Page 33 of Devil's Embrace
I hesitated, glancing back at Emory.Her face was pale, her eyes wide as she pressed Mina's head against her shoulder, shielding the child from the violence.Something twisted in my chest at the sight—not weakness, as Mateo claimed, but a clarity I'd never experienced before.These two lives had somehow become precious to me, their safety more important than the empire Mateo had built on blood and fear.
Mateo seized that split-second of divided attention.He darted his hand to the small of his back, reaching for what I knew was his final hidden weapon.
"Luca!"Emory's sharp cry snapped my focus back just in time to see the glint of metal as Mateo pulled a compact pistol from his waistband.
I didn't think.Didn't hesitate.My finger squeezed the trigger once, twice.The shots echoed in the cavernous space, oddly final after the extended chaos of the battle.Mateo's body jerked with the impact, surprise blooming on his face as he looked down at the spreading red stain on his chest.He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came.His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the floor.
The echo of the shots faded, leaving an eerie silence broken only by Mina's frightened whimpers.I stood frozen for a moment, the pistol still aimed at Mateo's now-still form.My uncle.Tormentor.Maker.Dead by my hand, just as he'd trained me to kill so many others.
I lowered the weapon slowly, feeling a strange emptiness where I'd expected triumph or relief.Marco approached cautiously, his rifle ready.
"Sir?"he prompted quietly."Are we secure?"
I nodded, suddenly desperate to be away from Mateo's empty stare."Check the grounds again.Make sure none of his men escaped.We can't risk anyone reporting back to his lieutenants."
Marco hesitated, glancing at Mateo's body."And him, sir?"
"Later."I was already moving, each step carrying me away from my past and toward the two figures who had somehow become my future.
I crossed to Emory and Mina, holstering the pistol to keep from frightening the child further.My expression shifted without conscious effort, the merciless killer giving way to something else entirely.I reached them in three long strides, my eyes sweeping over them, checking for injuries beyond the cut on Mina's arm.
"Are you hurt?"I asked, my voice softer than I could ever remember it being.
Emory shook her head, her eyes never leaving my face."You're bleeding."
I glanced down at my torn sleeve, the blood dripping from my fingertips.It seemed unimportant now, a minor detail in the face of everything we’d just survived.
"It's nothing.Thank you.Your warning...you saved my life."
She nodded once, her arms tightening around Mina.In her eyes I saw fear, shock, horror at the violence she'd witnessed.But beneath that, something else—recognition, perhaps.Understanding of what had just changed between us, of the protection I now offered without condition or expectation.
"It's over.You're safe now.Both of you."
Marco approached again, this time with more urgency."Sir, we need to move quickly.If word reaches Bianchi about what's happened here—"
I raised a hand, silencing him.There would be consequences, of course.Power vacuums, territory disputes, questions about succession.The business of death and power would continue, as it always had.
But for this moment, looking into Emory's eyes, feeling Mina's small hand tentatively reach for mine, none of that seemed to matter.
"See to it.I'll join you shortly."
He nodded and withdrew, leaving me standing with the woman and child who had somehow breached defenses I hadn't even known I still maintained.
"Come."I offered my hand to Emory."Let's get you both somewhere safe."
I guided Emory and Mina through the destruction of my home, past my men as they secured weapons, tended to our wounded, and removed the dead.Blood pooled on marble floors that had known only polished shoes and quiet footsteps hours before.Crystal fragments from the shattered chandelier caught the emergency lights, throwing distorted patterns across the walls like frozen lightning.I kept Mina's face turned away from the worst of it, my hand gently cupping the back of her head as we navigated the aftermath of violence that would have been unimaginable to her before tonight.This went far beyond what she’d witnessed in the alley on Halloween night.
Antonio approached as we reached the east wing, his face grim but composed."We've secured the perimeter, sir.No survivors among Mateo's men.Vincent's in critical condition but stable.The doctor's with him now."
I nodded, relieved Vincent had survived.I’d been certain he was dead."And Mateo's body?"
"Being prepared for transport.Marco thought—" he glanced at Emory and Mina, lowering his voice—"the lake would be appropriate."
"See to it personally."I made the decision without hesitation.Mateo would disappear, as had so many of his enemies over the years.A fitting end.
Antonio's eyes flicked to the blood soaking my sleeve."You need medical attention, sir."
"Later."I dismissed him with a slight nod, continuing to guide Emory and Mina toward the untouched sanctuary of my private quarters.The child had gone quiet, her small body trembling, blue eyes wide and haunted by what she'd witnessed.Some cuts went deeper than flesh.
