Page 78 of Heir of Darkness

No thank you.

He gave a small laugh, grabbing a plate and taking the panini out. He cut it in half and set it in front of her. “No one will be allowed onto the property, so you’ll be completely safe. But if anything happens at all, don’t hesitate to call me. I know you can’t talk, but the phone call will alert me enough. I’ll come in an instant.” Luna nodded, taking a small bite, but burning her tongue instead. He narrowed his eyes, grabbing a water bottle for her. “Be careful. You’re supposed to get better, not worse.”

She flipped him the bird, taking a sip of water. He raised his eyebrow. “So we’ve settled with lewd hand gestures then? I can show you one myself,” he said, lifting his fingers in a “V” up to his lips.

Luna looked away the moment he stuck his tongue out. He sat beside her, letting her eat while he checked the text from Allister telling him that Finn and Augustus were planning on joining them tonight. Why? He had no fucking idea.

She tapped his hand, showing him the board.

Keep me entertained. I left my phone upstairs and I can’t talk. :(

Valerio put down his phone immediately. “What should I talk about?”

She stared at him blankly. He shook his head. “Fine, how about we talk about our wedding? I’m thinking you wear a ginormous dress that you can’t walk in and we’ll serve lemon cake.”

Absolutely not!

“Is that a yes? Well, if you say so. Maybe I’ll have to plan the entire wedding myself,” he said with a grin. He didn’t know shit about weddings, but watching her get angry and not being able to voice the frustrations made him laugh. She looked fucking adorable. “I’m just kidding, I would never make you give up control over that. I know you only like to give up control when I fuck you.”

Her mouth dropped open before it closed back up. She blushed as she went back to eating. He kept her entertained with random stories from his childhood that at least put a smile on her face. They were the good ones with Dante and his mother. One in particular where he convinced Dante that there was a shark in the water while they were swimming and the dumbassactually believed him. They weren’t even in an ocean; they were swimming in a lake.

When she finished, Valerio took the plate from her and set it in the sink. He helped her walk up the stairs, holding on to her hips from behind. He assured her it was in case she suddenly became faint. He was the perfect nurse.

But realistically, since the night he walked into her apartment and saw her pale shaken body covered in bruises and dried up blood, he found himself reaching out to her more often just to make sure she was next to him. That she was real.

She threw on one of his big shirts and slipped into their bed. Dante had brought in both prescriptions at that point and Valerio gave them to her, making sure she took plenty of water with them. Every painful swallow sent a stab to his heart, but she would get better and he would get his revenge.

Snores escaped Luna soon after. Valerio covered her body with the comforter, tucking her in the way she liked. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, muttering an “I love you.”

He left the room quickly, carefully closing the door behind him. The minute it clicked, his face changed. The ability to care for someone only existed with Luna. Valerio, at his core, was deadly, rotten.

Someone had made the grave mistake of putting their hands on what was his. They tried to kill her.

He once promised he would burn the world down for Luna. Now, it was time to come through with his promise.

Valerio’s footsteps echoed against the concrete of the warehouse hallway. He walked quickly, unwilling to stay there for a moment longer than he had to while Luna slept at home.

Everyone else was already waiting for him, and that included Finn and his goon. Valerio wanted nothing to do with the most annoying Kingsley, but he’d killed the man that attacked his Luna. If Finn had any information whatsoever about what happened, then he needed to find out.

They all crowded around the center of the open room where the dead body sat on a metal table. He could already feel the rage entering him, but he had to remind himself that the man was dead.

“Did you find anything yet?” Valerio called out, directing the attention to him.

Allister was the one to answer him. “No, he’s completely empty. Not a single phone, ID, or anything to identify him or the person that sent him.”

“All this shows is that he was smart enough to be unidentifiable just in case he got caught,” Finn said, crossing his arms.

Valerio looked at the naked dead man closely. He scanned his skin, using a pen to lift his arms and legs.

“What are you looking for?” Augustus asked with a disgusted look.

“Some kind of mark or tattoo that would show who he’s connected to,” Valerio said.

“Who the fuck even does that anymore?” he asked.

“Our family,” Dante answered. Valerio nodded in agreement. An old tradition, but a useful one for secret missions like this.

“And mine,” Finn said. “The only person I know who used to seriously use it was my great-grandpa. I don’t think anyone younger does it anymore.”

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