Page 98 of Heir of Darkness

The simultaneous dread and fear that filled her came over her so quickly that if she was standing, she was sure she would have fallen over. Valerio tightened his hand on her thigh.

“He was asking about the baby, how you’re feeling,” Finn said, tapping his fingers on the table. “Mom was wondering why you haven’t called or met up with her. She wants to go with you to one of your appointments.”

“What did you tell them?” Valerio asked, his voice hard. His eyes narrowed harshly at Finn.

Finn rolled his eyes. “I told them she was sick with morning sickness. Said you’ve been resting for the baby.”

It was silent for a few moments until Dante spoke up. “So, there is no baby. I just wanted to remind everyone in case we forgot.”

“Yeah, we fucking know,” Luna muttered, rubbing her hand over her forehead. “Does it even matter anymore?”

“Well, if we’re planning to get rid of them, then no, I guess it doesn’t,” he said, shrugging.

“They seem caring enough now,” Finn said. “Maybe we don’t have to do anything drastic. Maybe there’s a possibility an actual child could do what we need done.”

Luna shook her head frantically. “No.”

“I don’t see how having a child is any worse than killing our father or his father,” Finn said, pointing at Valerio. “I mean, you can’t possibly want your father dead. Are you willing to pull the trigger?”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet,” Allister said.

“You can’t fucking talk. No one is telling you to kill your fucking father,” Finn spit out.

“Don’t be naive,” Luna told him.

“I’m naive? Are you kidding me?” he said. “You’re naive for thinking you have the fucking guts to kill your own father.”

“Why would a grandchild change any of their minds? They had their own fucking children and still managed to be the worst people in the world. No baby is going to change that, ever. And I’m not risking it,” Luna bit back.

Finn ignored her completely, turning his attention to Valerio. “What do you think about this?”

“It’s a complicated situation,” he said.

Luna looked at him, trying to find some—any—indication of what he was thinking. Yes, it was complicated, but he couldn’t change his mind now. Not after everything.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“It means that this shouldn’t be a rushed decision,” Valerio said. “We need to make sure we know what we’re doing, as I mentioned before.”

Luna tensed. Her eyes met Dante’s, who looked at her with a look that seemed to think the same: they were pulling out. The fear was back. Valerio wasn’t on her side. Why wasn’t he on her side? Why would he agree to everything, seeming like he cared, just to pull back?

Exhaustion crept up with the paralyzing feeling of betrayal. Not Valerio; he couldn’t do it to her. Their parents already had; she couldn’t handle it if he did too.

“Did they think before they decided to shoot you in the back?” Luna asked, her voice no more than a whisper. “Did they think before they sent a man to nearly strangle me to death in my apartment?”

“Luna,” Valerio said softly.

It was too late.

She was already grabbing the bowl, sending it crashing against the wall beside them. “Did any of them think before theyruined our lives? No, they didn’t. They don’t deserve a single thought more. They deserve to be brought to their knees, forced to stare at the barrel of a gun before they’re sent straight to hell for what they’ve done.”

Her screams echoed through the kitchen, causing an eerie silence. She stood, pulling at her hair. “My hands were soaked in your blood while I tried to save your life. You almost died! Don’t you care about that even a little bit?”

“Of course I do,” Valerio said, attempting to stand up.

“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t fucking breathe. As long as they’re living, breathing, and plotting, I will not know a moment of peace. I need them gone forever,” Luna screamed.

“You haven’t been sleeping or eating?” he asked, his eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

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