’t let him go if he’d asked. But I also think he’s afraid of ever losing anyone again. To him, the idea of losing his life is so much better than ever losing anyone he loves.”
I just don’t understand how Ezio could possibly think that sounds better. “I can’t lose him.”
“We’ll find him,” Casimir promises.
I squeeze the hand of the man on the ground for some reason. I find that I want to comfort him. I want to make sure he knows that he’s not alone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
EZIO
Facing someone as you kill them was never something I was good at. It was more honorable, for sure. I had many who screamed at me, told me that my methods were cruel, dishonorable, a coward’s way.
But it’s what I was told to do. It was how I was trained.
And it’s proven again that it’s the only thing I’m good at.
Louis doesn’t even realize I’m in the room. He has my blood on him, as well as the blood of others, that drowns out his senses. The moment I move, he’ll discover I’m here and kill me. And honestly… it’s only luck that I got here before him. I think he was curious to see the extent of the massacre that took place outside of the warehouse. He wanted to know how many of his children made it, but I’m starting to believe there weren’t many because he returned alone.
The wineglass of blood sitting on the table was prepared for him by a human servant or slave. And the moment he sees it, he downs it like a starving man. The blow Casimir delivered to him hurt him, but of course it wasn’t enough, though it’ll work in myfavor. So I knew I had to strike tonight if I was going to strike at all.
As I lean against the wall, tucked in the shadows and out of sight, I realize that the likelihood that I’m going to die here is significant. And won’t that be horrible of me to leave Cyrus without another word.
Cyrus… or is it Arturo?
Can I believe the words this man spit out? And if I can… the idea that I left Arturo alone for hundreds of years tortures me more than anything this man could have ever done to me.
Louis snarls something under his breath before sinking onto the bed. I’m sure he’s scheming up some plan to get Cyrus back, to kill him, to make me suffer.
But they’ll be his last thoughts… if I don’t fuck up.
Because I have to be quiet enough he doesn’t hear me. I have to move on feet that make no noise, not even a noise that this man would hear. And I have to wait until the very moment he least expects it in the safety of his room where he’s let his guard down.
He stands suddenly, and I hear him as he turns toward the door. “Jack, get your ass up here,” he shouts.
Louis staggers and catches himself on the door before he leans over and throws up the blood he’s just consumed.
