Page 42 of Little Sparrow

Chapter forty-seven

Dante

IhatedleavingRose,but I needed to speak to my father. It took a while for her to fall asleep, I felt her sobbing in my arms, felt the warm tears dripping on my chest. But there was nothing I could do. I held her tighter, letting her know I’m here and not giving up. When she eventually fell asleep. I waited half an hour to move. Not wanting to wake her. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and left her there. I hated that moment, but we couldn’t be together properly if I didn’t confess everything. It was time.

I push the large doors of my fathers office open and let it slam closed behind me. Franco is in here but I don’t care. I came here on a mission and I intend to finish it. My mouth opens to speak, but I don’t get the chance.

“I’m disappointed in you,figlio mio, you touched Rose, I specifically said she was off limits to everyone. First your stunt at dinner and now this.” I’m not surprised he knew, we had been spending time together alone in her room, someone was bound to see us or notice. I shrug, I’m done with all the secrets, Rose deserves better than what I’m giving her. She needs this, I need this.

“Father, with respect, I knew her years ago. Rose has always been mine. I’ll marry her.” I raise my head high, he needs to know I’m serious. Show no weakness.

He laughs, “No, you will marry Karalina, an heir is needed. The contract is signed. Their family will be a great asset to us. Accept this role you were born for.” The doors open behind me and the tapping of heels gets closer, my whole body tenses while that damn expensive perfume surrounds me.

“Here is your true bride, get used to it.” My father tells me, gesturing beside me. She puts her hand on my shoulder and pulls her body closer.

“I’ll give you as many heirs as you need, we would be good together.” Karalina’s voice comes from behind me, I don’t even look, I shrug her off my shoulder and just wave my hand to dismiss her, I need to get the fuck out of here. She strokes along my arm instead, trying to get a reaction from me but I pull myself away. “You enjoyed me before, let’s go back to that. Before that monster came along.” Her nose crinkles “You have been with her, just now? I can smell her on you.”

I knock her hand away from me, she stumbles back a couple of steps and looks to my father for support. He sighs as though he’s done with this conversation already. “Dante, this is a done deal. You might even learn to love her.” A small noise comes from her next to me. Did she already think I loved her?

“He doesn’t need to learn to love me, he’s already halfway there, that demon is just a blip. We can forget about her in time. She must have brainwashed him.” Karalina snaps at my father. She looks back up at me, “I know she’s just a little mistake that I forgive you for.”

I bark out a laugh and they both stare at me. “We both know Capo's wife must be a virgin before being taken by him. Roses blood on my cock was enough for me to know that no one else in here had taken it. She can be my wife. Rose is the only one worthy.”

My father stands “Have you thought about future children? Can Rose even have any?” He tilts his head. I hadn’t even thought about children, I’m only twenty one, I had assumed I had years left. My jaw clenches when he smiles. He thinks he has got to me.

“Demons struggle to have children. Like I had told Rose when we found her; she is rare. I’d rather havenormalgrandchildren. Not some little soul sucking things running around.” He tells me with a shake of his head.

“That doesn’t matter to me, I didn’t even want this life? Remember when I left?” He gives me a hard stare, but I know the memory that he lost everything easily before, it can happen again.

“Leave us,” he nods his head to Karalina but neither of us watch her, she leaves silently at his command, the doors close gently behind her. I smile at him “What if Rose is already pregnant?” It is possible, I haven’t used protection with her. It never crossed my mind.

He ignores my comment and rounds his desk and leans against it, crossing his arms over his chest. “I had high hopes for you. I knew you wouldn’t truly be ready to kill until I forced your hand that first night. You may have hated me for it, but look how you turned out. You’re just like me.”

I shake my head and clench my fists. “I’m nothing like you.”

A deep sigh leaves his chest. “You have killed, people have suffered because of you. This business is your blood. You tortured your childhood friend for punishment, just as I would have. No one has to know Karalina wasn’t a virgin before you.” My father doesn’t even need to ask any questions, he knows what I did and I hate it. I blink a few times to clear my head.

“I don’t hurt women and children. You went against the rules of the N’drangheta. That is the person I didn’t want to become. It was a woman, she didn’t deserve to die. She was Rose’s mother! And what did we do this for? Money.” I can’t stop my eyes from rolling.

“We did it to build an empire. Money does come with it. Rose was always a means to an end. Her mother wasn’t a woman, she was a lesser demon too, just weaker so we couldn’t use her the way we do with Rose. Eventually they become useless to us and need to be put down.”

My heart beats faster, I need to get to Rose. She’s in danger and doesn’t even know it yet. I need to protect her, I turn to leave but stop when my father holds up his hand, “This needs to stop. What if one of us had access to her one night? She can’t defend herself with a collar on.” His smile grows wide. My hatred grows.

My fists curl, ready to throw a punch at whoever is closest, but they both have guns. I only have my knife. “She wouldn’t let you touch her.” I have no doubt that she would kill him before spreading her legs for him, for any of them. She would fight to the death if she had to.

“You made a huge mistake touching her, you will need to suffer for it.” Franco’s voice comes from behind me as he fires his gun. The sharp sting causes me to stumble and grasp my thigh. He fucking shot me in the back of the leg. “It’s not that deep, don’t panic.” He tells me, but it still makes it hard to walk towards the doors. Franco keeps his gun aimed at me, pretty sure it’s facing my other leg.

“Take him to the guest house. Lock him in with the nurse to treat that wound. No one goes in or out until I say so. Understand?” My fathers voice is raised, he must be calling out for guards.

“Yes, Boss.” Franco walks towards me, pulling a needle from the inside of his pocket. A sedative, I try to push him away while limping towards the door, the need to get to Rose to tell her to run, but he catches up easily.

“Remember,figlio mio, this is for your own good.” Those are my fathers last words to me before the sting in the back of my neck. Everything goes black.

My eyes open slowly, I check my body and my leg is bandaged up. There is a woman here with me somewhere, I can hear her humming. I drag myself from the bed and limp through the guest house. I keep vigilant just in case a soldier is here. Father wouldn’t leave me here without any, even if I am injured. I pull the curtain to the side at the window; one guard that I can see from this angle. I’ll need to check the others, then make a plan.

A smell comes from the kitchen. The woman here is cooking something I haven’t had in years, my mind can’t place it. It’s too foggy from the drugs. I grip the walls, using them for stability as I drag my way through the hallway. Something feels familiar when she starts to hum a song I haven’t heard in a long time. When I get to the doorway to the kitchen I freeze. This isn’t real.

“Mother?”

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